Team Lotus 60 years ago.

[trw99]

Bill

Further addtional info here: http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=93932

Tim

[billwill]

Right... Now all is clear, I went to the site of the former Lotus Works in Hornsey yesterday.

Stan Chapman's former Railway Hotel is now an asian (?) restaurant and Funky Brownz bar.
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/clubs_bars/venue-7075.php
Evidently it did not last long as a pub called The Wishing Well.

The white square that you can just see on the side of the Jewson's building in the Google Street photos is indeed the Colin Chapman memorial plaque.

I took lots of photos and will post them here when I've twiddled their sizes etc.

There is no evidence at all of any plan to convert the site to a Lotus Museum.

[billwill]

OK, here are the photos of the current state of the buildings that used to be the Lotus Works in Hornsea.

Lotus Front Office

Rear of Lotus Front Office

Colin Chapman plaque on front office

Colin Chapman memorial Plaque detail

North side of the original main building, the stables (?)

South side of the original main building, the stables (?)

The Building nearest the Railway (part1)

The Building nearest the Railway (part2)

The Building nearest the Railway viewed from within Jewson's yard.

[billwill]

The former hotel belonging to Colin Chapman's father Stan Chapman.

The Funky Brownz bar, formerly Stan Chapman's "Railway Hotel" {or possibly "Railway Arms Hotel"}.

This is two photos 'stitched' together.

[billwill]

Following up on this theme, does anyone know the exact location of the Cheshunt factory?

Last time I went to Cheshunt I found myself on a ring of roundabouts with to exit from them.

[richardcox_lotus]

It's next door to (and dwarfed by) Tesco's head office - it's now a gym I believe. There is another thread in autosports TNF forum that has some pics about 2 years ago.

Can't look them up just yet - but do a search for cheshunt.

Regards
Richard

[billwill]

There is indeed a place called Monster Gym next to Tescos in Delamere Rd, Cheshunt.

Is this the former Lotus Works?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Delamar ... 85.28,,0,0

[SimonH]

I dont have it to hand to check but I think thats the place they show in the book I have of the Lotus factory for that era.

The building with the blue panels next door has the Lotus sign on it I think, along with the security guards hut.

Simon

[ardee_selby]

There is indeed a place called Monster Gym

"Monster Gym"? Max Bygraves springs to mind...as in "Fings ain't what they used t'be"

However, have found another couple of pics.

Is that a rotoflex type coupling on the output shaft? Looks like it and no torque wrench in sight...

Cheers - Richard

[ardee_selby]

Can't find anything on here...but what do we know about current state of the Lotus Works in Edmonton, North London?

Bill? Anyone?

[billwill]

Was there a Lotus Works in Edmonton? When was that?

[ardee_selby]

Was there a Lotus Works in Edmonton? When was that?

"The new Lotus Elite was still on the drawing board then and Ron (Hickman) was ostensibly employed as a production engineer but at Lotus, who were still at the small Edmonton works"

Ref: http://www.motormarques.com/london-desk ... rth-update

"Lotus, Williams & Pritchard and the Progress Chassis Company were all situated within a stones throw of each other in Edmonton, North London"

Ref: http://www.lotuseleven.co.uk/#/williams ... 4543557353

[billwill]

I suspect that that article was just a badly researched piece of writing by Carol Corliss , she probably meant the Hornsea works on Tottenham Lane; it's not very far from Edmonton.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&sourc ... =UTF8&z=13

We know that Progress Chassis Company was in the street opposite the Tottenham Lane works.

Something else she wrote: "Fabulous road holding along with the Ford twin cam tuned engine"

[RogerFrench]

The top picture of ardee_selby's post is of a coil-ignition Austin Seven engine and 3-speed gearbox, with the standard fabric coupling that forms the front propshaft u/j of these devices.
Almost certainly not part of any Lotus, but possibly a customer job or even a rebuild of one of the several Sevens that the Lotus crew had at that time.

[Elanintheforest]

Up to and including the Mk 3 Lotus they all had Austin Seven engines. When I say all, it's not on a mass produced scale!

Mark