23 replies to this topic

[joe twyman]

I am researching the history of a Lotus 23B (Chassis 102-recently the subject of a feature in Motor Sport Magazine). In period this car ran with a GT body (which still survives today). Does anyone have any information on GT bodied 23B's, or better still any photographs? The only photograph we have is one in "Ginetta- The Illustrated History" (page 25). Any help would be greatly apreciated!

[Tweddell]

hello joe,
can you post a picture or give a short description of the body.

the only gt looking 23 lotus i saw were at gran premo del mugello 1968 and another one at nurburgring 1000km in 1967. the mudello car had a targa bar and a big windscreen, the nurburging car even had a volvo 18oo engine

[joe twyman]

The photo in the Ginetta book is of the car being lapped by a Ginetta on the GP Circuit at Silverstone in 1967. The colour of the body is a deep red with a broad black stripe down the middle. The body is very sleek...the front looks very much like a P3 Ferrari. The centre section has gullwing doors and then the only way to describe the rear is like a fin tail Cooper Monaco. Having spoken to Ted Walker, he informs me that the bodies were made by a company by Mercury... I believe the car also ran with a Cosworth engine... I presume this was fitted later?

[bill moffat]

Now I'm fairly sure that a Mercury GT was a regular contender in GT's at Castle Combe in the late 60's, I'll take a stab at Bob Miller as the driver but I'll have to dig out a programme.

One Alan Fowler was using a Mercury GT in the 1971 RAC Sports Car championship but I'm unsure as to whether this was still a Lotus 23-based car.

Incidentally Joe, Xanthos cars of California will make you a new 23B GT complete with Honda VTEC engine. From a distance with your specs. off and after a few glasses of Californian white you might just be fooled..

[Ray Bell]

Bet it's not as nice as what Bob Britton would build you with the same power unit...

But is it mounted 'sideways'? That, surely, would be the advantage of using that engine/box...

[joe twyman]

Having looked through the illegible documents (of which there are few) I have worked out that going back, the owners were:

1999: Ian Richie,
1995: Paul Matty,
1973:G.J.Slawson (paid £425!),
N.J.Rayner,
Mrs G.Bertorelli

From here I cannot find any further info on the car's owners....I dont know if this will open up any further leads.

Your help is much apreciated!

[Ted Walker]

Joe. The Bertorelli family also raced a Lotus 11 GT as well as Alfas in the 60s.I will sort your Mercury shots when I get back from Italy.

[Tweddell]

if you want to see some pictures of mercury sportscar, try the ten-tenth forum, i remember a thread there including pictures, because i saved them on my pc.
a friend of mine has a rolling chassis in his workshop, and he never knew, what is was for many years. finally he found out, that is was once a mercury sportscar, coming to an end as a much converted hill-climber in the seventies anywhere in south germany.

[Rosemayer]

Follow this link for a little more history of the Mercurey GT Scroll down to mercurey and pick Specs.


www.race-cars.com/carsold/ groups46.htm

[joe twyman]

Thanks for all your help, hopefully I should be able to follow these leads...

One of the photos on the ten tenths thread came up with this...

http://www.ten-tenth...=&postid=469821

This is very much like the body for the 23B in question!

[ggnagy]

interesting. About 5 years ago I found someone in the NE trying to sell a "Mercury GT" sports racer roller. It was not the car in question found on the "race-cars.com" site, but one needing a total rebuild. Only distuingishing markings were the SCCA wire wheel and "dsr" class designation on the rocker panels. For all I know, the car might still be available.

[Kale]

Hello
Have anyone a picture from the car ?
or a picture from the page 25 in the book : Ginetta- The Illustrated History"
Any pics from Mercury Gt´s ?

[Rosemayer]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Bet it's not as nice as what Bob Britton would build you with the same power unit...

But is it mounted 'sideways'? That, surely, would be the advantage of using that engine/box...

No Ray he uses the engine from the Honda S2000. 2 Liter V-Tech 9000 RPM redline.

[Stephen W]

Above: Barry White in his Lotus 23 GT - Oulton Park Easter 1970


Above: Alan Fowler in his Mercury - Cadwell Park September 2006

[SpecialKS]

not exactly what you're looking for - but interesting:

http://www.williamsa...uk/saturngt.htm

http://lotusdriver.b...01_archive.html

http://autos.groups....up/L23Registry/

[justin mercury]

I am researching the history of a Lotus 23B (Chassis 102-recently the subject of a feature in Motor Sport Magazine). In period this car ran with a GT body (which still survives today). Does anyone have any information on GT bodied 23B's, or better still any photographs? The only photograph we have is one in "Ginetta- The Illustrated History" (page 25). Any help would be greatly apreciated!

I think it was 1966 that i bought a lotus 23b from Mr cousins (cousins Imperial Soap) I think the first owner was a dublin lawyer
(i cant rember the chassis no) it must have been a very early one because when we stripped the twin cam it had a 4 bearing camshaft (we replaced it with
a later Norman Abbot head with 5 bearing)
We then grafted on lotus 41 suspension with wider wheels The car then started to win
The next year the regulations changed to GT cars So we made a GT body and called it a Mercury this car was sucessfull in this form
(claiming the outright lap record at lyden) The next year 1969 theregs chained back to open cars (we built and sold about 5 GT Mercurys) we then built a longer
chassis (i am 6ft 2" and was always crampt in the lotus) and fitted a Cosworth FVA engine and managed to come 3rd to team lotus at( Zandvoort trophy of
the Dunes)(lotus 62 1st John Miles 2nd Brian Muir)we then built another chassis for 1970 wider with 10" front wheels & 14" rears and managed to win the
2 liter Class Motoring News Championship with a FVC engine hope this is of interest


alan fowler & justin fowler

Edited by justin mercury, 12 October 2009 - 20:05.

[starkteam]

I am researching the history of a Lotus 23B (Chassis 102-recently the subject of a feature in Motor Sport Magazine). In period this car ran with a GT body (which still survives today). Does anyone have any information on GT bodied 23B's, or better still any photographs? The only photograph we have is one in "Ginetta- The Illustrated History" (page 25). Any help would be greatly apreciated!

Joe,

I have the Lotus 23B/Saturn that is in the Williams & Pritchard website. Also, the following link might be helpful. It is the only 23B GT I know of with just a top put on the 23 body. There are pictures.

http://forums.autosp...showtopic=98640

Hope this helps.

Don Stark

[ellrosso]

We have a shot of a Lotus 23 GT (assume its a B) on the http://www.oldracephotos.com website in Bernie Bignell's hands at Calder in 1974. Not sure if this is what you're after but if you type Lotus 23 GT into the Advanced Search it will come up.
Regards, ellrosso

[r.atlos]

Might there not be confusion between Lotus chassis number 23-S-102 and the AM frame number ? I always thought 23-S-102 used to race extensively in Belgium. Luxemburg and Germany with continous history between at least 1964 and 1976.

[Rupertlt1]

I think it was 1966 that i bought a lotus 23b from Mr cousins (cousins Imperial Soap) I think the first owner was a dublin lawyer
(i cant rember the chassis no) it must have been a very early one because when we stripped the twin cam it had a 4 bearing camshaft (we replaced it with
a later Norman Abbot head with 5 bearing)
We then grafted on lotus 41 suspension with wider wheels The car then started to win
The next year the regulations changed to GT cars So we made a GT body and called it a Mercury this car was sucessfull in this form
(claiming the outright lap record at lyden) The next year 1969 theregs chained back to open cars (we built and sold about 5 GT Mercurys) we then built a longer
chassis (i am 6ft 2" and was always crampt in the lotus) and fitted a Cosworth FVA engine and managed to come 3rd to team lotus at( Zandvoort trophy of
the Dunes)(lotus 62 1st John Miles 2nd Brian Muir)we then built another chassis for 1970 wider with 10" front wheels & 14" rears and managed to win the
2 liter Class Motoring News Championship with a FVC engine hope this is of interest


alan fowler & justin fowler

 

"cousins" is Nick Cussons, who raced a Lotus 23 in 1965. The Dublin lawyer was Billy Bradshaw who bought two Lotus 23s from the factory:

23-S-9, 23B-S-80.

I think the Fowler car has to be the latter?

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 22 August 2023 - 09:35.

[68targa]

3 April 1982 - Silverstone JDC meeting.  Reg Skeels, Mercury GT #40 is following Bobby Bell's GT40. Skeels finished 3rd behind Bell and the Chevron B8 of Alan Eisner. The Mercury is shown in the programme as being Green.

 

 

[ellrosso]

Shot of the car in Bernie Bignell's ownership. Calder, Victoria 1974.

 

[Rupertlt1]

For more on Bignell see:

 

https://forums.autos...t/#entry2963841

 

Green > Bignell > Shepherd

 

23B-S-70 originally driven by Keith Greene in 1963:

 

https://library.revs...-whitsun/380451

 

Where did it go for 1964?

 

No connection to the Skeels car shown above?

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 23 August 2023 - 05:03.

[Roryswood]

The Dublin socitor who owned the Lotus was Billy Bradshaw (RIP ) appearing in programmes as W.E.T Bradshaw , he raced it in Angola , Canada and Denmark and Ireland , when he raced it
, it was white