question of how ‘tweaked’ the cars should
be. Do they aim to be as original as
possible or try to fi nd extra performance?
Dinnage concedes that there are “two
types of customer”: “Some people want
to really be competitive so we try to make
those cars quicker, though there are quite
tight confi nes. You have to use period technology, but we
just have so much more knowledge now than they had in
period so we can make them pretty competitive.
“The other type is the purist, who enjoys the cars being
how they were – ‘Find the reference photos and make it
how it was’ – and it’s fabulous to be able to do that. Those
cars will be protected like that forever because they’re
really signifi cant and we’re only custodians.”
Chapman has no doubt about which side of the line he sits.
“We make a real eff ort to restore and present the cars correct to
period,” he says. “That’s what really excites us. We’ve got more
and more enthusiastic about that aspect the more we’ve done it.
“We’ll do what the customers want to do but, whereas I think
10 years ago there was a leaning towards putting competition
fi rst, more and more cars are being restored and presented
correct to period because the owners have got a lot invested
in them and it is appreciated. That’s played into our hands.”
Classic Team Lotus now has a staff of 20, with eight ‘lead’
mechanics, and has separate sets of equipment on both sides
of the Atlantic. The combination of Team Lotus experience and
other long-termers – for example, head of restorations Kevin
Smith has been at CTL for 20 years – is clearly a formidable one.
“Because we’ve built a team that’s almost been hand-
selected, including some homegrown ones, we’ve got a really
strong team of mechanics and a small turnover of staff ,”
says Dinnage, who rarely works on cars now and focuses
on management and logistics. “It’s still really enjoyable
because for our customers this is their hobby.”
Clark is inextricably linked to Lotus and it was the
restoration of three cars – 25 R4, 1965 Indy 500 victor
38-1 and Clark’s Lotus 49 R2 – which culminated in a shot of
all three and CTL staff , that provides one of Clive’s highlights.
“That’s the holy trinity of Clark cars,” says Chapman.
“Those three cars, the six-car transporter and 15 people
were way beyond any expectation when we started. That
was a proud moment for the team.
“I’m looking after the family’s collection of cars. I suppose
I am a bit hooked on it. I do really enjoy it, but ultimately I’m
earning a living and that’s what everyone here is doing.
“About 99% of it is our job, but you get these moments...” Q
Three special
Clark cars –
49, 38 and 25- and a big
moment for
Chapman
MOTORSPORTIMAGESCLASSIC TEAM LOTUS
AUTOSPORT HISTORICS 25 JULY 2019 17Chris Dinnage has been part of Lotus for nearly 40 years.
Bob Dance employed him at Team Lotus, where Dinnage
stayed until helping to form Classic Team Lotus in 1993.
Over the years he has driven many famous cars, including
Ayrton Senna’s 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix-winning
Lotus-Renault 97T, and now has a special ambition.
“I want to be the only person to have driven one of every
Lotus F1 model and there are only about five I haven’t driven
yet,” he says. “It’s not beyond the realms it’s going to happen.”
Dinnage (below) finds it diff icult to pick out a highlight.
He has a personal attachment to the cars he worked on in
the 1980s, but it’s another Lotus that comes to his mind.
The first GP Dinnage attended was the 1978 Belgian GP,
which Mario Andretti won on the debut of the Lotus 79, with
Ronnie Peterson second in a 78. He then attended the Dutch
GP, in which Andretti and Peterson scored a 1-2 with their 79s.
Many years later, Dinnage and Clive Chapman made a
special return to Zandvoort. “Clive and I did an article
with a Dutch magazine there a few years ago, for a
photo shoot,” recalls Dinnage.
“At the end of it, it was just
starting to get dusk. We bump-
started them and drove them
two-thirds of the lap, side-by-side.
There are some magic moments.”A special
personal
goal
Colin Chapman congratulates
Andretti and Peterson aft er
the 1978 Dutch Grand PrixJEPPHIPPS