12 replies to this topic

[Allen Brown]

Among the many great colour F5000 pictures being sent it to OldRacingCars.com almost every week, Mike Smith has provided these two updated Lotus 70 pictures taken at Sebring.





No prizes for getting the first one as Follmer's car! And as Follmer only drove a Lotus 70 at Sebring once, this must be Lotus 70/1 on 25 Oct 1970. But what about the second one? The works car, 70/2, was also there at that same race, being driven by David Oxton. Is this the car? Or could it be Andretti on the Lotus 70's debut the year before?

I wish I knew a way of cleaning up that second shot. Any experts out there? Or should I ask Mike to clean the slide somehow first?

Allen

[tam999]

Allen--

I know others out there are better at photo retouching than I am but I thought I'd give your Lotus photo a try:

http://www.tamsoldra...70SebringA.html

Tam

[Rob Ryder]

Allen
First up, the pic of No.4 could be Sebring in 1969. I have this image on my PC since last year, but I can't remember the source but I was labelled as Andretti 1969 Sebring. It looks like the same car/driver.


Also your image clean-up? Not perfect, but better


Edit: Too quick for me Tam ;) Now Allen has two to choose from

[Duncan Fox]

Allen , when I look closely at shot # 2 I can see 'Mario Andretti' painted in white on the topside of the tub.

[Twin Window]

Allen

My money's on it being Mario...



Seen here at Jarama 1970; the red strip on the side of his helmet carried his name.

[Vitesse2]

I don't think the two Andretti pictures were taken at the same time. There are Champion (and Goodyear?) decals visible on Rob's picture, but not on Allen's. And I don't see any evidence of the Valvoline decal on Allen's picture either. Plus, even allowing for the angle, the number 4 on the side looks different in the two.

[Mac Lark]

David Oxton almost always wore a white and blue helmet (a proud Aucklander)

I was planning to catch up with Dave prior to Xmas so this could be an excuse to do so.

[Keir]

Chris Amon drove the Lotus 70/2 chassis in the Tasman series in 1971!

[David McKinney]

Only the races that Oxton didn't drive it in ;)

[Keir]

Right you are!!

Chris got the Lotus and David got the MARCH 701 with the 2.5 Cossie!!

[Ray Bell]

Is that the chassis that David Walker drove in the 1970 AGP then?

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
I don't think the two Andretti pictures were taken at the same time. There are Champion (and Goodyear?) decals visible on Rob's picture, but not on Allen's. And I don't see any evidence of the Valvoline decal on Allen's picture either. Plus, even allowing for the angle, the number 4 on the side looks different in the two.

I think a possible explanation is that the first photo was taken in practice and the second in the race, by which time the full set of decals had been fitted. I borrowed a photo from Barry Sullivan, who IIRC built this car (and certainly built and ran the 70 of Bill Brack) and it was taken at Sebring in late December 1969. My photo has the Valvoline sticker and the Champion sticker. I also recall there was something unique about the engine too but I don't recall what and don't have my notes of my conversation with Barry to hand. The 'up and over' exhaust was also quite unusual - I have't got any other photos of such a configuration on any of the other cars that ran Stateside, although admittedly I only have a dozen or so shots of cars racing in the US to compare it with...

I am sure it is Andretti, Sebring 1969.

[KarlOakie Research]

Just eyeballing a photo taken at Sebring in late December 1969 and it seems pretty clear that it is Mario in the Koshland Competition & Development Type 70 Dunn Ford.