VIN: the Innes Ireland / Tom Threlfall Lotus Type 14 Elite chassis 1182
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS 1182
Chassis 1182 was originally gifted to Team Lotus driver, Innes Ireland, as a perk of his 1960 contract.
Ireland first raced for Team Lotus in 1957 and continued with the outfit until 1961.
As a youngster, Ireland trained as an engineer with Rolls-Royce, after which he joined the King’s Own Scottish Borderers with whom he served in the Parachute Regiment.
When his National Service was complete, Ireland took up motor racing, initially with a pre-war Riley Brooklands. Despite the Riley’s outdated specification, Ireland was clearly a natural behind the wheel. For 1955, he moved up to a new Lotus Eleven which he prepared himself.
After a couple of strong seasons, Ireland got more serious in 1957; he ran a much-expanded campaign and picked up wins at Goodwood, Brands Hatch and Silverstone. On the back of these performances, Ireland caught the attention of Colin Chapman who recruited him to drive for Team Lotus.
With better quality machinery at his disposal, in 1958 Ireland had his best season yet. In addition to outings for Team Lotus, he also drove for Ecurie Ecosse.
Ireland continued with Team Lotus for 1959, 1960 and 1961, during which time he most notably won the United States Grand Prix and a quintet of non-championship F1 races.
Chassis 1182 was painted Moonstone White and fitted with a Stage One FWE engine. Ireland also requested a set of fitted luggage. The car was registered 6572 AR in April 1960 and Ireland retained the handsome little car for about a year.
In early 1961, chassis 1182 was sold to amateur driver, Tom Threlfall, who had purchased a Lotus Eleven from Ireland a couple of years earlier. As part of this latest deal, Threlfall’s tuned Mini Cooper S was included as part of the deal.
Tom Threlfall had started racing with an MGA in 1958. Later that year he moved on to the aforementioned Lotus Eleven which he won with first time out at Brands. Threlfall continued to race the Eleven throughout 1959 and ‘60, after which he moved on to the Elite.
The white Lotus frequently appeared under the Farnborough Racing Enterprise banner. Threlfall initially had the engine prepared to Stage 3 tune. Later he switched the car to a side-exiting exhaust, uprated the suspension and added a NACA hood duct along with long-range fuel tanks.
Between 1961 and 1963, Threlfall picked up a number of good results and raced 1182 at some of the most famous European circuits. His most notable performances included third at the 1961 Spa GP for cars up to 1.3-litres, ninth overall and second in class at the 1962 Silverstone Martini 100 and 14th overall (fourth in class) at the 1963 Goodwood Tourist Trophy World Sportscar Championship event.
Chassis 1182 was retired from frontline competition at the end of the 1963 season when Threlfall got married.
It subsequently went through the hands of several more UK owners prior to undergoing a major restoration in the 2010s.
Notable History
04/1960 registered 6572 AR
Gifted by Team Lotus to Innes Ireland, Surrey
Sold to Tom Threlfall (Farnborough Racing Enterprise)
Partial competition results
16/04/1961 IND Brussels GP, Heysel (T. Threlfall) 9th oa (#32)
14/05/1961 IND Spa GP (T. Threlfall) 3rd oa, 3rd GT1.3 class (#??)
20/08/1961 IND Snetterton Autosport Trophy (T. Threlfall) 2nd oa, 2nd GT1.3 class (#??)
24/09/1961 IND Charterhall (T. Threlfall) 3rd oa, 3rd GT1.3 class (#77)
12/07/1962 IND Silverstone Martini 100 (T. Threlfall) 9th oa, 2nd GT2.0 class (#??)
18/08/1962 WSC Goodwood Tourist Trophy (T. Threlfall / D. Addicott) 15th oa, 9th GT2.0 class (#29)
08/09/1962 IND Castle Combe (T. Threlfall) ran (#??)
15/04/1963 IND Goodwood Sussex Trophy (T. Threlfall) DNF (#61)
11/05/1963 IND Silverstone International Trophy (T. Threlfall) 10th oa, 4th GT1.6 class (#22)
20/07/1963 IND British GP Support Race, Silverstone (T. Threlfall) DNQ (#32)
24/08/1963 WSC Goodwood Tourist Trophy (T. Threlfall) 14th oa, 4th GT2.0 class (#32)
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lotus - https://www.lotuscars.com & unattributed
Chassis 10859 was one of three Esprit Turbo development prototypes built ahead of a small series of pre-production examples. Shortly before the new model was launched, Lotus signed the Essex…
Owing to their exceedingly competitive nature and accessible price, most Lotus Elevens were raced long and hard during their formative years and in their second life got heavily modified for historic…
In 1962, the North American Automobile Manufacturers Association lifted its ban on US car builders having any motor sport involvement. Imposed during 1957 as a response to the 1955 Le Mans…
Following the untimely death of Colin Chapman in December 1982, Lotus recruited ex-Matra and Ligier designer Gerard Ducarouge to create a new line of F1 cars. Ducarouge arrived at a team in…
Between 1957 and 1963, Lotus lost money on every Type 14 Elite they sold. Instead of a conventional separate body and chassis, the Elite was built around an advanced monocoque made from glass…
Having shown much promise, initially in Touring Cars and then Formula Junior, Jochen Rindt was soon able to turn professional. The 1965 season saw Rindt drive for Cooper in F1 and win Le Mans…
While some of its contemporaries have ballooned in value over the last 20 years, the Type 14 Lotus Elite still remains relatively accessible. With its perfectly proportioned bodywork, state-of-art…
In addition to his two Drivers’ titles and 25 wins from 72 World Championship Formula 1 starts, Jim Clark’s remarkable career saw him collect an additional 19 non-championship F1 victories, a win at…
Having already released a couple of super hardcore Sport-badged variants since the Elise had gone into production during mid 1996, Lotus unveiled a souped-up mainstream iteration dubbed the Elise…
Although in later years the Turbo generally stole all the headlines when it came anything Esprit, the normally aspirated variants with their fizzy engines and lightweight mid-engined delicacy were…
Like other late 20th century automotive icons such as the Porsche 911, Lamborghini Countach and Aston Martin V8, the Lotus Esprit was good enough to warrant a remarkably long production run – in…
Other than Porsche’s 911, few cars can rival the Lotus Esprit for the longevity of its styling. Originally penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro and subsequently updated by the Ital Design chief for the Turbo…
When it came to in-house-built high performance Saloon cars, BMW’s Motorsport division had the sector pretty much sewn up throughout the 1980s. However, when General Motors acquired Lotus in…
Lotus created the Type 62 for a works campaign in the 1969 two-litre Group 6 Prototype class. Two chassis were built and they appeared in the same Gold Leaf colours as the Team Lotus F1 cars. Using…
Conceived as a more compact replacement for previous models like the Mk9 and Mk10, the Lotus Eleven went on to become arguably the most successful small displacement sports racing car of its…
Once a couple of early production issues had been sorted, the critically acclaimed Type 26 Elan swelled the coffers at Lotus. Two years after launch, and with around 800 units completed, an S2…
In 1967, Lotus main dealer Mike Spence Ltd. created the Elan BRM special edition which most notably offered a tuned engine and unique colour scheme. At the time, Mike Spence was in his…
Having studied structural engineering at University College London, Colin Chapman left higher education without a degree in 1948. He subsequently went on to do a brief stint with the Royal Air…
Having set the world of motor racing alight with a line of immensely successful sports cars, Lotus introduced the state-of-art Type 14 Elite at the London Motor Show in October 1957. Based around…
Having been launched in 172bhp normally aspirated and 215bhp turbocharged trim during late 1987, Lotus added a range-topping version of their restyled X180 Esprit in May 1989. The resultant…
In the year 2000, Lotus Sport arranged a one-make racing series for specially prepared versions of the Elise that were supplied, maintained, set-up and transported by the factory. A grid of over 20…
By the darn of the new millennium, Lotus were offering three different variations of the critically acclaimed Elise. There was the entry level 118bhp version launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in…
Lotus introduced the Mk9 in March 1955 as more advanced version of the existing Mk8 complete with a smaller engine to contest the under 1100cc class. With its stubby low-line body and dramatic…
Lotus decided on a more back-to-basics approach for their successor to the Elite which had been based around a state-of-the-art fibreglass monocoque. The resultant Elan debuted at the London…
Lotus launched their heavily revised new turbocharged Esprit at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980. Initially the forced induction Esprit was available exclusively in Essex Commemorative trim to…
Although company founder Colin Chapman had attempted to move Lotus further upmarket during the 1970s, his “simplify, then add lightness” philosophy was still evident in models like the Esprit…
Chassis 6114 was a Type 45 Elan S3 DHC supplied new to Associated British Productions in Teddington, London. It was the second Elan destined for use in the popular TV show, The Avengers…
Chassis 26/4143 was an Elan S2 ordered by Jack Gordon of New Providence in the Bahamas. Gordon purchased the car to contest the Nassau Speed Week races in which he had previously run an…
Launched at the London Motor Show in October 1962, the Type 26 Elan was conceived to replace the Type 14 Lotus Elite which had most famously incorporated a state-of-the-art fibreglass monocoque…
Of all the Esprits built between 1976 and 2004, the Sport 300 ranks as arguably the most highly regarded. Conceived as a road-going derivative of the 1992 IMSA Supercar Championship-winning…