Leigh Greenham

Here's an 'Essex Random Image' I hadn't seen until last month, the paddock behind the Team Essex Lotus garage at the 1980 British GP at Brands Hatch, copyright GrandPrixPhotos.com . Colin Chapman and Elio de Angelis can be spotted, and just creeping into the bottom left of the picture is what I thought might be the bonnet of my car, Essex blue paint with a silver coachline. So I enlarged it, then took a photo of my Elite on my driveway from approx the same height and angle, and I'm convinced! I contacted the photo owner who checked the original in case it had been cropped, but it hadn't.

Thanks Martin, that is a more recent photo, I have parked the car behind the 'Silverstone Six' grandstand on several occasions when I have been a volunteer 'Race Maker' at the Classic. In 2016 it was spotted by visitor Russell Carr who took loads of pics and then sat in the car and chatted for a few minutes. I like to think he was getting inspiration for the Evija and Emira design projects, perhaps in a few years we'll see a tribute edition with red leather interior, Essex blue paint with red & silver body stripes!

Thanks Neil, Motorsport Images have 7 pictures of my Elite from Hockenheim in 1980 with 3 of them featuring ACBC, 1 in colour. I visited their Towcester archive back in 2003 when it was Sutton Motorsport Images, before they had an online archive. I managed to find the 7 pics and had them scanned and burnt on a CD-ROM which I bought just for my personal use. They retain the copyright for all the images, which can't be used for commercial purposes without their permission. I also visited the LAT archive in Middlesex where I unearthed 2 colour pics of my Elite in the Monaco harbourside paddock at the 1980 GP, and one with Mario Andretti and David Thieme sitting near the car at the Spanish GP. And I have found a potential source of pics of the Lotus paddock at the British GP at Brands Hatch which I believe have my car in the foreground - investigation ongoing!

I have been in touch with motorsport broadcaster and commentator Andrew Marriott whose PR company was commissioned by Team Essex Lotus to organise the Royal Albert Hall events in 1980 & 81. He has found some memorabilia in his attic including the two Programmes which are now difficult to find. He is willing to part with it for a package price of £100 inc p&p, paid by Paypal. If interested please contact him directly at [email protected] . List and pictures below. Leigh Media racecard and press release envelope. Press release about Mario going to Indy in Essex colours and photo. The two different magazines we produced for Essex Photos of support vehicles A4 brochure on Essex Commemorative Esprit Turbo brochure. Some damage left hand top corner.

Here's my Elite on the 'Alpine' section at Millbrook, fantastic when you get to know it.

I successfully changed my 1980 Elite's tax status to Historic at my local village Post Office instantly on 1st April this year, and with no fuss. The counter staff lady wrote on the V5C, I signed it, she sent it away and gave me a till receipt showing the car now being taxed from 1/4/21 for 12 months at a cost of £0. She followed the instructions on her computer screen and didn't need to see my insurance or MoT proof, I assume the PO is linked into the DVLA database and wouldn't let her proceed if either was out of date. As soon as I got home I checked the DVLA website which correctly showed the car as being taxed for the next 12 months. Two weeks ago my new V5C came through the post (all details correct) and this week I got a DVLA cheque refund for the two months of unused tax (£45). I would say that the service from the PO and DVLA was excellent all round, Covid or not, perhaps I am very lucky with the competence of my local Post Office counter ladies. I had even driven the Lotus there to record the event for my archive! Leigh

I've not seen this model before, available at IXO 1:43 1980 Volvo F89, Essex Race Transporter, Lotus F1 Team Race Car Carrier | eBay

Not quite right, as a 55W bulb is rated at that power when fed from a 12V supply, but the lights will only be used with the engine running and the working voltage will more likely be 14.2V if the alternator is good. So if the bulb has a nominal hot resistance of 2.6 Ohms, the current drawn is more likely to be 5.5 Amps per bulb. I have fitted LED bulbs to my original Lucas lamps, more light for under half the current!

Last seen together in 1981 at the same circuit

Hi Ian, My Elite S2.2 was ordered by the F1 team and painted and trimmed in the colours of the two main F1 sponsors for 1980, Essex Petroleum and Tissot. So it mimics the Essex Esprit Turbo's colour scheme of dark blue paint with full red leather interior, but with a less obvious red/silver stripe near the sills and small Essex logos on the doors and Tissot on the rear window. It was rushed through the factory in time to be on the ferry to Belgium for the GP there, then a fortnight later it was in Monaco, then Spain, Germany, Netherlands etc. A driver took it to the circuits so it could be used by the drivers and ACBC when they arrived. The factory archivist provided me with some of the car's early documentation, but Clive Chapman found a folder of ferry tickets, insurance cover notes, service requests and a hand-written insurance statement when the driver touched another car with the door mirror in San Remo two days after the 1980 Monaco GP. Over the years I have owned the car (23) I have visited some motorsport photo archives and found some fantastic photos of the car in the GP paddocks, here are a few from Monaco and Hockenheim. Lotus sold the car in 1981 after the Essex Petroleum sponsorship deal fell apart and they went back to JPS. I think you may be correct about the factory having been issued a batch of reg numbers including a series of LCL prefixes, so perhaps they held back the LCL numbers for cars that would be used by Lotus Cars Ltd staff? Copy of Copy of Monaco.tif

Hi Ian, my Essex Elite was registered LCL 852V on 25 April 1980 and has chassis number ending 1689. Being the Team Lotus F1 team car, it was in Belgium for the Grand Prix on 4 May 1980, although the Lotus archive says it "left the production line on 8 May 1980"! The archivist states "the first S2.2 Elite was 1637A" which agrees with Duncan's post. I have physically seen LCL 853V (S2.2 Elite) and LCL 854V (Esprit).

....and here's that Essex Sunbeam in the background of this pic of the 1980 Monaco GP paddock, with my Essex Elite and an Essex Mini.

Hi Mark, that was me on my way to the Silverstone Experience Museum where I am a volunteer. If I had set out a few minutes earlier we could have had a nice convoy going, whereas just when I caught up with your Challenger you disappeared off the M40 onto the Bicester sliproad! The Museum car park is often an interesting place! Leigh South Oxfordshire

You might recognise the car on slide 11 https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/enthusiasts/who-says-estate-cars-arent-sexy/ss-BB116u2d?ocid=spartandhp Leigh

Just a reminder about this request, I've not had any responses from any owners, and my email to the regional Autobahnstormers person went unanswered. I was particularly hoping to track down the estate version that attended the Lotus 70th at Hethel in 2018, as my uncle was very intrigued when I told him about it. Any ideas welcomed.