catch-the-bug

[simonknee]

Hey Jeff, the entries on this thread would make a great addition to the
website!

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[zman521]

After autocrossing a modified Datsun a couple of years I was
offered a ride in a stock s3 Elan by a lady whom used to beat me
every time she came. I beat my best Datsun time by over one second.
This in a car I had never driven before. Needless to say I was sold.

[rgwitherell]

This catch-the-bug thread has really exercised my memory. I cannot
recall the moment when I caught the bug but it was some time ago,
between 1948 and 1957. I grew up in Toronto. In 1948 I first became
aware of sports cars. I was 10 years old and received a subscription
to Mechanics Illustrated. One of the first issues had a road test of
the MG-TC by Tom McCahill. This and his subsequent articles about
the street races at Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen completely
captivated me.

To get the flavor of McCahill's articles you must read his 1964 test
of the Elan at http://home.san.rr.com/fsheff/oldpapr3.htm.

By 1950 I was reading Road and Track and Sports Car Illustrated and I
am sure I read about Colin Chapman in the early 50's. I went to my
first auto show in New York in 1953 but Lotus had not made it across
the Atlantic by then. The stars of the show were the introduction of
the Austin Healy and the incredible Pegaso Coupe.

The first sports car race I attended was at Edenvale north of Toronto
in 1954, the day after I received my drivers license. Again that was
too early for Lotus.

In 1957, after my first year in Mechanical Engineering, I worked for
the summer in Bedford England which really solidified my interest in
Sports Cars. I went to races at Crystal Palace, Silverstone and in
particular the Grand Prix D'Europe at Aintree ? one of the most
famous F1 races ever. I still have the program with my lap chart.
Stirling Moss was driving a Vanwall with suspension design by Colin
Chapman. He led the race from the pole position for about 25 of 90
laps ahead of Behra in a Maserati, Hawthorn and Collins in Ferraris.
Fango in a Maserati was not a factor. About lap 25, Moss went out.
In those days you could change drivers and Moss took over Tony
Brooks' Vanwall in fifth place behind Behra, Hawthorn, Lewis-Evans in
a Vanwall and Collins. Moss put on a real show and eventually won,
the first F1 win for a British car and driver in thirty years. Lotus
was not in the F1 race, but they had 16 of the 30 entries in the
supporting sports car race.

Back in Canada, a neighbour Denny Coad started racing a Lotus 9. A
few years later he won the Canadian Championship in a Lotus 19.
Another neighbour built a copy of the Lotus 9 using Anglia parts and
I helped out a bit. One mistake we made was that we used a solid
rear axle whereas the Lotus had a de Dion rear axle with inboard
brakes. We just copied the single trailing arm of the Lotus
forgetting about the brake torque. The first hard application of the
brakes and the axle tried to wrap itself around the trailing link.

After finishing University in 1960, I bought my first car, a 1957
Morris Minor 1000 which gave me my first real experience with Lucas
electrics and SU carbs. By 1974 I had owned 11 British Cars so I
became a even more familiar with their eccentricities. The Minor was
followed by a 59 MGA, my first real sports car. In 1962 I went back
to university to do a Masters degree and the first day one of the
professors said there was a scholarship available for which no
qualified candidate had applied. I applied, won the scholarship and
used it to buy a new MGB.

By 1967, the MGB was getting a little tired and for $550 I bought a
damaged 66 TR4A. I had it fixed up almost like new but never really
enjoyed it. Although it had more power, it was not as easy to throw
around as the MG's. Then a 66 Elan S2 showed up at a local dealer.
I traded both the MGB and the TR4A plus some cash for it. There was
no problem throwing the Elan around and in next 36 years nothing has
tempted me to change it? but maybe the Elise!

[elansprint71]

No, the Elise does not begin to compare with the Elan, you guys over the water will be disappointed unless that Toyota motor makes it a different car.


Pete

[palermog]

August 1967 a great man (my dad) took me to my first Grand Prix. The
first ever Canadian GP at Mosport. My first ever memory of F1 is Jim
Clark and Graham Hill breaking the crest of the start finish straight
into corner one in the Green and Yellow Lotus 49's. That memory will
last forever. I still have the programme my dad purchased for me that
day and in the back there is a one page add that advertised a yellow
Lotus Elan...I swore then that one day I would own one and I got to
do just that in 1998. A 1971 S4 SE. I restored that car and painted
it what else, Green and Yellow. My dad helped me an awful lot
restoring that wonderful car.

Last weekend with the Ontario weather still holding out, I took it
for a drive along my favorite roads on the north shore of Lake Erie
in and around Port Dover. I had tears in my eyes for most of the
drive....you see favorite motor head, my dad, suddenly passed away on
October 31 at 80 years of age.

He left my son his beloved 1969 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spyder. Matthew
intends on restoring his Nonno's car as soon as he graduates next
year. My heart is broken these days. Godspeed dad!

ginop
port dover
1971 Elan S4 SE

[gobw2]

Wheel
, ok - Guess it's time to tell my story. I started driving my parent's
cars. First car- 1952 Hudson Hornet straight 8. The 4 speed auto trans
blew, was going to be junked, so I jacked it up & rebuilt trans at age
14. Car given to me when I got my license.

I owned American cars because parts were cheap and readily available. I
quickly learned that a big car with a big 8 can be made right quick, but
cannot handle. Of the lot, the ones that handled best were Chrysler corp
products because of the front torsion bar suspensions, which could be
easily dialed in. I would add the usual Koni shocks and engine
performance parts.

Cars used to come with wiring harnesses containing wires for every
conceivable option, same with body parts. I used to spend a lot of time
going thru my cars and removing unnecessary weight, especially from the
front half. If the car had manual windows, I would remove the power
window mounting hardware. Any bolt with over three threads showing was
replaced or cut. Wiring harnesses were opened, and wires for equipment
the car did not have were removed. Engines came with lifting brackets,
which were removed. I could usually remove close to 100 # of unnecessary
material, and would transfer as much weight as possible to the rear by
using rear battery mounting kits, moving the spare into the trunk well,
etc.

I read C/Driver and performance mags as I had time.
I gradually went for smaller American cars, while searching for a nice
sports car. As it would be my only car, and be used for work, it had to
be reliable. I looked at the Corvette, but I was 23, and my insurance
company said NO. The British cars I tried handled fairly well, but felt
crude and underpowered. I felt unsafe in the Porsche, and did not like
the breakaway characteristics. I even looked at a souped up VW bug.

I read about the Elan, and looked up the nearest Lotus dealer, who
proved to be arrogant, snotty, and did not allow people to test drive the
cars! The experience was so bad, it turned me off on Lotus. I next looked
at the AC Cobra. I thought the 289 was quite a machine, liked the idea
that the power plant components were American, and readily available, but
disliked the fact that I could not even fit an overnighter in the trunk.
I contacted my insurance agent, and was told the insurance company
response was that they would not insure it.

I saw an add for a Lotus dealer in Hicksville Long Island, contacted
them, test drove the Elan, and ordered it. The headlights failed, and the
car started overheating in NYC on the way home. The "freeze plugs" in
the head started leaking 3 days later, followed by the horns failing
about a week later. the heater fan sounded like something was rubbing on
it, but the dealer said it was normal. I dismantled the heater and found
the blades were rubbing on a sheet of wet or dry sandpaper. I quickly
learned that my daily driver needed a backup.

I could beat almost anything if I could pick a road with some good turns.
The bigger the engine - IE 454 Corvette, the more I would beat them by,
always passing on the inside on turns.



________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
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[tvacc]

Just a thought...

If anyone would like me to put these on the LOONY site...
www.lotusowners.com

Send them to me.. ***@***.***

I will set up a page...more should read these.

By sending them to me...you agree to allow me to put them on the site.

Tony Vaccaro
http://www.lotusowners.com
http://www.drivingclothes.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing or to request you no longer wish to receive
email from this address please email ***@***.***

-----Original Message-----
From: palermogp [mailto:***@***.***
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 11:18 PM
To: ***@***.***
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] catch-the-bug


August 1967 a great man (my dad) took me to my first Grand Prix. The
first ever Canadian GP at Mosport. My first ever memory of F1 is Jim
Clark and Graham Hill breaking the crest of the start finish straight
into corner one in the Green and Yellow Lotus 49's. That memory will
last forever. I still have the programme my dad purchased for me that
day and in the back there is a one page add that advertised a yellow
Lotus Elan...I swore then that one day I would own one and I got to
do just that in 1998. A 1971 S4 SE. I restored that car and painted
it what else, Green and Yellow. My dad helped me an awful lot
restoring that wonderful car.

Last weekend with the Ontario weather still holding out, I took it
for a drive along my favorite roads on the north shore of Lake Erie
in and around Port Dover. I had tears in my eyes for most of the
drive....you see favorite motor head, my dad, suddenly passed away on
October 31 at 80 years of age.

He left my son his beloved 1969 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spyder. Matthew
intends on restoring his Nonno's car as soon as he graduates next
year. My heart is broken these days. Godspeed dad!

ginop
port dover
1971 Elan S4 SE

[tvacc]

very nice story...

Tony Vaccaro
http://www.lotusowners.com
http://www.drivingclothes.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing or to request you no longer wish to receive
email from this address please email ***@***.***
-----Original Message-----
From: palermogp [mailto:***@***.***
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 11:18 PM
To: ***@***.***
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] catch-the-bug


August 1967 a great man (my dad) took me to my first Grand Prix. The
first ever Canadian GP at Mosport. My first ever memory of F1 is Jim
Clark and Graham Hill breaking the crest of the start finish straight
into corner one in the Green and Yellow Lotus 49's. That memory will
last forever. I still have the programme my dad purchased for me that
day and in the back there is a one page add that advertised a yellow
Lotus Elan...I swore then that one day I would own one and I got to
do just that in 1998. A 1971 S4 SE. I restored that car and painted
it what else, Green and Yellow. My dad helped me an awful lot
restoring that wonderful car.

Last weekend with the Ontario weather still holding out, I took it
for a drive along my favorite roads on the north shore of Lake Erie
in and around Port Dover. I had tears in my eyes for most of the
drive....you see favorite motor head, my dad, suddenly passed away on
October 31 at 80 years of age.

He left my son his beloved 1969 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spyder. Matthew
intends on restoring his Nonno's car as soon as he graduates next
year. My heart is broken these days. Godspeed dad!

ginop
port dover
1971 Elan S4 SE

[LotuSport]

--- In ***@***.***, "palermogp" <palermog@s...>
wrote:

Amen! Thank you for your wonderful story. I'm glad you got your
dream and that your dad was there to help you restore it. We are all
very blessed, not least to be among the great folks who populate this
collection of Lotus fan(atic)s. Thanks for sharing your tale.

Best regards,
Bob
_____________________________
***@***.***

P.S. to Tony V.: GREAT idea to put these all together on the LOONY
site. Please include mine -- I hope everyone will let theirs be put
up ther.

[cliveyboy]

I am glad someone has finally mentioned the Bond films. The white Esprit was
the starting point for me when I would have been but "Knee high to a
grasshopper". I decided later on that I would have an Esprit before I turned
30. When I could afford one at 24 the insurance company lost there nerve
insuring a young lad in an Esprit, but would insure me for an Excel, so I
sold my soul to the bank manager and worked nights as well as during the day
to buy a 2 year old Excel. I never did get the Esprit and when I bought the
Elan it was a choice between the two. I still love the Esprit but I
definately made the right choice.
I used to drive the Elan to work every day and park it outside work right in
the centre of Oxford, it always makes me smile watching people staring at it
as they walk by. For some reason little kids know straight away its a Lotus.
I never have any trouble except coming out to the car and finding gangs of
Japanese tourists all having their photos taken next to it.
Clive

_________________________________________________________________
Sign-up for a FREE BT Broadband connection today!
http://www.msn.co.uk/specials/btbroadband

[Elan45]

Well... I've enjoyed many of the stories people have written, but my story is rather long, so it's taken me a while to get to it.

My father and my uncle had some rather interesting cars back in their single days. Then in the late 30s and early 40s their interests turned to cars made by a small company in Butler Pa. The American Austins and Bantams were originally licensed versions of the English Austin 7, but as the company declared bankruptcy so many times, that added cost was conveniently forgotten. They must have had about ten of them over several years. In fact, I thinkwhen I was born, I think I was brought home from the hospital in the last of Dad's Bantams. But Dad hid his desire for a sports car well, and it wasn't until I was about 12 that I could see any of it. I do remember going to Indy when I was very young to sit in bleachers to watch cars "drive" by on some brick street. I couldn't understand why all these people would come sit on these uncomfortable bleachers to watch cars go by when we could do thesame thing at home. I have a photo of me in front of maybe a Delahaye in the infield. A few years later, there is another photo of me and my brother standing in front of a Bugatti Royale and my expression says I couldn't have cared less.

Every year a group in town would show the Perfect Circle movie of that year's Indy 500, several months after we'd listened to it on the radio. I started going as a way to bond w/ Dad. Then about 1957, when we were just leaving for a church meeting, a presentaion of that years Monoco Grand Prix came on Tele. We stayed home and skipped the meeting. I thought it was so neat. A couple years later Dad gave my brother and me and Austin engine a gearboxfor a Christmas present. This seems to have been a catylist, as next an incomplete rusted Austin came home and from this, we built the "special" I would drive around the streets of our small Ohio town. At the time, little did I know that a fellow named Chapman had done much the same thing years before but called his creation "Lotus". How badly I wished my Austin could grow up into a MG, Triumph, Morgan or even a Fiat Abarth, after I bought a stock Fiat 600 my 1st year of college. Eventually, the Fiat was replaced by a TR3, then a Frogeye Sprite. My first job, to be able to afford any wheels at all, was stocking the shelves of a pharmacy. On my breaks I was drawn to the magazine rack. Soon, I was a subscriber of "Sports Car Graphic" and they loved the Elan which had just been introduced and I decided I had to haveone. Then there were F1 reports with Jim Clark winning and then Lotus assault on Indy, and that fueled the desire even more. I still have the reply from Lotus East, when I wrote to ask if the Elan was available in the US as a kit. The answer was no, but they sent along a nice flyer about the Seven kit, which was available and an Elan flyer and these started my Lotus literature collection. Since I had learned to maintain my own TR3, it only seemed natural I use this skill to help pay the bills which college created, after I moved to main campus. Then there was the OSU Sports Car Club and the wiley old math professor who was the club adviser and autocrossed his S2 Elan so smoothly. I so badly wanted one but the closest I could get was my Sprite and by the time I had worked my way through school, the Elan was out ofproduction, I was married with a son and little money or hope of being an Elan owner. My engineering degree took us from Columbus Ohio to Columbus Indiana to work for Cummins Deisel Engines. That September (1974) I had a chance meeting with the little independent sports car shop in town and he toldme about a decrepid Elan S3-DHC for sale. It was sitting outdoors with no top (hood) but it ran and drove and a day later was mine for $1100. It had been poorly cared for during the previous 2 years. Lots of little jobs soonfixed most of the problems and made it our primary car. A year later, we moved back to Ohio and I was able to autocross against the fellow whose ElanI'd admired so much. His daughter still has it and I still have mine.

But there was more to come. Eventually, the lack of care the Elan had received before coming to me, caused a front turret to fail and we found ourselves in Arkansas in 1978 bringing home an early FHC to drive while the 1st Elan was repaired. That FHC was red, just like the road test one in SCG and we had many fun times in that car for the 7 years it took to get the 1st Elan on a new frame and restored. By that time, there was an orphan RHD +2S and another Elan S3 DHC project in the corner of the garage, this one converted to 26R, but crunched in the nose. Later that same year I found out that the Lotus Eleven owner in town had decided it was time to sell. Its restoration was a real committment and if my wife didn't think I had the virus by then, she did now. So, in December 85 I branched out to Lotus other than Elans and these have now been joined by a 20/22 FJr I restored from about 1997 to 2001.

I guess I can justify this much space, since I can account for 3 Elans and a +2 and 2 non-Elan Lotus. Hope I haven't bored you too much.

I lost my Dad just 4 years ago. It was so very hard cleaning out his house and garage. I also inherited the Model T Ford hotrod with a flathead V8 I helped him build back in the 60's and every time I look at it, I am remindedof his inspiration. Of course, now it needs restored too.

Roger Sieling, 2x 45, 36, 50, 11 & 20FJ



It's an old question, but it's fun to ask from time to time.

How did you "catch-the-Lotus-bug"?

Call it virus research!! Some of got it when we were kids reading a
magazine, or from seeing their first Esprit at a car show, or seeing
films of Senna or Clark... So, share your story!

Kiyoshi













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[schwartzd13]

I vaguely remember reading a Road & Track bit about the Lotus Elan
Sprint while away in college in Buffalo New York, probably in 1972. I
remember loving the shape of the car, but I was a sedan kind of guy at
the time being hooked on 02 BMW's. In fact, my first BMW was a 1600
(1602 for you over the sea) with a 2002 engine and 2 double-barreled
Weber 40DCOE's which were rumored to have come off a Lotus of all
things. I wound up quitting school a few years later to work on BMWs
full time and went through a succession of them until 1978 when I moved
to California in my two-tone (Black over Burgundy) 72 2002 Tii. Sometime
during those years I was at a BMWCCA event at BMW HQ in Montvale, New
Jersey when I spotted a metallic purple Elan Coupe in the parking lot
amidst a sea of BMWs. I stared at it for quite some time, again simply
taken by it's beauty and simplicity of line. I'm pretty sure that's the
day I said "I'm going to have one of these one day."
My Elan finds me...
After a few years in sunny SoCal, I wound up purchasing one of the
worlds most obscure sports cars, a Glas 1700 GT (Frua body, Glas
mechanicals). It was going to be my extra car, but wound up being a
driveway car. Somewhere in the interim, I got married and one day my
wife threatened me to get that thing off the driveway. I had only
actually driven it once - the day I bought it - and wasn't particularly
attached to it, so I put an ad in the paper. I got 2 calls, one asked me
what condition the top was in, and I replied original Orange-painted
steel...they were hoping for a drophead (a Glas is rare enough...I think
a drop top Glas was either an accident victim or truly never
existed)....The other phone call was a guy who didn't really want to buy
it, but wanted to trade...it seems his divorce was progressing and his
soon-to-be-ex wife insisted he reduce his inventory and generate some
cash...So I said what have you got to trade? He read me a list of some
12 cars, including a Saab Sonnet, TVR 2500, VW Microbus and somewhere
near the end he said the magic words "Lotus Elan." I don't know which
came first, the goosebumps or the words "Stop right there", but I was at
his place the next day, and scraping together some cash to add to my
Glas to make the deal happen. Within a week I had the Elan, and he was
coming over to get the Glas. That was September 1985 and my Elan has
been part of the family ever since...actually it's my oldest child,
beating out my oldest son Jake (who just got his drivers learner's
permit) by some 3-1/2 years. I've put some 30,000 miles on it
I can't imagine ever letting it go-with all it's faults (and mine
certainly has some), I am constantly amazed by the pleasure it brings to
go to redline in 2nd and toast motorcycles on Pacific Coast Highway
(which I did earlier today!)
I've saved all of your emails, and have truly enjoyed these glimpses
into all of your lives. The bonding with Dad stories are the toughest.
My Dad and I worked a whole weekend changing a donut on my BMW 1600..but
we did it together. I lost him a year and a half ago, and one of my
regrets is never letting him drive the Elan. He asked me once, and I
said no.

Cheers,
David
69 S4 DHC
license plate "FUN ELAN"

FYI - My Glas buyer actually got that car running and drove it away from
my house - much to my chagrin and also against my recommendation. Years
later he came up to me at Brit car meet recognizing his inventory
reduction and my pride and joy. He told me the Glas decided to throw
it's timing chain before he reached his destination a few miles away
from my house.
Best darn trade I ever made!

[elj221c]

I really wanted a +2 after having read the new release story in
a '68 copy of Car magazine. (I still have the mag) I became involved
in race day help with a work mate who ran a Modsport Sprite. In his
lockup was a friends ex Ian Walker rally 26R which became the first
Elan I worked on. It had caught fire on the road and was later bought
by my mate to convert to track use to replace the Sprite.
We used to break MGBs to fund his racing and also maintained cars.
I remember fettling a 7 for a friends trip to the south of France.
Brave man! That was the first Lotus I drove. Great handling.
My mate retired from racing in order to start a garage business in
Devon. He recomended me to a friend who was running a 23B in HSCC
races who was looking for race day help. The championship included a
class for Elans and Marcos and such like. The Rochas sponsored Elans
were very quick at the time. I think this was about the time I was
being persuaded away from a +2. My race mans wife had one which
wasn't terribly reliable!
Not long after, another friend moved, his new neighbour having
a 'tweaked' S2 which he was about to sell. He was in a rush for the
money (taxman?!)so I got what I consider a good buy. 26R style front,
nicely flared arches at the back and a mix of Cosworth and BRM parts
in the engine.
While still helping the 23 man, I became involved more with Elan
people who used to come begging bits off my road car at races in
order to keep their race cars going! One of them ran the car that
Tony Thompson started his Elan career in. The ex Ian Walker car ended
up in Malcolm Rickets Lotus stable.
My 23 man moved on so I stayed with the Elan people, one of whom
subsequently graduated to a 23 as well. That was the last race Lotus
with which I was involved. I have helped this last person, on and
off, with a succesion of cars, Martin, Daren, Coldwell, Brabham, Lola
and more Elans.
I still have my S2 although it has been off the road now for nearly
15 years after it was stolen and recovered with a broken engine. I
aquired a family in between which caused the delay in restoration. I
have recently rebuilt the engine and I hope to have the car back on
the road for its 40th birthday in March 2005.

Roy
'65 S2

[rgwitherell]

Tony

You certainly can use my contribution. I guess I had assumed that
any message posted was in the public domain and could be copied by
anyone, but I see the group regulations restrict access to memebers.

However since all messages are automatically copied to the e-scibe
web site
(),
they are available to anyone and are in effect in the public domain.

To help you I have copied the first 39 messages in the "catch-the-
bug" thread to the Files section under the title "Catch-the-bug" in
MS Word format. I edited out the duplications and I will add others
as they become available. I will leave it to you or Jeff as to
whether it can be distributed beyond the list.

Bob Witherell
26/4912


--- In ***@***.***, "Tony Vaccaro" <tvacc@l...> wrote:

[freddy22112211]

I guess this is not really about how I got hooked on Lotus (caught
the bug) - because it was not exactly hard to covet the unbelievably
fascinating Elan in the 60s in GB - there were of course quite a few
around. For me there wasn't ever any question about it - it was as
though I knew it would be automatic for me to have one (from birth?
destiny?). The following may however explain how the 'bug' managed to
get ever deeper into my system.
I did most of my studying with a picture of the front of an Elan on
my pin board over the desk - I can't remember if it was an ad, but
the front was sort of enlarged due to wide angle lens/foreshortening
or something, and the air inlet dominated the picture. Would like to
see the picture again - lost it somewhere along the line. My first
Elan (Mk3 VHJ 100E) was bought at the London Sports Car Centre, with
the salesman demonstrating it by going all the way around a
roundabout (twice) in London, sideways. I can, 34 years later, still
remember the sensations involved driving home with the car.
One memorable journey in the car was driving back to GB from Greece
(in one go), holding it in gear to stop it jumping out. This wasn't,
however, particularly tiring, and with your legs out nice and
straight (compared to most other cars of the day) the drive was no
problem.
Later, living in Germany, I bought a LHD 5 gear Sprint which I have
had for 28 years and has just got Historic number plates (>30 years
old).
Two journeys really stand out - Chur to Zermatt in Switzerland over
the passes (Oberalp, Furka) - this was before they widened the road
in many places and destroyed a lot of the fabulous corners. It's not
the same nowadays because cars are faster and there is much more
traffic, but back then most other drivers didn't hardly notice you
passing as it happened so fast. I have done this journey several
times.
And the other trip was from the Montlerey race track near Paris,
France across country back to Germany. This one was also
unbelievable - I had intended to camp for the night before driving
home, but as it was mid summer, and light until 10, drove several
hours before stopping. If you know the roads in central France (then)
you probably have some idea of the sensations involved: 1. Not
driving in the normal sense because the car does that straight from
your brain waves. 2. Going past the occasional vehicle as if they
were on another planet, not even in your frame of reference. 3. The
way the car just sinks into turns, very similar to skiing perhaps.
The following day I had to put new brushes in the dynamo at the road
side!
I tried to sell the car several times (but not very hard!), - it
seems to be very hard to part with it.
Gordon Nudd

In ***@***.***, "hkhamai" <khamai@t...> wrote: