Jochen Rindt?s Lotus Elan S4

PostPost by: clarko1230 » Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:50 pm

Hi all:

I am reseraching info about Rindt?s personal Elan S4
I found a photo of Colin Chapman giving him the keys of a brand new Lotus Elan S4
Plate is NVG 853H
Does anyone know the right colour of it and if it survives?
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PostPost by: elanfan1 » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:13 pm

On DVLA enquiry site there is no current record of the vehicle in the UK.
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PostPost by: trw99 » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:21 pm

clarko

Welcome. DVLA show the car as not registered with them. That means either that it was already laid up when they started computerising records in the mid 1970s; or that it was written off/scrapped; or, since it is a LHD S4, it may have disappeared to Austria (I assume) and be re-registered.

VG indicates that the car was first registered in Norwich, which would be right. H was the date letter for 1969/70. We know Rindt joined Lotus in 1969 for the start of that year's F1 season and died in September 1970. So chances are that this picture was taken in early 1969 and the S4 was part of Rindt's contract. I would have thought that he would have been given a +2 Elan, but perhaps that was what Graham Hill was tooling around in by then.

That's my best shot at it!

Just done a quick search and found a site which has a story that Chapman sent a brand new +2 to Monza the weekend of Rindt's fatal accident. However, it apparently got damaged in transit, was repaired at Ian Walker's garage and then sent on it's way to Italy, to be presented to Jochen once he had won the World Championship. Wonder what happened to that car too?

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PostPost by: JTP » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:54 pm

Photo is almost certainly taken at Hockenhiem, so August 70. Can't find my Theme Lotus at the moment, but the other possibility is F2 race in April at Hockenhiem 69 or 70. But crowd would suggest F1 in August.
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PostPost by: trw99 » Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:34 pm

JTP wrote:Photo is almost certainly taken at Hockenhiem, so August 70. Can't find my Theme Lotus at the moment, but the other possibility is F2 race in April at Hockenhiem 69 or 70. But crowd would suggest F1 in August.


I question it being August 1970 because the car would be brand new and therefore on a J registration, issued from 1st August 1970.

Also I would expect Rindt to have had an Elan as part of his joining package so, if it is Hockenheimring, that would indicate April 1969 by your reckoning.

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PostPost by: Robbie693 » Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:27 pm

According to an old issue of Supercar Classics I have, Rindt had a Plus 2 as well. Or at least drove one on one occasion!

I'll did it out later.

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PostPost by: richardcox_lotus » Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:23 pm

I recall reading an interview with Stewart in, I think, motorsport, describing a trip given to him by Jochen when JYS was living in Switzerland.

They used a +2.

The passenger door fell off.

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PostPost by: clarko1230 » Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:39 am

THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS IN HELPING ME!!!!
I would like to transform one of my 1/43 Elan into Rindt?s one
In fact I am always intrigued about Team Lotus drivers personal "company" Lotus cars
He is another pic with Jochen alongside a Elan S4 Sprint (the earlier models I read came in orange yellow with matt black bonnet)
I don?t know if it is a promo photo or Jochen also owned that car
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PostPost by: Elanintheforest » Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:48 am

I would imagine that the Rindt S4 is red, in keeping with the Gold Leaf colours that he drove in F1. Looks like it could be red in the black and white photo....

Here's your next challenge...first find the Plus 2 upon which to base your model!

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PostPost by: clarko1230 » Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:16 am

Yes, the S4 seems to be red with gold bumpers
I did not know the ICKX Elan Plus.
This one seems to be Black ......what I can?t see is if it has a gold roof as the Limited "JPS" Edition.
I have SMTS one.
Anyway I recall a photo of ICKX driving a black JPS Elite 75
Here is one of those promo Elan Plus2 used during british GP 1973
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PostPost by: trw99 » Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:32 am

clarko1230 wrote:THANKS FOR YOUR EFFORTS IN HELPING ME!!!!
I would like to transform one of my 1/43 Elan into Rindt?s one
In fact I am always intrigued about Team Lotus drivers personal "company" Lotus cars
He is another pic with Jochen alongside a Elan S4 Sprint (the earlier models I read came in orange yellow with matt black bonnet)
I don?t know if it is a promo photo or Jochen also owned that car


clarko

See a colour photo of the Elan which Rindt helped publicise here: http://www.lotuselansprint.com/Document ... tFlyer.pdf That was not his car, just one of four early Sprint concept cars.

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PostPost by: Robbie693 » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:22 pm

Re - Rindt's Plus 2 (perhaps):

Taken from "Glorious Foibles" by Nigel Roebuck. Supercar Classics, April 1988

"Mind you, if the heavier Plus 2 loses on acceleration, it's top speed advantage over the normal Elan is unquestioned. I found that out one morning, in the autumn of 1969, as I drove down the M4 towards Heathrow. There was little traffic about, and among the cars I passed was a yellow Plus 2, dawdling in the middle lane.

An instant later it had ceased to dawdle and was right behind me, headlights up and flashing. For a while we continued like that, until eventually I had to let him through. But the yellow Plus 2, instead of overtaking, drew alongside and held station. The driver, grinning wildly, was Jochen Rindt. I nearly hit the central barrier. The great Austrian, posthumous world champion the following year, never cared to be overtaken, and it seemed that being passed by another Elan put all his competitive juices to work."

Can't tell you how many times I've read that article. Incidentally Roebuck was testing Miles Wilkins' Plus 2.

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PostPost by: archigator » Wed Sep 28, 2011 11:25 pm

I've read that Peter Sellers and Britt Eckland once owned a 1966 S-3 Elan (which sold at auction,) but I've never seen a photo of the car with its owner(s). Anybody have a photo of Inspector Clouseau and his Elan?

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PostPost by: ardee_selby » Wed Sep 28, 2011 11:45 pm

archigator wrote:I've read that Peter Sellers and Britt Eckland once owned a 1966 S-3 Elan (which sold at auction,) but I've never seen a photo of the car with its owner(s). Anybody have a photo of Inspector Clouseau and his Elan?

Gary
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There's this one from within! I have the same pic from a newsapaper but it's facing the other way...

download/file.php?id=4726
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PostPost by: archigator » Thu Sep 29, 2011 12:56 am

Richard, that's great! Love it! :lol:
Thanks,

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