17 replies to this topic

[Alan Cox]

Interested to see this ex-Team Gunston Lotus 72 at Autosport International today. I presume it to be chassis R6, raced by Paddy Driver, which Michael Oliver lists as belonging to 'an English collector' in his 2003 masterwork on the 72. The other Lotus 72 run by the Gunston team and driven by Ian Scheckter in the 1974 South African GP was chassis R7 and was later owned by David McLaughlin and was returned to JPS livery. However, I read in various articles that Katsu Kubota is the owner of R6. Does anyone here know which chassis this Gunston-liveried car is? I believe it is to be the subject of an feature in the next issue of Octane

[SJ Lambert]

Michael Oliver reckons it spent some 40 years in storage in the owner's garage and says it's chassis number 3.

 

The last time it was out and about in public was 1975, so it's said!

[SJ Lambert]

At the risk of falling foul of the "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" motto,(but it looks like I've already jumped!) it would appear that there may be more than one candidate for the '72/3' moniker, Michael says that he was "aware of a problem when he published my 72 book" & "didn't want to get sued for something he couldn't back up with solid photographic evidence." He says that now that he's had a chance to have a good look at the Autosport display car he's 100% certain that he was right. 

 

I've not read his book so don't know what the theory is, but Michael does say that all will be revealed in the pending Octane article.

[SJ Lambert]

Did Team Lotus divest itself of chassis 72/3 prior to the South African Grand Prix in March 1972 where fwiw I've seen a couple of sources note that 72/3 was entered as a Scuderia Alto Scribante car with Dave Charlton at the wheel, making 72/3 the first type 72 to leave the Team Lotus fold?*

 

 

*Based on a very quick internet surf, I'd bow to anything that anyone's spent real time researching!

 

Interestingly, I've also seen an entry by Team Lotus of 72/3 for Charlton in the 1971 British GP.

Edited by SJ Lambert, 14 January 2017 - 04:21.

[Tim Murray]

Check out the race record of R3 on the ORC site:

http://www.oldracing...php?CarID=72/R3

Charlton had a very brief race in the '71 GP at Silverstone (a piston broke on the warm-up lap, but he took the start and staggered round to complete one very slow lap) then took the car back to ZA and won his first race in it at Kyalami three weeks later.

The Rob Walker car (R4) was the first non-works 72 to race.

[Alan Cox]

Thanks for your input SJL and TM. This sounds a very interesting story. Obviously a lot of delving has gone on since Michael published his book, as 72/R3 is listed in there as having been acquired by Michael Schryver and was much raced in historic F1 at the time, and later sold to Japan. I look forward to the article.

[Giraffe]

Slightly dubious chassis plate photographed yesterday.......

 

 

[/IMG]

Edited by Giraffe, 14 January 2017 - 10:38.

[Bloggsworth]

Which? The chassis plate or the photo?

[Giraffe]

Which? The chassis plate or the photo?

Make your own mind up, Bloggwit 

 

[/IMG]

[EDWARD FITZGERALD]

A fudged number ?

[Giraffe]

A fudged number ?

Let's wait for Michael Oliver's article, Edward.....

[P.Dron]

The crossed 7, French-style, caught my attention. Was that standard practice at Lotus?

[Henk Vasmel]

While checking the history of Lotus 72's in my database, I found an interesting coincidence which might help us to get closer  to the solution of this.

In August 71, 72D3 made its South African debut with Dave Charlton for Scuderia Scribante

In April 74 Team Gunston added two 72E's, 72E6 and 72E7 for Paddy Driver (E7) and Ian Scheckter (E6)

Scuderia Scribante entered 72D3 for John McNicol (DNA) once

72D3 then went to Alex Blignaut for Eddie Keizan in 74

In 75 (the last year for F1) There is only Team Gunston with Edde Keizan (E6) and Guy Tunmer (E7)

For the last three races, confusion starts. Kyalami (26/7) has Tunmer race the spare car. Yes, that would be 72D3 in stead of 72E7

Pietermaritzburg (1/9) has Keizan in 72E3 and Tunmer in E7 or alternatively (other source) Keizan in E6 and Tunmer again in D3, the spare car

And Finally Kyalami (4/10) has Keizan back in E6 and Tunmer in D3.

Now the 3 and 7 have been together in that period and have been very close to each other, possibly even posing as each other. Over to you.

[TJJohansen]

So, would 72D3 be the Blue Embassy sponsored car Keizan drove?

 

T J

[Alan Cox]

Not a livery I was familiar with before TJJohansen mentioned it in the previous post. Eddie Keizan in the Gunston/Embassy 72D. 1974 Brandkop Winter Trophy. R3 according to Old Racing Cars
Both Gunston and Embassy were owned by W D & H O Wills - Photo courtesy Motoprint

[Giraffe]

Michael Oliver's article on the Lotus 72 above features in the latest edition of "Octane" magazine that hit the news stands yesterday, and is worth a read.

[Tim Murray]

Thanks Tony - I'd been wondering whether I'd somehow missed the article.

[SJ Lambert]

Does it get released in Australia ?