3 replies to this topic

[RAP]

I am assisting the current owner of Lotus 11 chassis no. 316 with research in to its history. The car was bought by Doug Graham in July 1957 and raced regularly by him until October 1958, During this period it was usually entered by Innes Ireland Ltd. It then went to Tom Threfall who used it until mid 1959 when Tom acquired Lotus 11 #330. Unfortunately Tom has no record of what happened to #316.

As far as I understand it, Innes Ireland Ltd was an early race preparation business with Briit Pearce Mike Hawthorn's personal mechanic, working out of the Tourist Trophy garage at Farnham, looking after the Elevens of Graham, Jack Westcott, Michael Taylor, Peter Heath and Chris Martyn and may be others. Any more information about this set-up would be of interest.

Also, if anyone can throw any light on 316's owners between 1959 and 1978 this too would be much appreciated.
RAP

[Doug Nye]

Innes Ireland Ltd operated at one stage out of a workshop behind a small house deep in the woods opposite The Moat, a pond just south of Elstead in Surrey. That workshop seems subsequently to have been converted into - or replaced by - a residential bungalow. (For the Google Earth fans it's approx 51-09-56N x 0-43-18W)

Brit worked for the Hawthorn family at the TT Garage in Farnham before going to work for Innes, and may well have moonlighted for Innes during quiet times at TTG. Innes once told me that in all the time Brit worked for him, and travelled with him around the races, he never ever had to buy him a meal. "Booze yes - sure - but a meal, never!". Brit was a real character - hard as nails and very loyal and protective to his drivers - there's a story that after Michael Taylor's steering column broke on his Lotus 18 during practice for the 1960 Belgian GP (and before good news on his prospects of survival came from the hospital) Brit caught hold of Colin Chapman by the throat and had him dangling toes off ground, bawling at him "You ---- - you've just killed my -------- driver!". Brit was a big very dark bloke with a clipped Hitlerian moustache, big eyebrows and deep set eyes. He was a good guy if he liked you and a very forbidding presence if he did not. I got to know him late in his life when he had mellowed considerably - I am told - but you still would not have wanted to get on the wrong side of him.

DCN

[KJJ]

There's an article about Innes Ireland Ltd in the November 1958 issue of Sports Car and Lotus Owner - the workshop was in the grounds of the then Golden Acres Country Club. Originally Innes and a fellow Rolls Royce apprentice called John Mason operated a garage servicing Rolls Royces and Bentleys from the site, this would have started up circa 1955/56 when Innes finished his National Service and quit Rolls Royce after a few months back at the company.

By 1957 Innes had set up Innes Ireland Ltd to concentrate on preparing Lotus Elevens for owner-drivers, organising entries, transporting the cars to the circuits etc. Another driver who was entered by the team - in 1957 anyway - was Mike Clarke who was also a director of the company. Mechanics listed as well as Brit Pearce were Dicky Samuelson, Ted Searle and John Lancaster. I guess this business ceased when Innes entered the Grand Prix fray in 1959, with Pearce moving to Mike Taylor's team. Innes Ireland Ltd wasn't wound-up however until the mid 1980s.

I believe that Doug Graham still heads the Wolverhampton based Claverley Group, one of the country's largest private companies.

[RAP]

Doug & KJJ
Thank you very much for the information provided.

RAP