Life in a Bubble• Exploring the Wild Atlantic Way • Moving
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October 2018 Lowflfor Caterham and Lotus Seven enthusiasts ying THIS MONTH: THE LONGEST BUILD EVER? • LIFE IN A BUBBLE • EXPLORING THE WILD ATLANTIC WAY • MOVING REDLINE FORWARDS • TOM PRYCE – MAN OF DENBIGH • THE TRIP THE CLUB SAVED • CLUB SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE • NEWS AND EVENTS “The perfect way to get to the pub on a hot Summers eve” Buying and Selling Caterham | Servicing | Parts | Upgrades | Trim | Finance t: 01732 445782 w: www.gpsevens.co.uk e: [email protected] f: www.facebook.com/GPSevens a: GP Sevens, 1 Winkhurst Farm, Ide Hill Road, Coopers Corner, Sevenoaks, Kent. TN14 6LB Lowfl ying October 2018 Lowflfor Caterham and Lotus Seven enthusiasts ying Introduction... THIS MONTH: THE LONGEST BUILD EVER? • LIFE IN A BUBBLE • EXPLORING THE WILD ATLANTIC WAY • MOVING REDLINE FORWARDS • TOM PRYCE – MAN OF DENBIGH • THE TRIP THE CLUB SAVED • CLUB SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE • NEWS AND EVENTS Ian Mellor and his son George boarding the ferry on their return from Classic Le Mans. Club administration and membership services including membership enquiries, changes of address, Event Support Vehicle (ESV) bookings, Event Diary entries and advertising in Lowfl ying Sam Pearce – [email protected] t: +44 (0)1873 777303 Lotus Seven Club, PO Box 7, Abergavenny NP7 5WQ. Annual membership £49·50 or £45·50 if paying by direct debit (UK or Overseas; membership includes Lowfl ying). Go to “Join us today” on the Club website, or contact the Membership Secretary Lowfl ying magazine Submissions By post:see Club administration, above By email to: lowfl [email protected] Advertising: see Club administration, above Editor: Michael Calvert – [email protected] Editorial support John Aston – [email protected] Andy Couchman – [email protected] Designer: Paul Sander – [email protected] To report non-receipt of Lowfl ying, change of address or to request back issues (where available), please write my introduction this month having just Contrast this with the following extract contact the Membership Secretary. Lowfl ying is printed by Shanleys Ltd returned from the inaugural meeting of the from an article which I’m very much looking Units 38–39 Britannia Way, Bolton BL2 2HH. t: 01204 523773 www.shanleys.co.uk recently-formed “Heritage” group within the forward to running soon about the history Contacts Lotus Seven Club, held at the Phoenix Inn, of the “Lotus Seven Northern Owners Club” Directors I Christine Abbott,Shaun Elwell, Chris Bramall, Hartley Witney. Just the venue was something (I bet it’s only the old hands who have any Roger Needham, Martin Phipps Chair of a trip down memory lane for me as this used recollection that such an organisation even Christine Abbott – [email protected] General Secretary to be the meeting point of the Reading, North existed!) which was later folded into the L7 Roger Needham - [email protected] Hants and Berks (ReHab) group back in those Club. In it, author Ron Wood recalls that Company Secretary Terence McCarthy - [email protected] pre-children days when I used to have the time ‘During the 1980s, the Caterham Seven Membership Secretary Sam Pearce – see above to attend. We’ll hopefully carry a full story of became very popular with the emerging Advertising Manager Geoff Brown – t: 01793 876465 the meeting in next month’s edition, but suffi ce “yuppies” who started coming to our [email protected] Treasurer to say that it was a wonderful gathering. As meetings with their colour coded cars, coats Martin Phipps – [email protected] AR regional coordination you’d expect, the original Lotus 7s were the and hats! Unfortunately, this grated with Regional Coordinator – North, Paul Richards [email protected] stars (I counted sixteen parked up at one time) some of the long standing “traditional” Regional Coordinator – South, Mark Lawrence and they rightly had pride of place in front Lotus 7 owners and they began to drift [email protected] Regional Coordinator – West, Mike Scott of the pub. But plenty of drivers of modern away.’ What a good job that this perceived [email protected] Regional Coordinator - Midlands, Marcus Adams Caterhams had came along to join in the ‘division’ is dead and buried and that we can [email protected] Competition Secretary celebration too, and owners of cars new and freely share our passion for all the models Chris Bramall – [email protected] Event Support Vehicle Manager old mingled, compared notes and talked cars. It with a lineage to Chapman’s genius Dave Clarke - [email protected] Social Media really was a situation where you could see our original designs. Tom Slatter – [email protected] Email Administrator tagline “The Lotus Seven Club for Caterham Michael Calvert, Tim Pollard – [email protected] IT Support and Lotus Seven Enthusiasts” in action. Editor Shaun Elwell – [email protected] Members’ Benefi ts Coordinator Geoff Brown – t: 01793 876465 [email protected] Regalia Manager Stephen Hubbard – [email protected] Management Team Member this month in Lowfl ying: Robert Jacobs – [email protected] Trackday Coordinators: 4 News and Events 18 Fridge Door Dave Rothwell - [email protected] James Batchelor - [email protected] 8 Moving Redline Forwards 20 Life in a bubble Lotus Seven Historian John Watson – t: 07958 272559 Lowfl ying catches up with Chris Mintoft, owner of this Martin Brazill reports on his experience of different [email protected] Tour Organiser popular Seven parts supplier approaches to Seven storage both indoors and Dave Rothwell – [email protected] outdoors Valuations of Sevens for insurance purposes only 10 Tom Pryce – Man of Denbigh Guy Munday – t: 07718 385168 (work hours) We visit a museum tribute to this talented F1 driver 24 Exploring the Wild Atlantic Way GP Cars: [email protected] Millwood Motor Company [email protected] who died too soon. Adrian Corser is our guide around Eire’s Caterham Cars Archivist [email protected] 12 The longest build ever? Atlantic coastline Our former Chairmen David Mirylees (founder), Lol Pilfold, Nick Richens, Roger Swift, Part one of the story of John Kelly’s Seven kit build 28 Area Meetings Keith Jecks, Andrew Walker, which may prove to be the longest ever Steve Winterberg, Mark Durrant, Martin Bushaway. 30 Club Diary The Lotus Seven Club is the trading name of Seven Club Limited. Registered 16 The trip the Club saved 32 Club Speed Championship Update offi ce: 9 Nevill Street, Abergavenny NP7 5AA, UK. Company reg. number A careless driver made it look unlikely that Martin 3880568. A copy of the Company’s constitution and rules is available on 34 Parting Shot written request to the Company Secretary. Please note: Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Seven Club Limited (‘the Club’), merely Phipps would make his planned trip to France. Could the views and experiences of individual writers. Opinions, whether technical Club members help fi nd a solution in time? or otherwise, should not be construed as precise authoritative advice. The Club recommends readers to take specifi c professional advice and that technical and/or mechanical work is only undertaken by suitable qualifi ed individuals. The Club does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered by any reader after reading this publication, acting upon matters Lowfl y i n g October 2018 3 discussed or taking part in the events promoted or mentioned. Editorial coverage or advertising does not imply endorsement. Stallard Members’ Exclusive: Introduction to Track Days David Donington Park, 20th August 2016 CREDIT: News and events The International Seven Network No, it’s not the latest spy novel, rather a recently established affi liation of international Seven Clubs which aims to improve overseas cooperation, make all members’ lives easier when travelling and boost our ability to organise international events… Lowfl ying spoke to L7 Club Chair Christine Abbott to get the lowdown… he idea of pooling Sevening knowledge from different clubs came to me about T ten years ago when, with a larger group, we were planning our fi rst major European trip in the Seven. Before we left, I spent some considerable time trying to research on the internet overseas contacts who might provide us with relevant information and support. It proved to be time well spent when one of our party hit mechanical problems on the Austria/Swiss border. Using the details I’d downloaded, we put out an SOS call to contacts in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, and within around 30 minutes, we’d had messages back from them all. Some offered to bring informal – a monthly conference call where Finally, (for now at least!) each member tools to help, while another pointed us to a the clubs are each represented by their chairs. club will be writing an article about who recommended garage not far away. In summary, So, from this beginning, what is planned they are and what they do to appear in these contacts rescued the trip, and it has since for members? the magazines of the others. been my ambition to establish a more formal First and foremost, clubs in the network You will appreciate that it is still very early arrangement that could help other members will have space on each others’ websites stage for the international Seven Network traveling overseas in their Sevens. where they can provide their contact details. and we hope to be able to announce plenty The idea was resurrected when a couple Therefore if, say, you are planning a trip to more in the coming months. However, of years back, Roger and I were planning to the Netherlands, you will have the details I thought I should share a message I tour Sweden. Having made contact with the of someone who speaks fl uent English received this week from Jan Tell, chair of Swedish owners club, we were supplied with and who you know you can approach if the Caterham Club Sweden which I think the best routes to drive, the places to go… It you are looking for help, advice, routes etc.