I just found a French website (seven-passion) that has detail photos of the Lotuses in the Schlumpf museum.
The 24 (with FPF) photos show the chassis plate saying 949 - attached to the front/pedal bulkhead.
The description refers to DCN saying that 949 and 950 had their identities swapped by Lotus.
That fits with everything referring to Siffert's car (that was later fitted with an FPF) as being 950 - and it is a BRM chassis (like 950) not a Climax chassis (like 949).
Given the car has been there for over 40 years, and came from Siffert, it seems likely that it is 950 and always had 949's chassis plate while in Siffert's possession - but how did that fit with Filipinetti's paperwork being for 950, and how/why did record keepers & customs people think it was 950?
That then raises the question of Frank Sytner's car that is apparently 949 and has a BRM chassis? Would it have been known as 950 at one point?
Collomb wrote off the Climax engine/chassied 949 at Syracuse in 1965 and later rebuilt it around a new chassis could that be when it gained the BRM chassis?
Then, given the above, which car is Ric Weiland's that is apparently 950 and has a Climax V8?
Peter, can I ask you about what you said about the Sytner car having a BRM chassis? In his book, Cedric describes it as a chassis built for a Climax engine, having already explained that he went to look at another 24 in Switzerland which was a chassis built for a BRM engine and decided to pass on it because of his bad memories of running the BRM-engined 24 in period. I haven't personally looked at the chassis so can't comment but given all that Cedric said, I'd be surprised if it was a BRM chassis.
Also, you say that Collomb wrote off the Climax engine/chassised 949 at Syracuse in 1965. Do you have a source for this? I have seen a variety of different versions of events, ranging from a transporter crash on the way home from Syracuse, to it being "burned" c 1965 (Theme Lotus), "destroyed by fire on the way back to France from the 1965 Syracuse GP" (Grand Prix Who's Who), while someone else whose info I trust also said that it was written off 1965. But I've not managed to come across a reliable contemporary source for this so far... DCN went on to describe the subsequent ownership chain as 'Adrian Andrew 1966 - Jo Schlesser 1966', which I've not found any mention of and also begs the question of 'where is it now?' As far as I'm aware, Collomb sold his car to Andre Wicky in January 1964 (as described in Cedric's book, and I've found the actual piece in Autosport) but carried on racing the car.
Samuel Hauser bought the car from Wicky, fitted a 4-cylinder Climax engine and used it in hillclimbs in 1965, starting in May (so only a month or so after the alleged fire/transporter crash!). I guess it could have been rebuilt around a new BRM chassis between 4th April and late May. Hauser's car cannot be the Wicky BRM-engined chassis as I have photos of both cars in the same event at St Ursanne August 1965 and can't be the other Swiss 24 of Arthur Voegeli (which also ran a 4-cylinder Climax but is a chassis built originally for a BRM engine) as that was in the same event too and I have photos of that as well! Confused? You should be!!!
Finally, the 'Weiland car' you mention (not owned by him any more) has always run a 4-cylinder Climax engine since it began racing in historics in the late 1980s, not a V8. This should be the ex-Hauser car but appears to have a BRM chassis - not sure if it is the original chassis though as I've seen reference to Weiland crashing it but again can't find any mention of this? As to numbers, I don't even want to go there! Chronologically, it was the penultimate car built, which should make it 950 but as we know, the second 24 sold to Filipinetti in June 63 was invoiced with this number, whereas as the last ever 24 built, it should be 951...
All contributions/suggestions welcomed!
Edited by Michael Oliver, 03 July 2018 - 13:37.
