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#1 Wolf

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Posted 26 May 2005 - 23:29

Pls. forgive my laziness but I can't find a photo I'm certain to have of a Lotus 7 taking part in a GP (South Africa)... Does anyone have a photo, and what race it was (I seem to recall '62?).

Thanks in advance. :)

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#2 Vitesse2

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Posted 26 May 2005 - 23:55

Brausch Niemann ran a Lotus 7 in two South African races in 1962 - the Rand GP and the Natal GP. I've seen a picture (possibly in one of DCN's quiz threads?) which showed him right at the back of the grid: as that's the position he was in in the Rand GP that was probably the event.

#3 Wolf

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Posted 27 May 2005 - 09:27

Thanks, Richard. :)

Now, I didn't find the photo You mention, but I've located the photo I have (original pic posted by Quintin was gone, but I found what it was called so I located it on one of my CDs) :

Posted Image

#4 Patrick Fletcher

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Posted 27 May 2005 - 09:58

Great photo. :up:
What engine did this car run, presume in 1962 maybe a 1340cc Ford............

#5 Stefan Ornerdal

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Posted 27 May 2005 - 13:58

From Bernard Cowdrey's "The Half-ton Formula":

Ford 109E bored out to 1500cc
4 Amal carburettors
Steering: Morris 100
Brakes Mercedes drums (rear) Austin A30 drums (front)
Suspension: Austin A30
Transmission: Ford 4-speed

The chassis was shortening by cutting it in half and removing 2 inches


Stefan

#6 Joe Bosworth

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 07:25

Stefan

Not bad response but I wish to add a little detail and clear up a couple of points that are nearly, (but not totally correct).

According to the Lotus 7 Register, the Niemann Lotus 7 was run at two races for which the picture might apply; Rand GP 15 Dec 62 and a week later at Natal.

At Rand the car finished 10th after starting 32nd, 9.5 seconds behind #1 qualifier one J Clark.

The car was a 1957 Lotus 7, (presumably delivered with a 998 cc BMC engine).

In order to meet single seater requirements it had 2 inches taken out lengthwise to narrow it, not to shorten it.

The Ford engine in 1962 was reportedly a 109E.

From my own knowledge of the day based on helping to build the first, (reportedly), Australian raced 105E engine and others, I can add:

The 109E would have been originally delivered with a bore of 80.96 and stroke of 65.07 for 1340 cc. For Formula Junior, the predecessor 105E 997 cc engines were being bored generally 4 mm to 84.96 for 1097 cc.


The 1340's were often bored to the 84.96 which then gave 1475 cc, not 1500. The 1475's were actually generally found to be a better engine than the later 116E 80.96 mm bore 1498's as the extra bore diameter allowed either larger valves or, more importantly, further un-shrouding of the inlet valve diameter which did wonders for BMEP.

The 4 Amals would have worked suberbly but would have been very fiddly to set up with their 4 vertical slides. The first OZ built 105E also had the 4 Amals.

#7 Ray Bell

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 07:40

I can't for the life of me see why anyone would put A30 suspension on a Lotus 7... nor could I ever understand tiny (8") A30 drums on the front and Mercedes drums on the rear...

That aside, at about the same time in history (Nov 18, 1962) a Lotus Super 7 was to become the last ever front-engine-RWD car and the last ever 2-seater to place in the Australian GP driven by Jeff Dunkerton.

The picture doesn't really show that the car was narrowed very well at all...

#8 Vitesse2

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 10:09

Originally posted by Ray Bell
I can't for the life of me see why anyone would put A30 suspension on a Lotus 7... nor could I ever understand tiny (8") A30 drums on the front and Mercedes drums on the rear...


Yes, it struck me that the back end might be rather more keen to stop than the front .... :drunk:

I've been trying to work out where the picture's from. I think it must be heat 1 of the Natal GP at Westmead, in which case that's John Love in the Cooper.

#9 Roger Clark

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 18:32

Originally posted by Ray Bell
I can't for the life of me see why anyone would put A30 suspension on a Lotus 7... nor could I ever understand tiny (8") A30 drums on the front and Mercedes drums on the rear...

Presumably this refers to the live rear axle. Didn't all Series 1 Sevens have a proprietary BMC rear axle?

#10 Wolf

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 21:12

Yes, Richard- it's certainly John Love (I recall that from the thread it was in*), and that this is a shot from practice of Natal GP.

* http://forums.atlasf...&threadid=48724

#11 Ray Bell

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 21:40

Originally posted by Roger Clark
Presumably this refers to the live rear axle. Didn't all Series 1 Sevens have a proprietary BMC rear axle?


No, not all of them, if any at all...

The Standard 8/10 rear axle was used, giving matching stud pattern to the front suspension, which used either Standard 8/10 uprights or Standard Triumph Herald uprights. Check the thread on the uprights on this, I feel sure it was mentioned that the earlier units were used for a while.

Aside from that, on the issue of the brakes... if you wanted to stick with BMC drums at the front, you would use the much larger ones (that bolt straight on where the A30 ones do...) from the larger cars that mixed the A-series suspension with the B-series engine and gearbox. What did you have over there? Riley 1.5 or something? Morris Major, Wolseley 1500 and Austin Lancer here.

Another point, regarding the suspension... it's obvious from the photo that the dampers are inside the coil springs. But it's not unreasonable that an A30 rear axle would have been used, as it brought with it a wider range of ratios.

#12 Roger Clark

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 22:05

Originally posted by Ray Bell


No, not all of them, if any at all...

The Standard 8/10 rear axle was used,

Are you sure?

A book on the Seven, by Jeremy Coulter, says that a BMC unit from the Nash Metropolitan was used.

#13 Ray Bell

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Posted 28 May 2005 - 22:15

Well, that might be right too...

I don't know my 'series 1' from my 'series 2' at all... but I do know that the Standard stuff was used at one time.

The Nash Metropolitan would have been weird stuff, that in-between size, bigger than A-series, smaller than B-series... or was it straight B-series but with different castings?

It's likely that the first 7s came with something like that, the A30 would have been too short for easy use (no spacers etc) and it was a while before the range was increased to include the Morris Minor (1953?), with both of them having ratios too low (5.125, 5.375) to be considered reasonable.

Ratio spread improved markedly with the Minor 1000 (1955?) and A40 Farina (both 4.55:1) as well as the A35 (4.875:1), then the Riley 1.5 came along with its 3.78:1 unit, and the Sprite had the 4.2 in 1959 IIRC. I seem to think I've missed something in there, but that's pretty close to the A-series line-up. There was a competition Sprite option of 3.9:1.

Anyway, you can see clearly why, by 1961 anyway, using the A-series back end would be the way to go.

#14 Roger Clark

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Posted 29 May 2005 - 06:41

I believe that the Nash used the same basic axle as the A30, but an inch wider. One of its attractions for Chapman was apparently the range of ratios available. When did Lotus use a Standard axle?

#15 Ray Bell

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Posted 29 May 2005 - 08:59

That's a surprise to me, Roger... however, I've googled a bit and find that's the case...

However, I do remember that some people who had Lotus 7s in Australia got them with Standard rear axles. I wonder if it was something the importers did?

Anyway, this detracts little from the issue of brakes etc.

#16 Charles Helps

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Posted 29 May 2005 - 14:03

Lotus Seven S1 - Nash Metropolitan axle - 4" PCD (pitch circle diameter for studs) wheels - 15" diameter rim as standard
Seven S2 - Standard axle - 3 3/4" PCD wheels - 13" as standard
Seven S3 - Escort axle - 4 1/4" PCD wheels - 13" as standard

Perhaps you didn't get any Series 1s in Australia, Ray? Seven S2 available from sometime in 1961.

#17 Ray Bell

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Posted 29 May 2005 - 14:33

Thanks Charles... you put the lie to that website I looked at which claimed they were all A-series...

There were certainly plenty here with A-series axles, they must have changed the ones that had the Standard axles... in fact I never saw one to my recollection.

#18 RTH

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Posted 30 May 2005 - 12:57

The Caterham version of the car in the 70's/80's used a Morris Marina live axle. De Deon rear suspension became an option in 1984 using the Ford Sierra nosepiece and driveshafts with 4 cv joints.

#19 Joe Bosworth

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Posted 30 May 2005 - 13:48

Ray

The choice of Standard vs BMC rear axles housings did not have much to do with ratios, more to do with strength of the driven axle.

The BMC's were more robust than the Standards which weren't real happy once people started to feed 1340 and 1500 cc torque through them. Got worse when wheel widths started to move up.

An added bonus was, as you noted, that the BMC's had a huge choice of ratios and any pumkin would fir the housing without alteration.

I have little doubt that the Metropolitan axle was selected because of width anfd weight considerations. I can not find track dimensions to comfirm but I kind of bet that the Metro and the A40 Farina widths were pretty similar if not the same.

The A40 Farina housings were the choice as I recall without having the data available because the A30 were too narrow and the Minor's too wide and therefore heavie®.

Certainly the Farinas were absolutely perfect for Clubman type vehicle use.

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#20 Eric McLoughlin

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Posted 30 May 2005 - 15:13

My 1996 Caterham Seven Classic uses a Morris Ital rear axle. Caterham only dropped solid rear axle Sevens in 1999 when the last Ital units were finally used up. The final solid rear axle Sevens used a 1600cc Vauxhaul GTE engine as opposed to the Ford 1600cc Crossflow.

#21 Ray Bell

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Posted 30 May 2005 - 21:01

Originally posted by Joe Bosworth
The choice of Standard vs BMC rear axles housings did not have much to do with ratios, more to do with strength of the driven axle.

The BMC's were more robust than the Standards which weren't real happy once people started to feed 1340 and 1500 cc torque through them. Got worse when wheel widths started to move up.

An added bonus was, as you noted, that the BMC's had a huge choice of ratios and any pumkin would fir the housing without alteration.

I have little doubt that the Metropolitan axle was selected because of width anfd weight considerations. I can not find track dimensions to comfirm but I kind of bet that the Metro and the A40 Farina widths were pretty similar if not the same.

The A40 Farina housings were the choice as I recall without having the data available because the A30 were too narrow and the Minor's too wide and therefore heavie®.

Certainly the Farinas were absolutely perfect for Clubman type vehicle use.


Brian Rawlings used the Farina A40s in his tiny Bulants when he built them...

But otherwise, every racing Clubman I've ever seen has had the Minor or Major axle, with the preference being for the SII Major because of its wider bearing retaining nut.

Roger mentions an extra inch of width in the Nash unit, from memory each axle from an A40 Farina was about 2" longer, meaning about 4" (it may have been more) extra width. Certainly much more than an inch. Minors were a couple of inches more again.

I wish I could be more specific... there was a time when I had at least one of every ratio 'in stock' and axles by the bucketload. I used to have a deal with a scrapyard where I got all that came in, regardless of condition, for $8 each, so in time I had plenty of them to distribute among Clubman and Sprite racers.

I even picked up about three of the aftermarket hemispheres that were made for them to solve that problem that Elites had when they wouldn't break axles because they went to the fine splines.

But the passage of thirty years or so changes things, doesn't it?

#22 D-Type

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Posted 30 May 2005 - 23:28

Could it be that there were different models (or options) of the Seven?

After all, the contemporary Eleven came in three versions - the Sport, the Club and the Le Mans with different specifications.

#23 Ray Bell

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Posted 30 May 2005 - 23:46

Yes, there were... the 7 and the Super 7 for one...

I don't think that made a difference. When they were getting the Standard rear ends I don't think there was a Super 7 anyway.

#24 xflow7

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Posted 31 May 2005 - 01:34

As far as I'm aware, there were never officially multiple options on axles/suspension from Lotus. But, as has been pointed out, there have been a number of different axles fitted over time as ready supplies came and went. And in any case, it was always fundamentally a kit car, so there was nothing stopping an enterprising builder from substiuting their axle of choice if they felt the need.

My experience with the Caterham is that it's pretty well accepted that no two are truly the same. I suspect the same was true of the Lotuses.

#25 Eric McLoughlin

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Posted 31 May 2005 - 07:21

With the Ital axle, it is generally held that with BHP exceeding 135, you are better off replacing it with something stronger. The popular option has been refurbished axles from the Escort Mk II. I know a few cars that have ben converted in this way.

#26 Ray Bell

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Posted 31 May 2005 - 07:39

That's an ugly and heavy option, Eric...

Surely there's something better to be had? What did the Marinas have there? And there's the Hillman Hunter with the same stud pattern too, isn't there?

#27 quintin cloud

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Posted 31 May 2005 - 09:43

I have just had a look at the page concerned and the picture is now up and running with the result.

http://www.fortuneci...5nc/1962nat.htm

:up: :smoking:

#28 Eric McLoughlin

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Posted 31 May 2005 - 11:25

I think Escort axles have been chosen because they are stronger and relatively plentiful. The original Lotus Seven MkIII had theMkI Escort axle and Caterham continued with it when they took over production in 1973. They dropped it in the early 80s and switched to the Marina/Ital axle.

The Hunter is almost completely extinct over here - I haven't seen one in years. I think they all rusted away (or ended up in Iran!).

#29 Charles Helps

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Posted 31 May 2005 - 11:30

Originally posted by xflow7
As far as I'm aware, there were never officially multiple options on axles/suspension from Lotus. But, as has been pointed out, there have been a number of different axles fitted over time as ready supplies came and went. And in any case, it was always fundamentally a kit car, so there was nothing stopping an enterprising builder from substiuting their axle of choice if they felt the need.

My experience with the Caterham is that it's pretty well accepted that no two are truly the same. I suspect the same was true of the Lotuses.

From a copy (which I bought in the early to mid-seventies) of the Lotus Seven Owners Manual, 4th Edition (Series Two and Series Three models) published by Lotus Components Ltd. of Norwich, Norfolk:
Pages H5 and H6 (H5 is a exploded drawing of the Rear suspension and axle components and H6 is the Key to the parts). Item 23 Rear axle - This axle is of Standard Triumph manufacture as fitted to Standard Companion Estate Car. Comprising:- Axle casing, c/w gears, half shafts, brake back plates, brake assemblies and brake drums.

There is a section P at the end of the manual covering the differences for the Series Three version (with the Ford axle).

The Lotus kit-car concept was pretty refined by the 1960s. They had gained experience with the Mk VI in the fifties, the Seven S1 had Lotus allocated part numbers for most of the components (Gear carriers included part # 1090 Crown Wheel and Pinion 5.375 ratio up to part # 1103 Crown Wheel and Pinion 3.73 Ratio and my favourite Part # 1104 Z.F Differential). My father built a kit in 1965 and it came with all the parts AFAIR.

What is this Mercedes drum used on the rear of Niemann car? I don't see why they needed to change the rear brakes when they started with a BMC rear axle, which you would think was strong enough and had adequate brakes with most of the braking being done at the front.
Perhaps it's something to do with this:

Originally posted by Joe Bosworth
.. any pumkin would fir the housing without alteration.

:

#30 RTH

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Posted 28 July 2006 - 23:29

A Caterham Seven has just achieved 131 MPG

http://www.pistonhea...p?storyId=14603

Puts you in mind of the Morris Minor in 1930 achieving 100 mpg and 100mph for £100

Doubtless the Caterham could do 131 mph as well ?

#31 cosworth bdg

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Posted 29 July 2006 - 02:27

Originally posted by RTH
A Caterham Seven has just achieved 131 MPG

http://www.pistonhea...p?storyId=14603

Puts you in mind of the Morris Minor in 1930 achieving 100 mpg and 100mph for £100

Doubtless the Caterham could do 131 mph as well ?

Rover K series engine with catalytic converter?????????????

#32 ry6

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Posted 30 July 2006 - 18:02

I have asked Marc to post a pic on the Niemann Seven.

Do you know that cars had a limited slip diff?

It comprised two handbrakes. One to each rear wheel.

By judicious use when necessary he could implement a limited slip diff arrangement.

Tell me if these modern drivers are that resourceful?

#33 macoran

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Posted 30 July 2006 - 18:09

posting for ry6

Posted Image

"The original Lotus 7 photo shown by Wolf was taken at the 1962 Natal GP at Westmead and shows Brausch leading John Love's Cooper T55 Climax. Malcolm Kinsey was the photographer."

As a matter of interest we were going to use this photo in Springbok Grand Prix but the print mysteriosly disappeared!

Herewith another pic of Brausch in the "single seater seven" - at the 1963 Royal Show Races at Roy Hesketh Circuit.

Not a greta photo but it shows the car.

#34 2F-001

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Posted 30 July 2006 - 18:16

Rob - re the "manually implemented LSD", that's not really any different from the fiddle-brakes on as Sporting Trials car (although I wouldn't really want to be doing it at racing speeds!).

Peter - maybe I've misunderstood, but were you suggesting there was something unusual about a K-series with a Cat?

#35 RTH

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Posted 13 September 2006 - 14:59

http://www.pistonhea...p?storyId=15023

#36 Stoatspeed

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Posted 13 September 2006 - 19:10

Richard
That survey is bizarre .... there are seven cars on the list and the total vote percentages add up to exactly 100 .... this implies to my mathematical thinking that the listed cars were the only ones people were allowed to vote for ...
The Seven is a fine example of iconic design, but some of the others contenders .. :confused: :confused: no Jaguars or Astons?
Oh well, its an "on-line poll", so about as reliable as anything else you find on the web (apart from TNF, which is of course unimpeachable :cool: )

Dave

#37 dbw

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Posted 14 September 2006 - 06:14

not that long ago i restored a 1965 series 2 super seven cosworth, one of the reasons i picked the particular car i did was it was still original as delivered as a built car to the us in 65...the rear end was indeed a stock triumph unit with a few bits welded to the housing for radius rods, coilovers and a strange triangular location brace at the bottom center...all was held together with the typical metalastic bushings...on my car no one had yet added the recommended brace plate across the back centerline of the housing to keep the axle housing from developing cracks vertically in the middle of the diff cover [as the tires worked against the center brace]...my car still had original wheels [triumph-standard steel , 13 X 31/2] and stock dimensioned 135-13 tires...it seems that even with the 100hp cosworth option that the triumph rear axle worked fine- 'till an enterprising owner put wider,stickier tires on fat rims...no longer allowed to slide, the axle housings failed fairly quickly. my suspicion was lotus used the triumph-standard axle unit as it was quite light and rather cheap for them to buy in quantity[most likely in that order]....i'm sure that as stock cars were raced and parts failed they were soon replaced with all sorts of things...i don't know exactly when bmc went to an alloy third member housing but i'm sure that a braced and repaired triumph unit was still lighter than an iron bmc lump.

all things considered in stock form it was a fast, well balanced car and delightful to drive rather quickly; "flying on the ground" as it were. :)

#38 RTH

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Posted 14 September 2006 - 06:33

Originally posted by Stoatspeed
Richard
That survey is bizarre .... there are seven cars on the list and the total vote percentages add up to exactly 100 .... this implies to my mathematical thinking that the listed cars were the only ones people were allowed to vote for ...
The Seven is a fine example of iconic design, but some of the others contenders .. :confused: :confused: no Jaguars or Astons?
Oh well, its an "on-line poll", so about as reliable as anything else you find on the web (apart from TNF, which is of course unimpeachable :cool: )

Dave


Oh I do agree.

Interesting though, that a very simple ultra lightweight car is clearly still held in high regard after 50 years.

With rapidly escallating global warming and the urgent need to cut the burning of fossil fuels ,vehicles of all forms will need to drastically cut their weight (mass if you prefer ) and quickly

Colin Chapman had very much the right ideas and priorities. We will need lighweight trains etc as well as cars right now.
Instead the trends have gone to bigger and heavier vehicles over the last half century. A medium size car now 3 times the weight of the 1957 Lotus Elite at 620kgs and a Discovery weighing very nearly 3000kgs..........or 5 Elites !!!

#39 Stephen W

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Posted 14 September 2006 - 07:42

Originally posted by RTH


a Discovery weighing very nearly 3000kgs..........or 5 Elites !!!


Pity your can't get FIVE Elites for the price of one Discovery! :lol:

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#40 ian senior

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Posted 14 September 2006 - 08:23

A bizarre list indeed, but of course one should never take such things at all seriously. I see no reason at all why the Volkswagen Phaeton GT should be in there, and as for excluding the original Mini - laughable.

#41 Stephen W

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Posted 14 September 2006 - 09:20

Originally posted by macoran
posting for ry6

Posted Image

"The original Lotus 7 photo shown by Wolf was taken at the 1962 Natal GP at Westmead and shows Brausch leading John Love's Cooper T55 Climax. Malcolm Kinsey was the photographer."

As a matter of interest we were going to use this photo in Springbok Grand Prix but the print mysteriosly disappeared!

Herewith another pic of Brausch in the "single seater seven" - at the 1963 Royal Show Races at Roy Hesketh Circuit.

Not a greta photo but it shows the car.


The nose-cone looks very much like a Lotus 18 version or am I mistaken?

#42 Charles Helps

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Posted 14 September 2006 - 21:03

Steve, I think you'll find that Brausch's car is based on a Series 1 Lotus Seven with the 'droopy' aluminium nosecone. Steering rack behind the front axle line as well.

(John Watson will know)

The later S2 and S3 had a higher (at the front) glassfibre nosecone and the steering rack in front of the axle line.


Charles

#43 Charles Helps

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Posted 11 May 2012 - 16:07

A friend and I are researching Lotus Seven GTs. We have come across a couple of pictures of Bob Deverell's car with a "GT " hardtop. One picture has been posted on the Formula F100 Royales thread by Steve Wilkinson

Posted Image

This is the report from Autosport 30th April 1965. The photo shows the car. I have checked other copies that I have but couldn't find any details of the car in these.


A little more research:
Old race programmes:-
2nd July 1961 Brands Hatch Trio Race Meeting - Entry for #162 Deverall R. S. in Event 12 Race for Lotus Sixes & Sevens.

Autosport magazine:-
29th March 1963 Brands Hatch BRSCC Meeting Sportscars upto 1,000cc 2nd place R. S. Deverell.
24th May 1963 Brands Hatch BRSCC Members Meeting 1 Litre Sportscars – Picture of open top Seven with usual livery.
5th July 1963 Brands Hatch Trio Meeting 15 lap race for Lotus Sixes & Sevens 2nd place R. S. Deverell – Fastest lap 59.2 secs.
May 15th 1964 Brands Hatch BRSCC Meeting 10 lap race for GT Cars upto 1150cc 1st place R. S. Deverell.
14th August 1964 Brands Hatch BRSCC Clubmans Meeting 10 lap race for GT Cars upto 1150cc 2nd place R. S. Deverell – Fastest lap 58.4 secs.
23rd April 1965 Brands Hatch BRSCC R. S. Deverell– Class win.
30th April 1965 Brands Hatch BARC Meeting – picture titled D. Mockford Diva & R. S. Deverell Lotus 7 GT fight for Bottom Bend [as above].

We both think that the picture above shows an S2 Seven although we think that others ran an S1 Seven as a GT with hardtop.

Does anyone know whether R.S. (Bob) Deverell is still about?

#44 bradbury west

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Posted 11 May 2012 - 18:06

Hijacking the thread a litle, if anyone comes across entries in those early programmes showing entries for DRWs I would welcome details of them , please. I always thinks it is better to have them twice than not at all. Please PM me for e mail address.
Roger Lund
DRW marque historian

Edit. Looking through earlier posts re axles, I always understood, but have not checked, that the Metropolitan axle was used in the Elevens, so logical for the series 1 Seven. That's why I bought the Metrop axle which is in the shed these past 25 years, like the 3 Standard Ten jobs...... which are obligatory IIRC for "vintage" racing S2 sevens in the US of A.

BTW there were de Dion axled series 1 sevens ISTR, oft-times with a Climax motor. See Lotus books

Edited by bradbury west, 11 May 2012 - 18:19.


#45 Mistron

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Posted 12 May 2012 - 12:15

BTW there were de Dion axled series 1 sevens ISTR, oft-times with a Climax motor. See Lotus books


I think that the black and white ex chequered Flag S1 (registered 'VG J4'?) has a De dion rear end, as well as a Climax engine and wobbly web wheels. It is possibly my dream car!

As to the GT in the Autosport article above, it's very hard to tell if it's an S1 or 2 - but the rear wings look abit more rounded than S2, so my guess would be S1, but I defer to Mr Helps greater knowledge on these things!

I have a few old programmes I was looking through recently trying to identify possible IDs for my current project and I'm sure there were a couple of 7GTs listed. Will have a look and post such details as I have, though no doubt duplicating info you'll have from Autosport etc.

Al

#46 bradbury west

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Posted 12 May 2012 - 15:09

Memory may be wrong........ but ISTR George Tatham had/ poss still has a Climax series 1 Seven with those fittings from new. 7 Experts should know the car
RL

#47 Mistron

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Posted 12 May 2012 - 16:52

Regarding 7 GTs and DRWs, the following may be of interest (or not) from the programmes I have to hand:

Brands Hatch 16/10/66. Maidstone Cup for Special GT cars.
36. Robert Bell, Lotus 7 GT, 997cc Silver

Brands Hatch 6/3/66 Autosport Cup
131. Aylesbury Tuning co. Lotus seven GT, 1114cc (Driver P. de Banks)
(interestingly, there are 3 Lotus XI GTs in this race!)

Brands Hatch 6/3/66 Clubmans race
76. JDA Bromilow DRW Ford, 997cc (entered driv. JC Claydon has been crossed out on my programme)

Brands Hatch 1/3/70 Clubmans race
49. Derek Mackay DRW Clubman, 997cc


Brands Hatch 14/6/70 Clubmans race
68. Derek Mackay DRW Clubman, 997cc

Al



#48 Charles Helps

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Posted 12 May 2012 - 19:53

Thanks very much, Al (Mistron).

The ex-Chequered Flag Seven is indeed registered VGJ 4. It is unique amongst the five Sevens to leave Lotus with Coventry Climax engines and de Dion rear axles in having the FWB engine of 1460cc. The others were fitted with the 1097cc FWA.

I am hoping to have some definite news about whether Deverell's car was an S1 or S2 shortly. The nosecone in the picture is definitely S2 usually made from g.r.p. rather than the S1's aluminium and with those little flares on the sides, emphasised by the white stripe.

Roger, George Tatham isn't on the the list of original purchasers of Climax Sevens. Perhaps he is a later owner?



#49 Rupertlt1

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Posted 05 December 2014 - 19:26

I've been looking at Lotus 7 GTs:

 

I have a photograph taken in the pits at Goodwood by myself, I believe at the 56th members meeting, Saturday 23 March 1963 (judging by the other pictures in the batch).

 

The race number is not visible, but the registration number is WXB 982 (possibly chassis # 484?).

I cannot identify the driver from the programme. Any clues?

 

I also have #17 R.S. Deverell, Lotus Seven GT, black/white, Event Two, Brands Hatch Clubman's Car Races, B.A.R.C., Saturday 24 April 1965.

 

RGDS RLT



#50 Stephen W

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Posted 06 December 2014 - 11:45

554332_10150880509818560_336188895_n.jpg

30th April 1965 issue of Autosport ran this report & photo.