J. C. Kilburn agreed to several hours-long telephone interviews with me in 2002-3 and provided a wealth of information on late 1950s racing. As all his friends can attest he could talk at length and without prompting, and had an incredible memory. He could recite serial numbers from his army rifle through most of the umpteen race cars he owned. One of the men mentioned above said that if half of what J. C. said was true then he had had an amazing life. In our talks we only touched on a few topics but it was obvious J.C. had been there and done that. In recent years he stopped responding to emails and now I understand why. I wish we had lived closer. It would have been great to meet him and talk regularly.
His first Lotus Eleven and the one he recalled racing most often was chassis #213, an early Eleven LeMans he bought from its first owner, John Robert Soch. A copy of the car's logbook exists but not yet enough info to verify if the photo in post #7 is it. Today that car is even harder to locate, with at least one bogus claim to the number.
The Eleven seen here in post #4 is a later one, a Club model that may have been chassis #379. This was a number J. C. thought likely and also the number vaguely traceable before the car traveled back to the UK for restoration attempts. It may not be provable anymore as so much of the car has changed. As RBM correctly stated about the bare chassis photo, this car is one of the swing-axle (S-1) Elevens built during the S-2 manufacturing period. It has the scuttle brace and "long door" chassis of the later Series 2, and the S-2 style bonnet. There were several of these hybrids made, likely to use-up some extra axles and chassis sections that Lotus / Progress Chassis had lying around. J.C. recalled that brief period when the Lotus Eleven Club was permitted to race in the Production class, and how he and Jay Chamberlain tore-up the competition. J.C. said that the mistake he and (especially) Chamberlain made was in winning too easily. But Club Elevens were a hard sell and these men had the job of selling them.
The Eleven shown in post #41 is a Series 2 with mag wheels and other fundamental differences from the other Elevens here. I don't recall if J.C. told me anything about it. As for the car he sold to Richard Macon, that was #241, an S-1 LeMans that had sat as new-old-stock in a warehouse until 1959 when it was rescued and sold to Richard. The body was frosted over with corrosion so J.C. made a point of asking Richard what color he wanted it painted for delivery. There were about a half-dozen of these NOS Elevens that became the initial inventory for mid-West Lotus distributor John Posselius (European Motors).
The slant that J.C. could give on just about any of his experiences made every recollection unique. His tales about being a go-between for Posselius and Lotus (UK) were hilarious. The "new" racecars he inspected that had holes in crankcases or tire scrapes along the sides, the constant vigil to avoid being swindled with Chapman on one side and Chamberlain on the other. John Posselius was lucky to have J.C. working with him. They were good friends to the end. Likewise, J.C.'s customers remembered him fondly as a character but also as someone who made fair deals and who was a true enthusiast.
PS: Russ Hoenig has identified the Eleven in post #41 as chassis #548, a car that is still around today.
Edited by Lotus11Register, 31 May 2016 - 11:54.
