4 replies to this topic

[FlyingSaucer]

To make the story short: Cliff Allison, in 1958, was an official driver for the Lotus team, and was driving, at the time, one of the Lotus 16s belonging to the team.

 

However, during the 1958 Portuguese GP, the driver crashed his vehicle, extensively damaging his Lotus. For reasons that I cannot explain (perhaps Team Lotus did not have a spare vehicle at the driver's disposal for the race), Allison made an agreement with Scuderia Centro Sud, to rent one of the team's 250Fs to compete in the race. 

 

Reading some reports of the race, there is a debate about whether, despite Allison having raced in a car from the Italian team, in fact, the entry would still be made by Team Lotus. 

 

So my question is: in terms of historical accounting, is Allison's entry in the race credited to Lotus (despite racing a 250F) or Centro Sud (on a basis that Allison was registered as a Lotus driver for the event)?

 

And what if he had finished on the podium? Such a result would go down in the history of Team Lotus, Scuderia Centro Sud, or an unique joint-entry made by Centro Sud/Lotus?

[Sterzo]

The Centro Sud Maserati had already been entered for Troy Ruttman to drive, but according to Motor Sport he didn't arrive. So it would simply have been a driver change, no change to the entry required.

 

The Lotus was described by DSJ as "an unrepairable heap of bits," and of course spare cars weren't the norm in those days.

Edited by Sterzo, Yesterday, 17:10.

[Tim Murray]

According to Graham Gauld in his biography of Allison, the agreement between Team Lotus and Scuderia Centro Sud was that the start money, plus any prize money, would be split between the two concerns. My understanding is that the car was officially entered by Team Lotus. The car carried #18, which was the same as Cliff’s Lotus 16 had worn before the accident.

[Henk Vasmel]

The story I have in my database is a bit more complicated; It involves 4 entries, (18), (28), (30) and (34)

To start with (18), originally Team Lotus, Lotus 16-362, for Allison. Marked as "WO ?" for possibly written off in practice.

Then Maserati 250F-2507 [2522], entered by Team Lotus / Scuderia Centro Sud. Allison qualified/started 13th and retired in the race,

finally the same car practiced by Carroll Shelby. Also with (18)

There is a question mark over the start number, because it could well have been with his own (28), before the Allison crash, or (30) for Scuderia Centro Sud

The entrant is of course not certain, that is the whole purpose of this thread.

 

Then (28), easy. Maserarti 250F-2533, entered by Temple Buell for Carroll Shelby. Practice 10th, race classified 9th, but crashed

It is possible that Shelby practiced the Allison car as (28) or (30), or later as (18).

 

Then (30). This was Maserati 250F-2501 [2523], but that one was crashed in practice by Maria-Teresa  De Filippis. She raced 2502 [2511]. Practice 15th, Retired in the race

I have this same 2502 [2511] as a practice car for Troy Ruttman, which would mean that he did not "DNA", but just DNS.

THe use of the ex-D' Oliveira Maserati (see (34) might be because the original spare car had already gon to Allison, but now I'm getting into guesswork.

 

Finally (34). This was also Maserati 250F-2502 [2511], entered by and for Casimiro D' Oliveira (an ex-Centro Sud car). Since Casimiro did not arrive, the car was then used to replace 2501 [2523] after its crash.

 

Since the Allison Maserati was not racing with the same number as it was entered with (presumably), it must have involved a change of entrant.

The list of entries is nicely grouped by make, and a Maserati on number (18) stands out. Actually Maserati numbers were in the range of (28)-(34). Lotus had (18)-(22)

Edited by Henk Vasmel, Yesterday, 18:11.

[Jahn1234567890]

Carroll Shelby and Troy Ruttman were initially nominated to drive for Centro Sud at Portugal. Ruttmann flew home before the event and Shelby instead drove 2533 for Scuderia Buell.

In effect leaving Scuderia Centro Sud without a driver. Which was 'solved' by the issues of de Filippis and Allison as explained by Henk.