Right, back home after a weekend away.
To answer my own question, yes, Lotus were at Panshagar by 1963 (a service workshop).
Co-located there were Keegan Aviation Ltd. 'TD 'Mike' Keegan had left the RAF as a flight engineer at the end of WWII to become one of the most successful airline entrepreneurs that Great Britain, if not Europe, has ever known. He helped to pioneer mass air transport and at one point operated Europe?s largest all cargo airliner.' In fact, the companies were Trans Meridian Air Cargo and subsequently BAF. They operated from Luton and Southend at various times, as well as Panshangar. I wonder if Chapman bought his planes from Mike Keegan?
Now, Mike Keegan was father of Rupert, well known1970s playboy F1 racer (currently making an interesting looking F1 documentary, see
http://www.madeitoutalive.com/). However, Rupert was born in 1955, so too young to be driving Elans in 1963, clearly. As an aside, I cant find any reference to Rupert having raced any type of Lotus.
Was Kevin an elder brother, or some other relative of Mike? Obviously some family connection there.
Tim