the official newsletter of the lotus car club of british ... · 4 monthly meeting 7:30 pm 21...

The Official Newsletter of the

Lotus Car Club of British Columbia

LCCBC Volume 28 – Issue 5 / September – October, 2007

http://geocities.com/lotusclubofbc/



Lotus Car Club of British Columbia

PO Box 44425, Westside RPO, Vancouver, BC, V6S 2C5Club Executive: Contents:

President Dave Rush 604-453-7874 [email protected] Cover Photo – Lotus 2-Eleven 1

Vice President Open Index – Contacts 2

Secretary Open Calendar – Malcolm 3

Treasurer / Membership Kevin Moroney 604-517-1675 Dave Rush – President's 4

Competition Malcolm Muir 604-467-6560 [email protected] Ian Green – Editor's 5-7

Island Chairman Open Bob Wilson – Island Shows 8-9

Editor Ian Green 604-787-6772 [email protected] Hugh McLellan – Lotus Vegas 10-12

Staff Dan McLellan [email protected] James Armstrong – Beaulieu 13-17

Staff Dave Rush 604-453-7874 [email protected] Malcolm Muir – Lotus / PIR 18-24

Staff Rory Banks Lotus Advertisement 25

Advertising Open Malcolm Muir – Tin Top Tales 26-27

Webmaster Dean Moncado [email protected] Lotus News 28-29

For Sale – Swap – Fancy 30

Advertising – Richmond Auto 31

Membership Form 32

Advertising : Single Issue One Year

Business Card $10.00 $40.00

Quarter Page $20.00 $80.00

Half Page $50.00 $150.00

Full Page $70.00 $200.00

Meetings: The First Wednesday of Each Month at 7:30PM

Sept 8 , 2007 – Saturday BBQ – 1:00PM Oct 3 , 2007 – Wednesday – 7:30PM Nov 7, 2007 – Wednesday – 7:30PM

Mike and Marta Sattler Malcolm Muir Richard Lee

208 East Durham St., 20904 McKinney Ave., 5789 Hudson St.,

New Westminster Maple Ridge Vancouver

604.526.6806 604.467.6560 604.267.7792

LCCBC Main Web Site: http://geocities.com/lotusclubofbc/

LCCBC Members Only: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lotus_car_club_of_bc/ The Cam Journal is the official newsletter of the Lotus Car Club of British Columbia. The Cam Journal is published bi-monthly and is supported by membership dues and advertising revenues. All opinions expressed in the Cam Journal are those of the individual authors and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of

the Cam Journal staff, the club executives or members of the Lotus Car Club of British Columbia. Others clubs are welcome to use material printed in this newsletter, provided the Cam Journal and the Lotus Car Club of British Columbia is duly credited. All contributions to this newsletter should be submitted to the

editor by the published deadlines. The editor reserves the right to edit in whole or in part any and all contributions.


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lotus_car_club_of_bc/







Calendar 2007


JULY OCTOBER1 SOVREN Vintage Races 3 Monthly Meeting 7:30 PM

Pacific Raceways Kent, WA Malcolm Muir, 604-467-65601 Canada Day 7 Japanese Grand Prix F-11 French Grand Prix F-1

8 Thanksgiving (Canada)4 Independence Day (USA) 8 Columbus Day (USA)4 Monthly Meeting 7:30 PM 21 Brazilian Grand Prix F-1

6-8 Portland Historic RacesPortland International Raceways 30-31 SEMA Show

7 Super Seven Saturday Las Vegas Convention CentreHugh McLellan's

8 British Grand PrixNOVEMBER

22 German Grand Prix F-1 1-2 SEMA ShowLas Vegas Convention Centre

28-29 NW SCCA Regional SOVREN Race 7 Monthly Meeting 7:30 PMPortland International Raceways 11 Remembrance Day (Canada)

11 Veterans' Day (USA)AUGUST 22 Thanksgiving (USA)

1 Monthly Meeting 7:30 PM4-5 Historic Races - VRC of BC DECEMBER

Mission Raceways, Mission, BC 25 Christmas Day26 Boxing Day (Canada)

5 Hungarian Grand Prix F-1

6 Civic Holiday (Canada)17-19 Historic Automobile Races

Laguna-Seca, Maonterey, CA

18-31 Vancouver PNE Fair

19 Rivers Edge Vintage SeriesMission Raceways, Mission, BC

26 Turkish Grand Prix F-1

31 Club Lotus NW Track DayPortland International Raceways

SEPTEMBER1-3 Columbia River Historic Races

Portland International Raceways

1-2 All British Field Meethttp://www.abfm-pdx.com/2007/index.htmPortland International Raceways

1-3 Vancouver PNE Fair

3 Labour Day5 Monthly Meeting 7:30 PM

8-15 Targa Newfoundland

9 British Car Picnic in the ParkHougan Park Abbotsford, BC

9 Itallian Grand Prix F-1

11 Patriot Day (USA)16 Belgium Grand Prix F-1

22-23 Vancouver-Whistler All British Run22-23 SOVREN Fall Finale & Enduro

Pacific Raceways, Kent, WA

29-20 Maryhill Loops HillclimbGoldendale, WA

30 Chinese Grand Prix F-1

Fuji International SpeedwayCircuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

Autódromo José Carlos Pace

www.semashow.com

Silverstone Circuit

Nürburgring

www.vrcbc.ca

Hungaroring

www.laguna-seca.com

www.pne.ca

Istanbul Park

www.sovren.org

www.pne.ca

www.targanewfoundland.com

Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

www.sovren.org

www.sovren.org

Shanghai International Circuit

Dave Rush – Europa S2 – President's Point of ViewOur annual BBQ will take place on Saturday, September 8 at Mike and Marta Sattler's home at 1 PM. The format will be the same as last year which is a potluck. The club will provide tea, coffee, pop, paper plates, plastic cutlery and the guests will bring an entree or desert, chairs, an umbrella if it looks like a damp day and other refreshments. A BBQ will be there for cooking. Please RSVP so we know what to expect for numbers and entrée/desert ratios.

The annual Vancouver-Whistler All British Run is on Saturday September 22 and starts at Cam Clark Ford at the North Shore Auto Mall. Registration is 9-11 AM and registration is $25 before Sept. 4, $35 after.I doubt the parts department there stocks BDA’s.

I think Kia’s stylists’ main tools are pictures of other cars, scissors and paste. At first glance I am regularly seeing an X3 or X-Type, Fusion or Windstar etc., only to see a Kia at second glance. A new board game could be designing the next Kia using sales brochures from other marques and having to have one portion of the car styled in at least 5 different countries.

This is the year of number 2 drivers in F1. Who would have thought that Hamilton and Massa would be ahead of their world champion teammates at this point in the season with 5 races to go.

See You at the BBQ – Dave


Ian Green – Elise 111R – Editors ExpletiveI am really running out of patience with Proton (the owner of Lotus). For three years now, there have been rumours of Proton being sold to another manufacturer. This past year we've witnessed VW, GM and Peugeot trying to make a deal, now it seems only VW is still pursuing Proton. VW and Proton have had three meetings and they still can't come to an agreement. VW wants Proton, but Proton doesn't want to relinquish control. It's time Proton woke up and realised that they will be out of business within a year if a deal is not signed. Proton can talk all they want about make manufacturing inroads with a China manufacturer, and using Lotus R+D as a tool. But without bags of financing, Proton will be history soon.

VW is a mammoth corporation these days. And to think it all began with a people's car, originally designed by Ferry Porsche back in the 1930's. The infamous Beetle. Interesting if you research the history, you discover that Porsche was initially impressed with the Tatra, a vehicle years ahead of its time. And if it wasn't for the British military in 1945-48, the Beetle might never have been re-born.

VW today owns; Audi, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Cosworth, part of MAN trucks and part of Scania trucks. Porsche today owns 31% of VW, which triggered a mandatory takeover attempt of VW. 31% prevents anyone else from taking over VW and protects each company's interests. Basically Porsche and Lower Saxony own almost 52%. And of course the families that run VW and Porsche are related. News this week says maybe Porsche will soon acquire an additional 20% from Lower Saxony. Result; Porsche owns VW.

So, what would happen if VW bought Proton. Well, the question is; what are they trying to buy? The complete Proton corporation which is partly owned by the Malaysian government? Or simply the manufacturing plant that Proton use in Malaysia? If they buy the manufacturing assets, it's an injection of badly needed cash into Proton. If they buy Proton, lock stock and barrel.... They end up owning Lotus. The most forward thinking automotive R+D firms that do contract work for other manufacturers are; Porsche, Ricardo and Lotus. Recently Lotus worked with VW on a few concepts and just last month even a Mercedes was spotted at Hethel with familiar Lotus personnel driving the camouflaged car, rumoured to be a hybrid of sorts that Lotus is testing for Mercedes. Lotus is involved with a Chinese manufacturer offering advise and design. Lotus is tied with Telsa re their electric vehicle and other concepts. Tesla opened and R+D centre in Detroit. Well, Lotus has had a building in Detroit for years. Lotus also did work for Aston Martin prior to Ford selling AM to Dave Richards. Toyota also has obvious connections.

The new 2009 Esprit was rumoured to be BMW powered. If VW gets their fingers into Lotus, BMW power will be a no-no. The Esprit would be competing directly against the Audi R8/R10. A new Lotus codenamed “Eagle” is due in 2008. This is supposed to be a 2+2 mid-engined V6. Likely to be called Elite. Every second week in the British trade journals there is another article on the future of Lotus and what they are planning.


Ian Green – Elise 111R – Editors ExpletiveI believe that even if VW gets Lotus as part of the Proton deal, which should be settled before 2008, Lotus will survive as a distinct brand. They are just too valuable to VW and others to shut down. Maybe I'm blind, but that's how I see it. However, if Porsche gets control of VW... it's a new ball game. On the other hand, in my perfect world, I'd prefer to see a tie-up with Aston Martin, TVR, Lotus and maybe Jaguar.

By the way, yesterday I read that Chrysler is buying diesel engines from VW. Chrysler is another company that VW may be interested in acquiring. Don't laugh, yes I know that Chrysler was just sold to Cerebus. But in business when one buys a product from another, there is always someone on the fiftieth floor wondering where this will take them next.

Now onto something completely different. About two years ago I began pushing for the Cam Journal to go electronic. Somehow I got volunteered to be the Editor. It's been a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed doing this. I think it's been a success. The club has saved a ton of money and we moved into the 21st century. I will assemble the Nov-Dec 2007 issue.

However 2008... Do I continue as the Editor? Or does someone want to take over. Speak up now. If I do continue, what do you want to see, read? Complaints, concerns?

I'm not sure if I want to keep doing this. Often I wonder why. I will listen to comments and suggestions, my mind is not completely closed on this.

My work and family take a huge chunk out of my available time, and there are moments when I just want to shut everything off and hibernate. If I had tons of free time, I would still own the two Europas. And the Elise. I would have found a solution to the storage problem.

So, anyone out there want the Editors position? The way I do it is thus;You email me your stories and adventures. Then everything I receive and gather re the Cam Journal gets dumped to an LCCBC folder on my computer. In that main folder are sub-folders for each bi-monthly issue. I start a new issue by using the previous issue and deleting what I don't need. This is composed with OpenOffice, a free open source word processor program, because I hate Microsoft and refuse to play their games. http://www.sun.com/software/star/openoffice/index.xml

OpenOffice is offered by Sun Microsystems. Excellent company and very stable. OpenOffice allows you to save as a PDF, which is what gets sent out to the members and uploaded to my LCCBC backdoor site. The pictures get reduced in size using a free photoshop like program called PhotoFiltre. This seems to work and the picture quality doesn't degrade unacceptably. Therefore the typical Cam Journal issue which is 10M normally gets reduced to 2M which is what you receive. Sounds complicated? It's not, just a bit trickery with an old computer.

I email the finished PDF to Dave, He emails it out to the paid members. I upload the PDF to my website via an FTP client (FileZilla). I also assemble pictures using Picasa and scan various articles, These also get uploaded to my website. Lastly, I copy the current issue onto a CD disc, and at lunch I drop it off to a Staples near my office to get 10 B+W copies printed for Dave. These he mails out to a few other organisations and clubs.

And we are done for two months until the next issue. Because the actual work is spread out, an hour here, an hour there... It's difficult to get a real figure on the true amount of time I spend assembling. But calculate 12-16 hours every two months.

Finally, if I don't do this in 2008... My website (europa24fps.com) will close down. It's only function these days is as a storage place for LCCBC. Even then, LCCBC still needs to move the articles and other content off my site to the actual Club site. Originally, my personal website was to document the rebuild and work on my two Europas. They are gone, history. The Elise is a Toyota. It doesn't need documenting. I need to step aside and see what's next down the road.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed in this issue..


http://www.sun.com/software/star/openoffice/index.xml



Ian Green – Elise 111R – Editors Expletive

I tried to get this to work on my cell phone, a Samsung. Nope, no dice. Maybe you can get it to work on yours.

http://www.java.com/en/games/mobile/lotuschallenge.jsp

On Page 25, there is an ad from a dealer in the UK. I thought it was interesting the discounted prices and financing arrangements.

Lastly found this on Urban Dictionary;

cul-de-sac-ing: “Allowing your thoughts to keep circulating to a dead end without leading to a productive or helpful conclusion, usually one ends up confused and frustrated.”

Perfect description of me.


http://www.java.com/en/games/mobile/lotuschallenge.jsp

Bob Wilson – Europa S2 – Island ShowsJuly wasn’t a nice month. The early hot summer weather dissolved like a characterless white wine, soft on the nose and face, with hints of dust. I’m reluctant to take the Europa out in weather like that because I read somewhere on the Internet that it could shrink as it dries. I’m sure 2885 has shrunk since we first met and I won’t fit inside if it shrinks any more.

Ladysmith has the closest Lotus-compatible car meet I’d never been to. On my way up-island, I’ve always driven through Ladysmith without stopping, eyes fixed on the shopping area to the west of the highway and, now and then, on the traffic. The OECC’s annual meet there is held at Transfer Beach Park, which I’d never even seen.

So it was, with misgivings about the weather, that I set out in company with Ben Li for the show. Ben and I have been meeting for years at the annual Father’s Day British car picnic in Victoria and we decided at last to do something together with our cars. His yellow, ex-Lloyd Irons Europa emigrated to Vancouver a few years ago and was replaced with an early Esprit that immediately spent time in reconstruction. I’m usually unenthusiastic about modified cars but Ben’s attention to detail has made this one an exception.

Ben replaced the Lotus 4-cyl with a 3.5 L Rover V8. The body has been altered but still looks as if it might have come from Lotus. The seats have been redone in black leather with yellow accents. A large, woven Lotus badge in full colour has been set into black leather on top of the dashboard. Each floor carpet also has an inset logo woven in yellow (photo, next page). The wheels and fuel filler cap are aftermarket and the mirrors are from some other exotic. It looks very, very good.

A few miles of wet road on the drive meant cleanup on arrival. I use Meguiar’s QD with a microfibre cloth for this and the car came back to clean quickly. Then the showers started, after which we rotated through the full west coast summer repertoire for the rest of the day. Attendance was down, we were told, at 117 cars, including a big contingent from the Jaguar club and a neat 1930s Rover whose roof could be lowered by an external crank. Ladysmith is worth the trip but I’d hope for better weather next time.

Photos; Bob Wilson


Bob Wilson – Europa S2 – Island Shows

The next show on my calendar was in Oak Bay, on August 12. I enjoy Oak Bay even more than Van Dusen and, living in Victoria, it’s easier for me to attend. It lacks the serious judging and the too-lengthy awards presentation, but it’s a big event. The picture below suggests the size of the crowd, which was pretty steady all day. The official estimate was 15,000 visitors, all walking up and down a few blocks of the closed-off main street in Oak Bay village. They were looking at 250-odd vehicles, ranging from a rusty Fiat Topolino to fully detailed American hotrods. You can go shopping behind the cars if you get bored, but there’s lots to see and old friends to meet.

We took our ’65 Honda convertible and the Europa. The Honda’s cosmetically better than the Lotus but doesn’t get out much - too few Island events accept Japanese cars. Some of the entries were definitely odd. I parked the Europa between two grandfathers of the green car movement: a 1981 Bradley GT2 electric car and a one-off hybrid built in 1985 and displayed at Expo 86: Honda Goldwing engine, electric starter/generator from a 747, space frame, and BMW suspension. Ben was up the block and, apparently, somewhere among the entries was a Lotus 23 that I didn’t see but which turned up in the TV coverage.

I like Oak Bay for the diversity of cars and the range of people I meet. My favourite there was an Alfa Giulietta Sprint Speciale, one of the prettiest bodies ever to come out of Italy. It turned out I’d known the owner 40 years ago and hadn’t seen him since. The Cadillac club was out in force to show the full range and development of the tailfin, from a gorgeous ‘48 fastback coupe in black to a hugely finned ‘59 Eldorado convertible in bright red. If you’re thinking of an Island car show, this is the one to come to.


Hugh McLellan – Elise 111R & Seven – Lotus Performance Driving SchoolLotus Cars USA was offering an incentive to purchase a new 2006 Elise between October and December 31, 2006 and receive a trip to Las Vegas to partake in a Lotus driving experience. Apparently I was the only person that qualified from Weissach. After considerable delay from Lotus in responding to me to confirm this, I finally arranged to take the trip on July 26, 2007.

Lotus Cars USA paid for the return flights between Vancouver and Las Vegas as well as two nights in the Paris Hotel. The Lotus Performance Driving School is located at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada about an hour north of Las Vegas in the desert. The School Van picked us up from the Hotel at 3:45 am (!) so that we could start driving as soon as it was daylight to avoid the desert heat. It turned out that, while it had been 128 degrees F. the week before, our track day was a mild 98 degrees. I can attest to the fact that the Elise air conditioning works.

The cars were apparently all ex-Lotus headquarters demo cars – all Elises except for one naturally aspirated Exige. Some had the standard suspension and some had the sport suspension. A few were 2005 models, which had a different (and poor) pedal placement that was rectified for the 2006 models. We got to sample a number of the 20 or so cars they had. There were only six other people in my class.

The day began with a brief explanation of the track and then we did a few slow laps with an instructor in the lead car. We then did a number of driving exercises, including threshold braking (with the ABS fuses removed), panic stops and avoidance maneuvers. We then broke down into three groups. One group did laps in a Van with an instructor showing us the proper line of the track; one group experienced understeer and oversteer in a skid car and one group did oval laps in an Elise to experience the proper turn-in technique.

After a short lunch break, we broke into two groups and then started lapping. This school has an instructor in a lead car and we took turns being the car behind the leader. We did about two laps each behind the leader, which was not really enough to get up to a decent rhythm. The cars were equipped with radios so we could hear the instructor’s comments as we followed him. (Frankly I got more out of having an instructor sit beside me when I took the Proformance Driving School at Pacific Raceway near Seattle about two weeks before this.) After everyone had their turn behind the instructor, we went in and had a debriefing and then went out again. We did this four times in different cars. Frankly I did not notice much difference between the sport and standard suspensions (the pedals on the 2005 models were much more noticeable – very difficult to heel and toe) but I did notice that the Exige really stuck on the fast corners.

Photos; Hugh McLellan


Hugh McLellan – Elise 111R & Seven – Lotus Performance Driving SchoolAt the end of the day the instructors took us for a ride and I was surprised to see how much faster they were than the students. (My instructor actually spun out his Elise on one of the turns.) We finished by about 2 pm and by the end of the day, we were driven back to the Hotel in a rather tired state.

Overall I thought the instructors were very knowledgeable and friendly. However, I was surprised that there was no emphasis on the history or present happenings at Lotus. I wished they had an Exige S and perhaps a Cup Car and 2-11 track car for comparison. I also thought the oval lapping exercise was the best chance to explore the limits of the Elise. I was also disappointed that while Lotus is getting all their qualified customers through this program, a student cannot add an extra day (which would allow for free lapping) nor could other people book the same day (I was hoping my son could join us).


Hugh McLellan – Elise 111R & Seven – Lotus Performance Driving SchoolThe Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch is an interesting concept. It is a private club that members join and run their cars (bring or leave on site) on one of a number of track configurations. They have two separate tracks that can be joined to make one 3.5 mile track. We ran on the short 1.5 mile track while a few club members were running on the 2.2 mile track. They also run a Corvette driving school three days a week as well as a Radical (a small sports racer powered by a motorcycle engine) Racing School. I understand the Lotus Driving School is booked up to January. Given the cost for this, I would suggest anyone interested in trying an Elise on the track check out the Proformance School out of Pacific Raceway.


James Armstrong – Elan +2 – Peugeots & RoundaboutsWhen I last visited the UK (1975) I can recall standing alone in a car park quietly wondering if I could get myself a classic cheap university student’s souvenir and steal a license plate off a Land Rover without getting caught. However, paranoia got the better of me and as I stooped to check out the license plate bolts I began to worry the truck might belong to a local wing of the IRA Provos out for a night of antagonizing the English. I stood up, put my Swiss Army knife back in my pocket and collected beer coasters for the rest of the trip.

During this return to Britain (May 07) I again chickened out on swiping a plate –besides, they’re well-attached – but still being cheap I was quite excited to escape Scotland with an election poster for the Independent Solidarity Party of Scotland (raving loonies, yes but the poster will be on my lawn for every upcoming Canadian election large or small.)

The driving highlights for this colonial had to be the amazing mix of Europe-only autos and the simplicity of the roundabout. Living in the UK one must think Peugeots outsell Honda, with Renault and Fiat right up there as well. Many of the Peugeots are emblazoned with a heavy 4 -inch round chrome marque/symbol on the hood. I had to wonder how long those heavy hunks of chrome would last on any Surrey Saturday night. But clearly the Brits love them.

Having lived in England for several years, my wife signed herself up as the sole driver of our rental and only let me drive in rural Scotland. Sitting in the back seat with my ego I had a good opportunity to consider the efficiency of the roundabout and I came away overwhelmed at the way it handles traffic. No expense of a traffic light and minimal waits and stopping in many cases. UK drivers seemed to be quite accommodating. I even saw BMW drivers using turn signals and that does not happen in B.C.

London has “Congestion Charging” zones throughout which require expensive permits to park there. Vancouver city planners have gone on the record as liking that idea. Some motor scooters come equipped with small tops as part of curving bars extending over the driver. Surprisingly, most motorcyclists were wearing full Kevlar or leather gear. Almost all had full face helmets or a fold-up full face version.

Several Elises were out and about but not many considering the population. The automotive highlight was a last day visit to the Beaulieu National Motor Museum owned by Lord Montagu, author of a long-running series of automotive books on various manufacturers. Being so close to France, I pronounced Beaulieu as any Frenchman would, but after several strange looks I was advised the Brits pronounced it bee-you’-lee. Now I have an idea how George Bush felt upon his first meeting with Her Majesty when he leaned over and told her he really liked that song of hers…”We Are the Champions.”

At one end of the Montagu expanse over 1000-Autojumble exhibitors were set up selling an absolutely dumbfounding range of cars, parts, and memorabilia from the turn of the past century to modern day.

Photos; James Armstrong

1967 Lotus 49 R3; first use of the Cosworth DFV. Driven by Graham Hill at British GP 1967.

Lotus Europa Special, Lotus Cortina in BRG, plus TVR, etc.

Lotus Esprit / submarine from “The Spy Who Loved Me”.

Lotus JPS 78

Autojumble - parts sale, Land speed record cars, 88 McLaren Honda MP 4/4 and others..


James Armstrong – Elan +2 – Peugeots & Roundabouts


Malcolm Muir – Ford Cortina GT – Labour weekend at PIR

Labour Day weekend has been an annual trek of mine since 1983 with only the odd year missed due to Canada/US exchange rates or previous family commitments. For the past 5 years SOVREN (www.sovren.org) has held the Columbia River Classic historic Car races featuring Historic Can-AM cars. In addition, Club Lotus NW has held one their two track days on the Friday prior to the historic races and of course the Annual All British Field Meet (31 years running, now).

I made my usual Banzai run down to Portland at the end of Thursday’s work day, having a 30 minute wait at the Pacific highway border crossing and endured the one lane traffic on the I-5 due to roadwork through Everett.

I opted to take the Dodge SX 2.0 again this year due to problems with the Cortina GT (see Tin Top Tales elsewhere is this issue). However, I had the use of Ric Cavallero’s 1973 Ford Escort RS2000 for the weekend whilst in Portland and Ric was away on business but wanted the car at the ABFM.

The arrival time at Mark Viskov’s was 11:15 PM and I was expecting to find all lights out and would simply off-load my luggage and sleeping bag and crash for the night. Instead Mark was completing assembly of the differential of Don Crawford’s Haggispeed clubman racer. Assembly and set-up were completed by 11:30 and we finally called it a night at 12:00 with a stern warning that we had to be out of the house Friday morning at 5:30 AM.



Up before the dawn of Friday, we packed all the gear for the track day and headed to PIR for set-up. This is a popular event and is limited to 70 cars with preference given to Lotus and Lotus powered cars, racing cars, Euro-Fords and finally BMW & Porsche club members. Three race groups of Intermediate, Advanced and Race Car Drivers get between 4 and 5 20-minutes sessions over the day. This gives owners a chance to test and tune their cars either for their own information or as practice for the weekend of racing.

Gridded cars of interest to club members were two Elises, two Exiges, two Europa TC’s, one Esprit S2, two Caterham Sevens and an Élan S2 (race car).

The All British Field Meet was set up on Saturday as a static display on grass with car club regalia tents as well as some parts and memorabilia vendors. I am still uncertain as to how the organizers select their saluted marque each year; this year was Triumph; however 2007 is the 50th anniversary of the Lotus Seven and 40th anniversary of formula ford. You’d think the organizers would do a little research prior to selecting a car or marque to salute but they seem to be a bit B-l over-focussed. Of the Lotus cars on display, virtually all models were represented, but no BC plates and only a couple of Washington plates.

Besides the static show and shine display was the photo concours, Land Rover adventure rides (on the motocross track), noon giant slalom and slot car races.

Sunday of the ABFM featured the swap meet (a bit of a disappointment this year) as well as the Giant slalom, rallye, Land Rover adventure rides and slot-car races.

Perhaps I’m jaded or perhaps I have done too many of this particular car show, but it’s not as much fun or interesting as it used to be (It’s been 10 years since Lotus was saluted, and that was only for the Europa in 1997).



Arnie Loyning’s Élan S2



The Columbia River Classic was, however, as good as ever, featuring practice and racing Saturday, Sunday and Monday with six different grids, with at least one Lotus on every grid except group 4 (large bore historic) and Group 6 (Historic Can-Am, Formula and Exhibition cars).

As an added bonus, a handicap Battle of Britain race was held on Sunday won by Stephan Clark in a 1960 Lola Mk 1.

Race results were as follows:Race #1 Saturday, September 1

Group 1 (Vintage, Formula Vee and selected small bore historic)First place Cameron Healy, 1955 Porsche-CopperFifth place Jaqulyn Mincheff, 1956 Lotus 11 LeMans

Group 2 (Historic small bore, DP, EP, FP, GP, HP)First place Mark Powell, 1960 Porsche 356Tenth place Myles Wynbigler, 1960 Lotus Seven America

Group 3 (Historic medium bore)First place Paul Quackenbush, 1963 Lotus Seven S3Second place Marc Nichols, 1965 Lotus SevenSixth place Renny Watt, 1962 Lotus 2314th place Bill Hegy, 1966 Lotus Élan S3

Group 5 (Formula Ford and Formula SV)First place Allen Zorich, 1972 Titan Mk 6Seventh place Gary Willis, 1969 Lotus 61MNinth place Steve Thayer, 1963 Lotus Seven14th place Fred McDonald, 1968 Lotus 51

Race #2 Sunday, September 2

Group 1 (Vintage, Formula Vee and selected small bore historic)First place Cameron Healy, 1955 Porsche-CooperFourth place Jaqulyn Mincheff, 1956 Lotus 11 LeMans

Group 2 (Historic small bore, DP, EP, FP, GP, HP)First place Mark Powell, 1960 Porsche 35613th place Myles Wynbigler, 1960 Lotus Seven America

Group 3 (Historic medium bore)First place Renny Watt, 1962 Lotus 23Fourth place Marc Nichols, 1965 Lotus SevenSixth place Arnie Loyning, 1965 Lotus Élan S214th place Bill Hegy, 1966 Lotus Élan S3

Group 5 (Formula Ford and Formula SV)First place Tim Osborne, 1968 Crossle 15FSeventh place Gary Willis, 1969 Lotus 61MEighth place Steve Thayer, 1963 Lotus Seven15th place Fred McDonald, 1968 Lotus 51



Renny Watt, Lotus 23

Race #3 Monday September 3

Group 1 (Vintage, Formula Vee and selected small bore historic)First place Tony Garmey, 1957 Chevrolet CorvetteFifth place Jaqulyn Mincheff, 1956 Lotus 11 LeMans

Group 2 (Historic small bore, DP, EP, FP, GP, HP)First place Skip WInfree, 1960 Porsche 356DNS Myles Wynbigler, 1960 Lotus Seven America

Group 3 (Historic medium bore)First place Don Crawford, Haggispeed Clubman SpecialSecond place Marc Nichols, 1965 Lotus SevenThird place Arnie Loyning, 1965 Lotus Élan S221st place Bill Hegy, 1966 Lotus Élan S3

Group 5 (Formula Ford and Formula SV)First place Tim Osborne, 1968 Crossle 15FSixth place Steve Thayer, 1963 Lotus SevenTenth place Gary Willis, 1969 Lotus 61M15th place Fred McDonald, 1968 Lotus 51



Jim Schnell in his Brabham BTBT38 F-2 consulting with mechanic Doug Esterbrook

I did not get the results form Monday afternoon’s race, however there were several retirements due to mechanical problems of cars from all grids with about a 30% retirement rate.

All in all it was a great weekend, entertaining, opportunities to walk the pits and talk with the drivers about their cars are learn a bit more about the sport and the clubs that support it (in BC it’s the Vintage Racing Club of BC, www.vrcbc.ca). There is an on-going discussion regarding raising the manufacturing cut-off date of December 31, 1969 to December 31, 1972 by SOVREN to align itself with VRC and others. In the interim, PIR will be closed for repaving and track improvements over the winter. The last two events of the season are the Fall Finale at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA September 22-23 and the Maryhill Loops Hillclimb in Goldendale, WA, September 29-30.

See you at the October 3 meeting at my house.

Photos; Malcolm Muir


Malcolm Muir – Ford Cortina GT – Tin Top Tales

Having made several outings with the Cortina GT, I have had an opportunity to drive it under several different road and weather conditions, with nagging problems that must be addressed.

The first major trip was up to Merritt for the Mountain Trials Rally, the second was a minor trip to Mission Raceways in August for the REVS series vintage car racing; the car lacks power, is a bit too loud and it easily overheats.

The loud part was easy to correct, I simply added a resonator to the exhaust system; the other problems not as easy.

Mission Raceway August 12; my car, Murray Ross’s 1969 Cortina Twin Cam, Allan McColl’s 1968 Cortina Twin Can, Jim Froula’s Escort Twin Cam and Randy Custer’s 1970 Cortina 1300 Deluxe

You may recall that someone else rebuilt the engine for me as a favour who, as it turns out, was unfamiliar with rebuilding Ford engines. Other of ideas were brought up including a blocked thermostat, or radiator, too hot a spark plug and finally incorrect camshaft timing.

I have purchased a set of cooler spark plugs, new thermostat and, at Dean Moncado’s suggestion, a VW Golf Aluminium radiator.

Photos; Malcolm Muir


Malcolm Muir – Ford Cortina GT – Tin Top Tales

I checked the camshaft timing using a degree wheel and dial indicator and found that the exhaust valve was closing too late. Removing the front cover and checking the timing marks, however, indicated that the timing was correct. The camshaft I used was on of Shadboldt’s low torque grinds with higher lift that Trevor Gagnon used to run, but an adjustable sprocket should have been used to correctly set up the timing. In addition, when I removed the head I found far more carbon build up on the piston tops that I would have expected after only 1,000 miles. Seconding, and more importantly, I have been getting exhaust valve to piston contact!

Valve to piston contact number 1 cylinder, about a 0.030” valve depression. 1300 HC pistons should have been used.

There are a few options open to me at this time, but the one which makes the most sense is to build a new engine, properly set up and do a re and re once built.

The next pro rally is Pacific Forest October 19-20 (where I do volunteer work) and the next TSD rally is Totem November 18-19 so I have a bit of time to get this engine built.

A couple other things I want to add to the car are a limited slip differential (an asset on loose surfaces) and a Merkur 5-speed transmission; at freeway speeds the 3,900-4,200 RPM engine speed gets a bit tiring on long trips.

Will keep you apprised of my progress by next meeting.


Lotus NewsWhat you doing when you were 14?

By the way the car quit after 80 laps with electrical problems. Lord Lucas still reigns supreme.

By LIM TEIK HUAT. MALAYSIA NEWSPAPER. PETALING JAYA:

In a twist of events on the final day of registration yesterday, Malaysia’s racing wonderkid Jazeman Jaafar is set to become the youngest driver in history to race in the Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance (MME) race.

The 14-year-old Jazeman will be driving a Lotus Exige 300RR – the car that won Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel and the Proton R3 Motorsports the overall titles in 2005 and 2006.

Jazeman, who has an international Class C racing licence under special exemption by the FIA, will take the seat reserved for Tengku Djan, who until yesterday was provisionally registered to team up with three-time winner Tommy Lee and Singaporean Billy Ng.

The event’s secretary, Mashithah Hashim, said that they received the Proton R3 Motorsports entry yesterday and Tengku Djan was listed to drive in Class C in a Satria Neo with Faidzil Alang and Sutan Mustafa Salihin.

“In place of Tengku Djan’s name in Class O, we received the entry of Jazeman,” she said.

Jazeman’s participation in the MME will, without doubt, increase interest among local racing fans, who see the Form Two student of Sri Cempaka School as Malaysia’s brightest prospect in motor racing.

Jazeman, who is the first Malaysian to score a win in the Formula BMW Asia Series, is firmly on track to achieving his dream of becoming an F1 driver by the age of 22.

He made a big impression in his first year in the Series and he trails championships leader and Meritus Racing team-mate James Grunwell by just one point.

“It all happened two days ago when Tommy called me and I took a day to weigh up everything before deciding to take up the challenge,” said Jazeman.

“I am just 14 and I would need to gather experience as much as I can now to further improve on my racing skills. I have driven a standard Lotus a couple of times around the Sepang track. Basically, the race craft will be the same like the Formula machine. I don’t see any problem.”

Tengku Djan confirmed that he would carry his challenge in the race in a Satria Neo. “This is in line with what we announced at the conclusion of last year’s race that Proton R3 Motorsports would be concentrating in the lower classes B and C this year. Our focus will be in Class C, which we aim to win this year,” said Tengku Djan, who heads Proton Motorsports Division.


Lotus News

CHRIS STARKIE, EDP BUSINESS EDITOR

The engineering division of Norfolk sports car company Group Lotus has strengthened its links with China with the signing of a series of contracts to develop a new range of vehicles for a newcomer to the Asian car industry.

Lotus Engineering has signed an agreement with Yinhua Youngman Automobile, a maker of luxury coaches and commercial vehicles, to design and engineer its own brand of passenger car.

The cars will be launched under the brand name of Europestar in China over the next five years.

Initially the cars will be rebadged Proton Gen 2 cars, which will be shipped from Malaysia to China and re-engineered by Lotus Engineering.

Lotus' parent company Proton has signed a deal to supply 30,000 Gen 2 cars, which will be sold under the new Europestar brand.

The first new car which is being designed and engineered by Lotus will go into production in China during 2008. Design work has been under way for some time at the company's Hethel headquarters.

This large family saloon will be followed by four other models which Youngman plans to sell in China and also export.

Mike Kimberley, chief executive of Group Lotus, signed a “formal award” for exclusive Lotus Engineering on the new model range at an event in Jinhan in China.

The formal contract signing comes just over eight months since Youngman and Lotus Engineering announced an initial agreement to work together to create a range of new cars.

Its part of a plan by the Hethel based business to grow its engineering operations in Asia, with a new office in India to follow in the next few months.

Mr Kimberley said: “We have been working with Youngman for over three years on a number of projects and to be awarded this contract, in addition to our initial Youngman/Lotus Engineering major agreements re-emphasises the technological know-how, capability and skills of Lotus in delivering major global projects.

“This new deal is the biggest of 2007 and one of our biggest ever.”

Pang Qingnian, chairman of Jinhua Youngman Automobile, said: “We are delighted to be increasing our cooperation and collaboration with Lotus Engineering for the future development of the Europestar range of cars.

“Lotus Engineering is a globally recognised leader in automotive technology and vehicle engineering and together with Proton's product platform, Youngman will cement its position as a formidable player in the Chinese car market.”

Meanwhile Lotus has dismissed reports in the Chinese press, including the state-run China Daily, that two Lotus sports car models will be assembled by Youngman in China.

In an e-mail to staff the company said that the reports were untrue and the company's new five year plan developed by Mr Kimberley will see Lotus cars manufactured solely at Hethel.


For Sale – Swap – Fancy

I'm converting to Pels 4AG 20 valve power and would like to offer the following Gordini engines, etc, for a Europa:

One complete 807-13 Gordini engine kit (unassembled) ($3200 invested minimum) with the following features:

- New 10.25:1 Mahle Piston & liner Kit plus one new spare liner. - Polished, prepared, and balanced crank with new bearings. - Block cleaned and ready to go with remote filter block off converted to Aeroquip fittings. - Gordini forged rods - lightened, polished, balanced and resized with ARP cap screws. - Large valve head - ported (by Hayward Performance), new valves, springs, three angle valve grind, & seals. - Port matched twin weber manifolds with 40mm Weber DCOE's (carbs should be rebuilt). - Alpine G-1 camshaft with parkerized lobes. (stock camshaft available if preferred) - New complete gasket set. - Lightened and balanced flywheel with new stock S-2 Europa clutch, pressure plate, & throwout bearing. - New high volume oil pump, cam chain, crank gear, chain tensioner, and water pump. - Gordini cast alloy valve cover and oil sump. - Stock distributor (choice of Bosch or Ducellier) and starter.

$2200.00 obo

The following additional new goodies are also available:

1 - Titanium valve spring retainer set - $175.001 - 200mm aluminum flywheel - $350.001 - Clutchmasters 200mm heavy duty clutch assembly w/throwout steup for NG-3 transmission. $350.001 - Lusa high performance breakerless distributor/ignition system & coil with centrifugal advance only - $350.001 - new large volume oil pump for flat type sump - $125.001 - British Starters lightweight gear reduction starter - $150.001 - water pump - $50.001 - low profile Weber throttle linkage set $150.001 - Reinze special HD head gasket - $85.001 - Custom made tubular headers with 29" equal length primaries - $200.001 - Facet fuel pump and fuel filter large cleanable element (NASCAR style) - $60.001 - Supertrapp muffler 2-1/2" (steel) - $65.00

The following used parts are also available:

3 - disassembled Gordini crossflows including one 807-13 with polished crank; Note: all parts available but would prefer to sell as a package of spares.2 - type 336 (R-16) transaxles1 - disassembled Europa 1470cc 697-04 engine incomplete for spare parts.

Please contact me at 604-948-1123 after 6:00PM Pacific time or via e-mail @ [email protected]

Chris Peters


mailto:[email protected]



As of July 01/2007 we have teamed with

We are pleased to announce we are now the Canadian agents for

JAE Vintage Lotus Parts

We will be also stocking parts for vintage and current Lotus production vehicles providing genuine Lotus

replacement part with bi-weekly stock orders

Contact Richard Chong for your Lotus car needs

Phone 604 278 8827or email

[email protected] for your parts request





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