Lotus 27

[RAP]

I saw on the internet that 35 Lotus 27 s were made. This surprised me as I did not remember very many racing, at least in the UK. I think that the only private owners were Wyllie, Long, Burnard and de Latour. F1R shows chassis # 32 and 33 used by Ron Harris/Team Lotus in early 1964 F2 races so that supports the production numbers. A quick count of ones racing in European F Junior came up with about 18, including the four mentioned and a guess that RH/TL probably had about 5 cars. So, presumably a lot went to the USA and Australia/New Zealand. I then recalled that a year or two ago someone said that they had sales data on Lotus 27. Perhaps that could be shared with us?
RAP

[David McKinney]

While we wait...
By the end of 1963 there were at least two 27s in the US (Ed Tucker and Pierre Phillips) and another two in Australia (Glyn Scott and Arnold Glass). Leo Geoghegan raced a third Australian 27 in 1964, and may have had it earlier

[Steve Wilkinson]

The initial monocoque had fibreglass sides. As this lacked rigidity they had to hastily rush through a redesign. Accordingly there were few customers as they had already had to go elsewhere. However it was a success with Arundell eventually winning the British FJnr Championship.

[Bryan Miller]

Richard ,

Per your P.M.

27/JM/4 , Veedol [ Bob Bernard ] 1100cc MK Four , eng. no. 462488 , VW 5 speed MK4 , # LC 68 , with 8/35 C.W.P.
Carb nos. 15686 and 15732 , 40mm Weber .
Body, Super White , IL 983 , extras , Sign write' Miss Veedol.'
Removed from works 29/4/63.

27/JM/9 , Sports Motors [ Wylie ] , 1100cc MKX1 # 11630516,
Hewland VW 5speed Mk4 , # LC 82 cwp 8/35,
Weber 40 DCOE2 # 15939 and 15607,
French Blue , IL 1019 ,
Extras , fit R6 tyres and long range rubber tanks,
Removed from works , 27/5/63.

Hope this assists.

Bryan Miller.

[RAP]

Bryan
Excellent, thanks.
RAP

[PeterMorley]

Since they replaced the early fibreglass tubs with aluminium ones, some of the earlier cars will have been rebuilt as later cars, that accounts for a few numbers.

Add replacement tubs to the list - tubs are less likely to have been rebuilt (at least by private owners) in those early days of monocoques - that's a few more numbers used.

It's probably more a case of around 35 tubs being made (a chassis number like 27 JM 35 races in historics, that is where the 35 total seems to have come from), slightly fewer actual car 'entities'.

[RAP]

My reckoning is -

Ron Harris/Team Lotus 3 cars early in year (debuts 6/4, 15/4, 11/5) presumably "flexi-cars". By the end of the year he is running upto 4 cars including #32 & 33 so I assume all are new "stiffer" tubs = 7

Two race in France ( Francis Francis and J Vinatier/Ford France)

F Dauwe (Belgian?)

an early car to K Ahrens but little used

4 privateers in UK (Wyllie #3, Burnard #4, M Long #14?, S de Latour)

3 to 5 to Italy including B Deserti

One to Carl Hass #22 plus two others to USA per David

2 or 3 to Australia per David

a M de Boe from August but possibly this is one of the French cars?

In the winter Temporanda Habegger & Foitek run cars suggesting two may have gone to Switzerland.

Total between 23 and 29 entities.

[PeterMorley]

I've found:

Ron Harris Team Lotus - 3 cars on 06.04.63

Inter Auto Course (Francis) - 1 car on 14.04.63

Kurt Ahrens - 1 car on 28.04.63
Ford France (Vinatier) - 1 car on 28.04.63

Team Lotus Continental (Dauwe) - 1 car on 19.05.63

Adam Wyllie - 1 car on 03.06.63

Jim Russell School (Gould then Long) - 1 car on 03.06.63

Bruno Deserti (later Scuderia Sant Ambroeus) - 1 car on 23.06.63

M.R.P. (Bradley) - 1 car on 30.06.63

Squadra Junior Italia - 4 cars on 30.06.63

Veedol (Burnard) - 1 car on 06.07.63

Simon de Lautour - 1 car on 13.07.63

Team Elite Continental (Mark de Boe) - 1 car on 25.08.63 (new name for Dauwe's team, presumably the same car)

Ron Harris Team Lotus had an extra car (e.g. 4 cars) for Vinatier on 08.09.63 (presumably his own car entered under their banner)
Similar thing happens with Deserti on 14.09.63
But on 29.09.63 they have Peter Procter who doesn't appear to have a 27, so did they have 4 27s and lent the 4th one occassionally - saving the others shipping their cars).

Finally
Ed Tucker & Pierre Phillips with 2 cars in America on 15.11.63

Which is basically exactly the same as RAP said - except Dauwe & De Boe's cars are probably the same (I know there was at least one Belgian 27 so these could well both be Belgian).

[IANHEB]

Anybody know what the / JM / denotes in the chassis number.Junior Monocoque ?
Ian

[PeterMorley]

Originally Posted by IANHEB

Anybody know what the / JM / denotes in the chassis number.Junior Monocoque ?
Ian

Yes Junior Monocoque = JM

space frame juniors were just J e.g. 20 - J - 951
sports cars were S e.g. 23 - S - 64
monocoque juniors were JM e.g. 27 - JM - 35

later cars adopted an R prefix - presumably for Race(r or ing) - e.g. R2
earlier cars had just used their consecutive production number - e.g. 367 (367th car made was a 16)

[Bryan Miller]

27/JM/1,

Mr. F Francis , Dark Blue ,1100cc , removed from works 20/5/63.

27/JM/2 , small ''a'' in bottom of chassis plate box , whatever that means , Ford France , 1100cc, French Blue , removed from works , 28/5/63.

27/JM/3 , 1100cc, Lotus Southwest, P.O.Red, removed from works 11/7/63.

27/JM/4 as previously advised. small ''k'' in bottom of chassis number box.

27/JM/5 , small ''k'' , Jim Russell R.D.S. 1100CC, B.R.G.
IL 978, ex works 10/6/63.

27/JM/6 , 1100cc, plus spare mk X1 less carbs , J. & P. Wautels [ maybe Wautecs ] B.R.G. IL978 , ex works 7/6/63.

27/JM/7 , R. Harris , B.R.G. Replacement C.B.U. [ completely built up ]23/9/63 delivered.

27/FM/8 , Lotus Southwest , Black IL165 , eng. no. LP 409 , but unable to read eng. type , this should make it a Twin-cam 1500cc , please also note not a typo re. FM , this is on at least one other sales card, removed from works 25/10/63.

27/JM/9 as advised .

27/JM/10 , 1100cc, J. Siffert , P.O. Red , small '' H '' in box, removed from works 22/7/63.

27/JM/11 , 1100cc, Geoghegan , Blue IL978 , removed from works 30/9/63.

27/JM/12 , 1100cc , Mr. G. Franzen , presso ??? Kurt Bardi-Barry , Painted P.O. Red , Vienna Austria , large cockpit, removed from works 27/6/63. small ''A '' in chassis number box.

27/JM/13 , exactly as above , but with a different frame number.

Bryan Miller.

[RAP]

Bryan
Thanks for the additional information. Can I just clarify if you think this is a complete sales list or only goes up to 13 ? The F1R records of F2 in 1964 record 27-JM-14 as J Berry (JRRDS) at Snetterton 26/9/64 and 32 & 33 as Team Lotus entries early in 1964.

Interetsing that the first 3 Ron Harris cars that appeared April/May 63 don't appear on the list but a replacement does.

RAP

[Bryan Miller]

Rap ,

No only all I had time to type in , balance to follow in due course.
There is a lot more information on each sales card , including tub numbers , but alas in this world it could easily be used for no good.
And yes , re. the appearance of the RHTL surprised me as well .

Bryan.

[Simon Hadfield]

Leo Geoghegan ordered three 27s -27/JM/11, 27/JM/18 and27/FM/24. this last car is now back in the UK having been purchased by Michael Schryver from Andrew Cunningham in New Zealand. History-with help from David Mckinney- originally for Arnold Glass then Brian Thomas, Dean Hollier, John Nicholson (yes that one!) Jos Mahon, Digby Taylor,Allan Rhodes, Douglas Evans and finally Mr Cunningham

[Bryan Miller]

Simon,

According to my source , the chassis plate for the Glass car is still in Australia , having been '' acquired'' many many years ago, I know who has it , if he will part with it is a different question, I am presuming the car doesn't have a plate.

Bryan, P.M. me if you wish.