1957 Lotus Eleven

These three cars all took part in the 1950s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1999.

The number 34 is John Gray's 1957 Lotus Eleven, about 270 of which were built by the Lotus Company between 1956 and 1958. The Lotus Eleven was built with a variety of engines of different sizes from 750cc to 1500cc, and the programme of the event shows John Gray's car to have a 1,460cc engine. Number 60 is 1959 Aston Martin DBR1, chassis DBR1/4, of Simon Draper with the 6-cylinder inline 2,992cc engine and number 61 is the 1956 Aston Martin DB3S of John Romano which should also have the Lagonda 2,992cc engine, though the programme of the event says that the engine size is 2,800cc. It appears to be chassis DB3S/113.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph that I took at Luffield Corner during the HGPCA Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

The yellow car is the 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC of David Cottingham which has a twin overhead camshaft 4-cylinder inline 1,984cc engine derived from the 1953 Formula 2 unit designed by Aurelio Lampredi and a body designed and built by Scaglietti. The 500TRC was an updated version of the 500TR, the first to have the 'Testa Rossa' red camshaft covers, modified to comply with the 1957 Appendix C Regulations, and it was a 'customer' car, never being raced by Scuderia Ferrari. David Cottingham's car is chassis #0682MDTR that was first owned by Ecurie Nationale Belge (also known as Equipe National Belge) which was formed by a merger of Ecurie Belge and Ecurie Francorchamps. It finished in seventh place in the 1957 Le Mans 24 hour race in the hands of Lucien Bianchi and Georges Harris, winning the 2 litre class. The green car at the side of the Ferrari is a 1957 Lotus Eleven, probably that of Carol Spagg, while behind are the red 1954 Austin Healey 100M of Bill Clegg and the 1952 Jaguar C-Type of Hugh Taylor.

1957 Lotus Eleven

This was one of the competitors in the Louis Vuitton 50s Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

It's Peter Austin's 1957 Lotus Eleven, about 270 of which were built by the Lotus Company between 1956 and 1958. The Lotus Eleven was built with a variety of engines of different sizes from 750cc to 1500cc, and the programme of the event shows Peter Austin's car to have a 1,460cc engine.

1956 Lotus Eleven

This was one of the competitors in the 50's Sports Car Race at theVintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 2006.

It's the 1956 Lotus Eleven of Malcolm Ricketts, which the programme of the event says has a 1,480cc engine. The Lotus Eleven was a completely new car, unlike the previous production Lotuses, the Mk VIII, Mk IX and Mk X which were all based on the Lotus Mk VI. The Eleven had a steel tubular space-frame with stressed aluminium panels, and the aerodynamic body was designed by Frank Costin and was hinged at both ends to give complete access to the engine and other mechanical parts. The car was mainly designed to run in the 1,100cc class of racing, but other engines of up to 2½ litres were also used.

1956 Lotus Eleven

This car competed in the BRDC Historic Sports Car Championship Race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2004.

It's the 1956 Lotus Eleven of Malcolm Ricketts, which the programme of the event says has a 1,500cc engine. The Lotus Eleven was a completely new car, unlike the previous production Lotuses, the Mk VIII, Mk IX and Mk X which were all based on the Lotus Mk VI. The Eleven had a steel tubular space-frame with stressed aluminium panels, and the aerodynamic body was designed by Frank Costin and was hinged at both ends to give complete access to the engine and other mechanical parts. The car was mainly designed to run in the 1,100cc class of racing, but other engines of up to 2½ litres were also used.

1958 Lotus Eleven

This was one of the competitors in the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's Peter Austin's 1958 Lotus Eleven, about 270 of which were built by the Lotus Company between 1956 and 1958. The Lotus Eleven was built with a variety of engines of different sizes from 750cc to 1500cc, and the programme of the event shows Peter Austin's car to have a 1,089cc engine. The red car at the side of the Lotus is Burkhard von Schenk's 1957 Maserati 300SI, and behind are the 1957 Jaguar D-Type of Sir Anthony Bamford (driven by Frank Sytner) and the 1957 Lotus Eleven of Malcolm Ricketts.

1956 Lotus Eleven

This car competed in the BRDC Historic Sports Car Championship Race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2003.

It's the 1956 Lotus Eleven of Neil Davies which the programme of the event says has a 1,480cc engine. The Lotus Eleven was designed by Colin Chapman and the aerodynamic body by Frank Costin and was intended to compete in the 1,100cc sports car class. A Lotus Eleven with a 1,098cc Coventry Climax engine driven by Reg Bicknell and Peter Jopp finished in seventh place in the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hour Race, winning the 1,100cc class. The Lotus Eleven was raced with various other engine sizes up to 1,500cc, and for the 1957 Le Mans 24 Hour Race Coventry Climax produced the 744cc FWC engine that enabled the Lotus Eleven of Cliff Allison and Keith Hall to win the 750cc class, and also the Index of Performance.

The car immediately behind the Lotus is the 1956 Cooper T39 Bobtail of Marshall Bailey that competed (with the number 19) in the Bonhams Drum Brake Sports Car Race. The number 6 car appears to be the 1955 Jaguar D-Type XKD505 that won the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hour Race driven by Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb, but the car isn't listed in any of the races in the programme of this event. Just visible on the right-hand side with the WEB 6 number plate is the 1950 Jaguar XK120 of Nigel Webb.

1965 Lotus 32B

This car took part in the Tasman & Intercontinental class of the HGPCA Pre '66 Rear Engined Grand Prix Cars race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2004.

It's the 2.4 litre 1965 Lotus 32B of Malcolm Ricketts. This car was a one-off derived from the 1 litre Lotus 32 that had been designed for Formula 2 racing in 1964, and was driven by Jim Clark in the 1965 New Zealand/Australia Tasman Series winning four out of the seven races and the Series Championship. Behind the Lotus 32B is another of Malcolm Ricketts' cars, a 1½ litre 1956 Lotus Eleven with which he competed in the BRDC Historic Sports Car Championship Race.

1958 Lister Jaguar

I took this photograph at Britten's chicane during the 50's Sports Car Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Boulogne and Hawthorn Trophies Race Meeting at Oulton Park in June 2006.

Leading is Stephen Gibson in his 1958 Lister Jaguar with Rupert Whyte in his 1958 Lotus Eleven behind him. Next is Barry Cannell in his 1956/57 Willment Climax followed by what may be Tim Llewellyn's 1956 Tojeiro Jaguar, and bringing up the rear is the 1955 Cooper T39 Bobtail of Adrian van der Kroft.

1956 Lotus Eleven

This car took part in the Historic Car Championship Race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1992.

It's the 1956 Lotus Eleven of Roger Biss pictured here in the paddock at what was possibly the wettest meeting I've ever attended. The Lotus Eleven was a completely new car, unlike the previous production Lotuses, the Mk VIII, Mk IX and Mk X which were all based on the Lotus Mk VI. The Eleven had a steel tubular space-frame with stressed aluminium panels, and the aerodynamic body was designed by Frank Costin and was hinged at both ends to give complete access to the engine and other mechanical parts. The car was mainly designed to run in the 1,100cc class of racing, but other engines of up to 2½ litres were also used. Roger Biss's car had a 1,098cc Coventry Climax FWA engine.

OSCA MT4

This car took part in the Drum Braked Cars class of the 1950s Sports Racing Cars race at the VSCC's Boulogne and Hawthorn Trophies Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 2005.

It's the 1953/58 OSCA MT4 of Tony Bailey, chassis #1126, and was built in 1953 with removable cycle wings so it could be used in both Formula 2 and Sportscar racing. It was rebuilt in its current form in 1959 and apparently had a 1,600cc Alfa Romeo engine fitted, which Historics Auctioneers said was still in the vehicle when it was put up for auction in 2014. The programme for this Oulton Park event, however, says that it has a 1,498cc engine.

Here's Tony Bailey at Britten's Chicane during the race leading the 1954 Frazer Nash Sebring of William Ainscough and the 1957 Lotus Eleven of John Gray.

Lotus Eleven

I photographed this car at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.

This Lotus Eleven was in the paddock, but it didn't compete at the meeting. The Lotus Eleven, with body designed by Frank Costin, was produced from 1956 to 1958 and was fitted with a variety of engines, chiefly the 1,098cc Coventry Climax FWA and the 1,172cc Ford 4-cylinder engines. Around 270 cars were built in that time. I don't have much information about this particular car except that it has, or at least at one time had, a Coventry Climax 1,460cc engine. The DVLA, incidentally, now has no record of the 47 KML number plate.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph taken at Luffield Corner during the Classic Car Sports Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1994.

Driving the leading car is Paul Alexander in Brandon Wang's 1954 Ferrari 750 Monza, chassis #0470MD. Behind it is the Jaguar D-Type of David Pennell and two Lotus Elevens, and on the far side of the circuit an Aston Martin DB3S leading two Jaguar C-Types.

Lotus Eleven

Two cars photographed at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2008 and both incorrectly listed in the programme of the event.

This one is shown in the programme as Rudolf Ernst's 1952 Lotus XI with a 1460cc engine, presumably the Coventry Climax unit, but this model was made from 1956 to 1958 and was always referred to as a Lotus Eleven. I think it's a 1957 model.

This is another Lotus Eleven, that of Ivan Dutton, but the programme calls it a Lotus 11 and says that it has an 1100cc engine, also presumably the Coventry Climax unit.

Here's Ivan Dutton at Lodge Corner during the Guards Trophy GTSR Race.

Lotus Eleven

I photographed this car at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in May 2001.

It's the 1956 Lotus Eleven driven in the 2¼ hour long Historic Motor Racing News Gentlemen Drivers GT & Sports Car Race by Robert Mills and Ian Montgomery. The Eleven is the only Lotus that has its marque number spelled out - earlier models were given Roman numerals (I to X), and later cars from the 12 onwards were just given simple numbers.