Description
Present owner since 1984. The car was purchased in England, from Alan BAILLIE, a well known race
pilot, collector and Lotus specialist, under the cover of FIA Historic Vehicle Identity Form had
the # 187 issued by the Historic Sport Car Club Registrar and certified by the RAC, Royal Automobile
Car Club Motor Sports Association. The new owner commissioned Alan BAILLIE a money no object
restoration, with the objective to make of this LOTUS 23B both a potential race winner and
possibly the finest 23B in existence, but with the utmost respect for originality and FIA Rules.
Meantime owner's safety considerations called for the replacement of any 1963 mechanical component
with new, original equivalents, whenever available, an example being the Hewland gear box and the
major suspension components.
Shipped to Italy May 1984 the 23B received a new FIA Form, this time from CSAI, the Italian
Authority.
In the period 1984 to 1988 and in spite of the no hassle, mild tune, stage two Ford Lotus twin cam
engine which Mr. BAILLIE was asked to provide, the car was amongst the top Italian HRC performers.
The LOTUS was intermittently entered by the owner, then a regular Formula 3 competitor, in
meetings which staged also HRC events. The 23B enjoyed a performance advantage due to a high level
of chassis tuning, bettered by the ability of the owner-driver and his F3 Team mechanics to develop
suspension rates and settings to conform with modern tire characteristics. In other words in 1963,
when tires were wooden, the LOTUS 23B settings for springs, dampers and bars had to be soft,
nowadays tires are soft.....
After a 1989 resting spell, in March 1990 the 23B went back to race; this was at the Paul
Ricard's March season opening meeting, this time under the cover of a new FIA Form, her third,
issued by the Automobile Club de Monaco, the Country where her owner now lived. Having discovered
that meantime HRC engine power had soared, she he was taken to GALMOZZI, a leading twin cam
specialist in Crema, Italy, to convert her engine to a full steel, all out spec. She raced a good part
of the 1990 European Championship, returning to Crema for an engine check every other race, the only
engine problem encountered being a worn cam lobe in Zolder. She closed the season September 10,
at the Saltzburgring, second to a Ferrari in a 18 lap race, credited an official 1'30"32/100 on lap 16,
which makes a 169.073 Kmh lap speed average.... well over 100 mph... for those in the know this
was pulling on the straight a 24/27 fifth ratio, being careful not to rev the mill above 8,500
rpm!
Winter 1991 she returned to GALMOZZI for a routine engine job, valves grind, bearings, con rod bolts;
after she went to Jean Paul PAOLI, a renown French specialist in Saint Tropez, where she had frame and
suspensions reconditioning, chassis aesthetics and a brand new complete body, purchased again
from BAILLIE. At this point her kerb weight was 456.8 Kg, the same as a modern F3... wasn't Colin
Chapman a genius?
Since 1991 no more races due to owner's change of programs, only some intermittent use, the
odd weekend private testing when the Automobile Club de Monaco rents a circuit for member's benefit.
Her potential and breed should warrant her return to circuits rather than lay in a collection's static
boundaries.
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