This is Nick Fennell's Lotus 38/7 as shown at the 2019 Festival of Speed at Goodwood. It was driven in the 1967 Indy "500" by Jim Clark. This was Clark's last appearance in the great race.
Jim Clark drove three separate Type 38s: Winning in 1965 with 38/1 (now in the Henry Ford Museum), finishing second in 1966 with 38/4 and then retiring with engine failure in 1967 with 38/7. The Lotus 38 was penned by Len Terry, being essentially a clean sheet design from the previous Lotus 34 which was a successor to the Lotus 29.
Lotus 38/7 was built in 1966 by Abbey Panels for Team Lotus. Originally run by Al Unser at the 1966 Indy 500 (#18 qualified 23rd, crashed in the race). It was rebuilt on a new chassis and retained by Team Lotus for Jim Clark at the 1967 Indy 500 (#31 qualified 16th, retired). This car, with 38/8, was part of a lawsuit in early 1968 after Chapman sold them to one party after Lotus's American Mid-West dealer Jim Spencer had already taken a check for them from somebody else. Spencer's client won the case and the two 38s ended up with a doctor in Indianapolis. At one time, 38/7 was owned by Chuck Haines (St Louis, MO). It ended up in a collection in Japan painted in the 1965 winning livery until the recent restoration that you see here.
I feel that this is a truly a great and influential racing car and it is delightful to see it presented so magnificently by its current owner.
Clark's 1967 Indy Lotus featured at Goodwood 2019
#1
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Posted 10 July 2019 - 07:07 AM
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Checkered Flag in Hand
Posted 10 July 2019 - 07:19 AM
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Posted 10 July 2019 - 11:03 AM
I think this might have been the last year for the severely "offset" suspension, clearly visible in the near head-on photo. Soon after, suspensions had to be, more-or-less, symmetric (within tolerance taking into account left-turn-only unique alignment shimming). Road course races were pretty rare back then but they did do it - Riverside and Continental Divide Raceway (here in CO, now long gone and grown over but would have been visible from the I-25 along the route we take from Denver to Pueblo to race Retro cars).
Very cool era!
Sorry about the nerf. "Sorry? Sorry? There's no apologizing in slot car racing!"
Besides, where would I even begin? I should probably start with my wife ...
"I don't often get very many "fast laps" but I very often get many laps quickly." ™
The only thing I know about slot cars is if I had a good time when I leave the building! I can count the times I didn't on one two three hands!
Former Home Track - Slot Car Speedway and Hobbies, Longmont, CO (now at Duffy's Raceway), Noteworthy for the 155' Hillclimb track featuring the THUNDER-DONUT - "Two men enter; one man leaves!"
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Posted 11 July 2019 - 08:18 AM
A friend sent me this photo of Clark in 38/7 at Indy.
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