Description
In 1963 Jim Clark set records with a slim green Formula 1 Lotus-Climax that have never been bettered. He won seven of that season's ten Grands Prix and took the World Championship. And he won all those 1963 races in one chassis - the monocoque Lotus 25 R4. In this fascinating study of a golden era, Eoin Young draws on a number of original interviews with Jim Clark and Colin Chapman to describe both the remarkable relationship between these two men, as legendary driver and brilliant designer/team boss, and also the perfect union between Clark and R4. There are insights too from key team personnel including Lotus chief mechanic, Dick Scammell, and Clark's mechanic, Allan McCall, and recollections from the doyen of motor racing writers, Denis Jenkinson, who wrote that 'the combination of Clark and Lotus-Climax are such that it is a joy to watch - a perfect performance'. The book celebrates this perfection, the well-researched text being supported by a wealth of period photographs, including a variety of fabulous colour images. Young then follows the story of R4 as it is sold on down the food chain. In 1964 it was bought by the Parnell team, fitted with a BRM V8 engine and raced by various drivers including Mike Hailwood, Innes Ireland, Piers Courage, Richard Attwood and Chris Amon.
When R4 was pensioned-off from Formula 1, it was bought by Peter Yock in New Zealand, then sold on to Peter Hughes, who fitted a Daimler V8 and eventually a Ford twin-cam I .5-litre engine, for campaigning locally. It seemed that the Lotus might end its days in a scrapyard - until John Dawson-Damer stepped in. This British ex-pat engineer, living in Australia, had a collection of Fl Lotuses and, when he heard that the remains of R4 might be for sale, the hunt was on. He found the monocoque in the customs pound in Sydney, awaiting auction to cover unpaid duties, and the remains of the car were rusting in an Auckland garage. Dawson-Damer embarked on a painstaking restoration and returned R4 to its pristine glory, demonstrating it with justifiable pride at international historic events. The wheel of Lotus 25 R4 had turned full circle.
Eoin Young, long-time Autocar columnist, has been friends with some of the greatest drivers the world has ever known, including Jim Clark. His previous books for Haynes IA-ere It Beats Working and Forza Amon!
