First post from a newbie

[Lola T250]

Lotus Europa Fans

First post from a newbie

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to the person or persons responsible for putting up this website.  It is so nice to not have to search through a plethora of non relevant information on a multitude of different cars (common to other forums) to find something related to the car I am interested in learning more about.  And that car of course is the Lotus Europa.  I would also like to thank those of you that post on the forum.  When you are in your online discussions I am learning,  and often times it is from the one who has turned the wrench. 

I'd like to see if in some small way I can contribute to the growth of this forum.  My attempt will be to see if I can convince at least one other enthusiast or owner to join into the discussions that has never posted on this site before.  To increase the odds of success,  I'd  ask that if you have ever posted on this site,  DO NOT respond to my first question until another affectionado who has never posted takes the first stab at answering it for me. 

First question from the newbie:  On a Lotus Type 47, I see what looks like NACA ducts just below what looks like a fuel cap.  Are these ducts for brake coolers, oil coolers, ram air for the carbs, fresh air for the cockpit, none of these, all of these, a combination of things or are they just for looks?

Thanks again to all that have contributed to this site.

Ron
Lola Driver
Maryland, USA

[EuropaTC]

Hello Ron, and welcome to the forum. 

I'll respect your request and avoid answering, but just be friendly, say "hi" and immediately wander off topic.....   "Lola" eh ? now is that a car or someone the Kinks once sang about  ? 

(hmmm, that does show my age.....)

Brian

[Lola T250]

Brian,

Thank you for the welcome.   My Lola is a car but it is fun to drive it into the kinks.  It is the first car that Mr. John Barnard designed (serial #1).   If you see him tell him I haven't rolled it into a little ball yet and that I concur with his assessment, the learning curve is quite frightening. 

Back to Lotus.  While we diligently wait for someone new to attempt to answer my question about the NACA ducts, I was wondering if you or anyone else knows the answer to this one.  It is my understanding that Mr. Jim Clark and  Mr. Colin Chapman were both pilots.  If this is true, I can only imagine that they probably chatted about flying between themselves and wonder if one might have influenced the other about learning to fly.  So my question is, if they were both pilots, which one of them obtained their licence to fly an airplane first?   Please excuse, and inform me if I have posted this question in the wrong section or should have started a new thread as I am a newbie.  But as a Lotus Europa affectionado, it is something else that I have wondered about. 

Ron

[Bainford]

Welcome to the forum, Ron. I too will refrain from answering your questions, though truthfully I don't actually know the answers. I'd be interested to know. Cheers

[Lola T250]

Mr. Bainford,

Thank you for the welcome.  I enjoy your posts and would agree with the others, keep your Europa the same color.  Thanks for playing along and not answering the NACA duct question while I await a response to it from a new contributor.

Back to Lotus.  I have never driven a Europa and would like some clarification on a  gearbox question.  Hypothetically speaking, a Twin Cam is playing the symphony whilst the driver ballets upon the petals.  At 3800 RPM the driver gets lost in the music.  In this distracted state and lacking any precision he points the baton at the percussion section.  In response to his action, he immediately hears a terrible grinding noise emanating from the rear of the car.  My question is this, how many times will a typical Europa driver in this situation continue to point the baton at the percussion section before he attempts to change his dance step and double clutch?  And if the driver double clutches a Europa, will it have any bearing on resolving the disruption of the music?

Ron

[3929R]

Hello and 
My percussion section stopped its grinding when I fixed my shift linkage, no double clutching needed.  Before I removed all the slop from the shift linkage, double clutching would not have diminished the grinding, nor helped me find 5th gear.  (In addition to new bushings and such that I've described in other posts, my car's original owner made a couple of mods where the linkage enters the gear box).

Mark

[Bainford]

Hahaha... well I find that double clutching the downshifts is the order of the day. I have, however, experienced the terrible grinding when (unintentionally, of coarse) trying to engage reverse during a downshift. I believe some other Europa drivers have experienced this as well, and it can happen on any 3-2 or a 5-4 downshift if one is not diligent. It's the worst sound you will ever hear. How many times will a Europa driver do this, you ask. Well, I've done it more than once, which is far too many times. ...I don't want to hear it again.

[cal44]

Welcome Ron.  Always nice to have fresh flesh................
You'll find little confusion here as to sections, Joe has it pretty straight forward. 

As to your question on the pilots license.  Try Elan.net, some of the boys are reeeeel smart on those topics.
Mike

[katanaman]

   Hi, Ron.  I used to own a blue and white Cessna 150.  Colin Chapman's black twin was a statement!  Besides advertising his sponsor, though, it occurs to me that a black airplane aloft would be very easy to spot, and a lot wiser than stealth colors like mine.  Didn't know that either Chapman or Clark was a pilot though...  I was lucky to be able to travel to Germany in 1989, and I was able to see the site, at Hockenheim, of Mr. Clark's demise.  Sad.  And, I also saw, on the autobahn near Frankfort, the site of the crash that took famous racer (and pilot) Bernt Rosemeyer's life so long ago.  Didn't know about either when I was there, but found out afterwards.  My brother has a Lola T-342 and it has been a lot of fun watching him deal with "adjustments" on the circuits with it, and seeing him restore it over the years.  If you have read any of my previous ramblings here, you'll see that if I had any money, I would be wise to hire the people who help him prepare his Lola for racing, to fix the stuff I insist someday I'll fix myself!!  I can't wait to see the answers to your questions!!                                            Dan

[Lola T250]

Mark, Mike, Dan

Thank you all for welcoming me to the forum.

FYI,  I can't join the forum that was suggested to find the answer on who was the first pilot.  It has been my practice to limit myself to join only one web forum in any given century and I used up my quota this week.  However, last night I did some on line research.  After looking through a lot of info, I ended up using two sources for information and have drawn my own conclusion.  If they are accurate, Mr Chapman was born in 1928 and was a pilot by the time he was 20. The other article stated that Mr Clark was born in 1936 and indicated that he too was a pilot.   I will try to send the links to the administrator today for his review and consideration for posting.

I concur, Lotus Joe has done a great job on this forum. And so have all the rest of you that have contributed with your photos, comments and status reports of your Europas.

To those that have never posted a comment on this forum before,  I still don't know the answer to my NACA duct question.  I am diligently waiting for you to respond to it so the regulars on this forum can chime in.  Even if you don't know the answer, take a chance and post what you think the most unlikely option that I suggested is for a NACA duct on a Lotus Type 47 race car and that too will qualify.

Thanks,

Ron

[cal44]

O.K I'll bite.   Here are some pictures of the real McCoy locally.  I'm thinking intake and not brake, as brake would be lower on the body?  Considering the angle, or swept up installation of the intake, that would have determined by tunnel testing/air flow ribbons.  Or, somehow to draw air out of the cabin in an attempt to vent the poor driver?
Mike
http://www.grandprixclassics.com/FactSheets/1967_Lotus_47GT_60_photos.html

[EuropaTC]

that's one gorgeous car, isn't it Mike ?

Anyway, I just know you're wrong on the ducts, clearly it's a safety feature that was way ahead of it's time.

The duct lets air pressure build up in the engine bay. As the car goes faster & faster it reaches a point at which the brakes would no longer work and the driver enters a danger zone so the air pressure raises the rear wheels off the ground & the car slows down.

See ?  Obvious really....


Ok, I haven't a clue. they don't seem to feed anywhere from what I can see.

[Bainford]

Wow! That is one gorgeous 47. I might have to build a model of that one.

[cal44]

I think I'm looking at this all wrong.  Not intake......but vent.  Perhaps to vent pressure from somewhere or draw/vacuum ? 
oh' hell.......I just used up my last brain wave...........

I do like Brians answer about wheels off the ground.

[LotusJoe]

I did find in a comment in Wiki that the ducts were added to increase airflow cooling to the engine compartment 

I'm also pretty certain that this is a Banks type 47