6 replies to this topic

[HistoryBuff]

Years ago I met a racer in the Shelby club who told me that once he was at some shop and there was a tractor trailer there wfull of old ties and they told him "If you dig in those tires you will find an old race car." He took the challenge up and dug through the tires and found a tube frame chassis. After more digging he found a chassis plate and realized it was a Lotus 19. He bought it and it turned out to be the 19B that Gurney ordered up special from Lotus to take a 289 Cobra engine, similar to the so called King Cobras Shelby's team had either earlier or later. I always though since he pitted with Shelby's crew with the Lotus he was hired by Shelby to outrun the Ferraris at the start so they would break trying to catch him but Phil Remington told me that Gurney really thought he could run harder than the Ferraris and finish.

At any rate, I think the guy who found the car was Wayne Linden (Lyndon?) of Redding,CA and the car may have been sold to Gordon Gimbel. Does anyone have e-mail address for either and has anyone heard what the discover paid when he dug it out?

Incidentally looking back at the cast of characters, I get a kick out of Gurney's early championing of Chapman, even flying him over for Indy, introducing him to Ford in the hopes of Lotus getting a contract or two but I guess after the Lotus=Ford built for Indy Ford was turned off by Chapman who always seemed to get more publicity for Lotus than for Ford even when Ford was paying for everything! I don't know how far along he got on his LeMans type designs but Ford sure didn't order one..

[D-Type]

Years ago I met a racer in the Shelby club who told me that once he was at some shop and there was a tractor trailer there wfull of old ties and they told him "If you dig in those tires you will find an old race car." He took the challenge up and dug through the tires and found a tube frame chassis. After more digging he found a chassis plate and realized it was a Lotus 19. He bought it and it turned out to be the 19B that Gurney ordered up special from Lotus to take a 289 Cobra engine, similar to the so called King Cobras Shelby's team had either earlier or later. I always though since he pitted with Shelby's crew with the Lotus he was hired by Shelby to outrun the Ferraris at the start so they would break trying to catch him but Phil Remington told me that Gurney really thought he could run harder than the Ferraris and finish.

At any rate, I think the guy who found the car was Wayne Linden (Lyndon?) of Redding,CA and the car may have been sold to Gordon Gimbel. Does anyone have e-mail address for either and has anyone heard what the discover paid when he dug it out?

Incidentally looking back at the cast of characters, I get a kick out of Gurney's early championing of Chapman, even flying him over for Indy, introducing him to Ford in the hopes of Lotus getting a contract or two but I guess after the Lotus=Ford built for Indy Ford was turned off by Chapman who always seemed to get more publicity for Lotus than for Ford even when Ford was paying for everything! I don't know how far along he got on his LeMans type designs but Ford sure didn't order one..

Trying do a "SEARCH BB" for "Lotus 30" or "Lotus 40".

What is the race where you are casting Gurney in the role of hare?

[ray b]

Trying do a "SEARCH BB" for "Lotus 30" or "Lotus 40".

What is the race where you are casting Gurney in the role of hare?

http://www.sportscar...e-race-profile/

link has picture of #23 dan's 19/ford

[Tim Murray]

Lotus 19 history has been extensively discussed in this thread:

Case history: Lotus 19 Monte Carlo

The most recent ownership chain for chassis 966 in that thread was posted in 2007:

(etc)

966 19B
1963-65 Dan Gurney (Ford 289) North America
1965 Joe Leonard crashed tyre-testing at Riverside
1965-66 Steve Dulio (and Bondurant)
1967- Dick Caillouette (Traco-Chev), often driven national events by Peter Woods (post635)
1970s Wayne Linden (Ford)
1995- present, Gordon and Nancy Gimbel, California (post623)
2007- present, Steve Diulio, California (?) (post 600)

What is the race where you are casting Gurney in the role of hare?

As well as the Sebring race linked to by Ray, the Gurney/Grant Lotus 19 also led the 1965 Daytona 2000 km until retiring at around two-thirds distance with engine problems.

[David Birchall]

I think the person you want is Wayne Linden-I recall him having the car at the Monterey Historics in the mid/late seventies and it was definately "unrestored"!

[David Birchall]

I would suggest contacting General Racing-Steve Earl's organization-they would have records of both Wayne Linden's and Gordon Gimbell's entries over the years. They have helped me in the past. Privacy rules apply of course...

[oldclassiccar]

O/T reminds me of a story told to me 20yrs ago, by a bloke who swore that there was a Lotus 11 under a pile of old tyres at a yard in Manchester. Never did find out if it was true or not..

RJ