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Published by the Golden Gate Lotus Club www.gglotus.org November 2009

The Chapman Report

November Meeting

Friday, November 20, 7:30 pm

Host: John Zender

Club officers will be elected at this meeting.Be there to have your voice heard!

(continued on p. 2)

Nominees for2010 Officers As per the club’s bylaws,selecting nominees for the 2010club officer positions was theprincipal business of last month’smeeting at Scott’s place. The nominees are:For President/Vice President(first and second place, respec-tively) in alphabetical order--

Rob DietschDave EllisRichard MinkRahul NairChris Spencer

For SecretaryScott Hogben

For TreasurerLaura Hamai

For Event Co-ChairsJohn ZenderScott Hogben

Be sure to vote for your choicesat this month’s meeting!

Sign up by December 4 for thegala GGLC Holiday CelebrationDecember 12 at Ristorante DonGiovanni in Mt. View. Don’t missout on the wine, food, door prizes,and, of course, the Annual GGLCWhite Elephant Gift Exchange!

GGLC Gift Exchange Everyone attending is invited toparticipate in the Annual GGLCWhite Elephant Gift Exchange. Inorder to participate, bring a

wrapped, unwanted “gift” itemfrom your garage. If you bring a“gift” you will have an opportunityto exchange it for another.

Ristorante Don Giovanni235 Castro StMountain View

Saturday, December 126:30 pm Cocktails (no-host bar)7:30 pm DinnerCost: $35.00 per personImportant: RSVP by FridayDecember 4 (please order on-lineat www.gglotus.org)

2009 HolidayParty

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CalendarNov. 5-9 2009 WCLM Las

VegasNov. 14 Shop Day Mike’s

PlaceDec. 5 Toy Rallye Mt. View

Dec. 12 GGLC Holiday Party Mt. View

For more and updated information about theseGGLC and other events check the GGLC websiteat www.gglotus.org

Parts and Service for Lotus CarsSpecializing in Lotus Elans and EuropasQuality and Considerate ServiceTotal Ground Up Restorations toRoutine Maintenance

Huge Inventory of New and Used PartsMany Hard to Find Pieces

KAMPENA MOTORS

WWW.KAMPENA.COM

Infineon Raceway28935 Arnold Drive F-10

Sonoma, CA 95476 Phone # 707-933-8039

Independent LOTUS Parts & Servicewww.jaeparts.com

Tel: 805-967-5767 Fax: 805-967-6183

Factory parts for the latest Esprits and M100 Elans toVintage racing and restoration parts for the classic Lotus.

Also, pain-free next-day drop shipservice for parts we may not have.

CALL NOW FOR COMPETITIVECALL NOW FOR COMPETITIVECALL NOW FOR COMPETITIVECALL NOW FOR COMPETITIVECALL NOW FOR COMPETITIVEPRICES,PRICES,PRICES,PRICES,PRICES,

EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE.EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE.EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE.EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE.EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE.

Menu:

Don Giovanni’s classic Appetizerand Salad, plusEntrée (choice of)Saute Chicken Scallopini -Chicken Breast with mushrooms ina Marsala wine sauce.Grilled Pork Chop - Thick chopwith applesauceFresh Grilled Salmon - In a dillmustard saucePenne Pomodoro & Eggplant -Pasta in a fresh-diced tomato &basil sauce with eggplant, andDessert (choice of)Chocolate MousseVanilla Ice Cream

Questions? Send a note towebguy@gglotus.org

(cont’d. from p. 1) Shop Day atMike’s PlaceNov. 14 at 10 AMby Mike Ostrov

Think of it as an open house atmy shop where we can tacklesome projects you’ve been puttingoff for too long. We can look atengine tune-ups (leak down,compression, etc) or anything elseof interest. Maybe you would likesome Weber instruction from KeithFranck? Keith promises to bethere with his Elan to show off hisnew Weber jetting scheme thatproduces huge improvements indriveability and performance. Wecan also have lunch at the local delior watch some enjoyable old Lotus

videos on my Beta Sony machineor even get really “dirty” with a bitof glass fibre repair (bring yourown project). We will start around 10 AM at:4119 Santa Rita Road, ElSobrante. Please RSVP to:mikeostrov@webtv.net or (5l0)232-7764.

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Successful Conclusionto ‘09 AutoX Seasonby Larry Bisares and Alex Komlik

Class Position Driver Car PointsElise/R-Compound 1 Jason Sams ‘05 400.00

2 Shelly Monfort ‘05 391.943 Ken Mollenauer ‘05 361.12

Elise/Street Tire 1 Michael Salo ‘06 397.192 Colm Gavin ‘05 389.423 Stephen Krome ‘05 345.13

Open 1 Joshua Salvage * 392.922 Craig Northcutt ** 375.143 Eric Lam *** 368.31

* ‘06 Mitsubishi Evolution IX** ‘90 Mazda Miata*** ‘97 Mazda Miata M Edition

Top Overall Lotus Driver:Jason Sams, ‘05 Elise

The final event of the GGLC ’09 AutoX seasonwas held October 17, 2009, at the Centennialparking lot of Great America in Santa Clara. Wehad a grand total of eight events during the sea-son—one every month from March throughOctober. The first two events were a practice anda clinic. Participants were then able to score pointsfor the season-long competition in the next sixevents. We used results from a participant’s bestfour finishes in the six events to compute finalstandings for the season. The maximum any drivercould earn was 400 points.

Special thanks go to our sponsor, Silicon ValleyAutogroup (Lotus of Los Gatos) who have beenwith us from the start. They generously providedgoodies we gave away early in the year and theoutstanding BBQ for our final event as well as theawards to the class winners. Many thanks also goto all the participants and, of course, congratula-tions to the class winners!

A tabulation of the final results for the seasonis given below.

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Lotus Dealer ReportPreventive Maintenance

by Andrew McDonald, Service Manager,Silicon Valley Auto Group

In a recent email I received fromJoel Lipkin, The Chapman Reporteditor, he suggested I write anarticle on the topic of commonmaintenance/failure items onhigher mileage vehicles. That’s agood idea, I thought to myself.However, as I started to go over inmy mind some of the commonlyseen complaints we as a dealer hearfrom our customers I struggled tocome up with a common item, oreven a few maintenance items, thatwe have seen appear as milesincrease. The highest mileage Elise weservice as per Lotus servicingguidelines had over 80,000 miles atthe time of its last service. Thisparticular customer has had usperform every single service re-quired by the manufacturer on timeand without fail. The reward for thisdiligent commitment to preventivemaintenance has given this customeran extremely enjoyable, trouble-free80,000 miles of driving. Aside from the required 6-month,7500-mile service that includes anengine oil and filter change as wellas an inspection of several vehiclefluids and safety related items, wealso must connect the Lotus ScanTool to the engine control unit toensure that the latest ECU programlevels are installed in the vehicle.In addition to the 6-month, 7500-mile service, however, there are

some items frequently overlookedon the maintenance scheduleprovided by Lotus, due in part totheir being a little more difficult toperform as an owner and usuallyrequiring a dealership to perform.These items include the replace-ment of: Brake Fluid-Every Year, Engine Coolant-Every 4 Years, Sparkplugs-Every 6 years or 30,000miles.Also worth mentioning, if youperform service on your ownvehicle, it is recommended that youtake it to a Lotus dealership for aservice at least once a year. Thedealership will have the experienceand equipment required to ensurethat nothing has been overlooked. We see situations all too oftenwhere an owner has been perform-ing their own maintenance andsomething has been overlooked—maybe just because they were notable to see it lying on floor in theirown garage. Frequently, theseoverlooked items would be cov-ered under the warranty, and if theyare ignored they could develop intoa bigger problem later in thevehicle’s life. Following the Service Schedulerecommended for your vehicle willensure that you have many miles oftrouble-free motoring, and thatdiligence, in turn, will protect yourinvestment for many years to come.

Finally, as promised, the excitingLotus Evora will be with us for youto view in December.

You are Invited--Be among the first in NorthAmerica to see the significantachievements in design andadvanced automotive engineer-ing of the Lotus Evora.

December 11 - 12, 2009Lotus Los Gatos66 East Main StreetLos Gatos, CA 95032For inquiries and to RSVPcontact me by email:andrew@siliconvalleyautogroup.com

Should you have any questionsregarding the ownership experienceof your Lotus please do not hesitateto contact me or Jordan Bean at408-358-7777. Also be sure tocheck outwww.siliconvalleyautogroup.comfor a complete list of factory offeredaccessories or to schedule yournext service appointment.

Happy Lotusing!

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New Life for the ClassicLotus Europaby David Anderson

The November 2009 issue of Classic & SportsCarmagazine has a 4-page Buyers Guide focused on theclassic Lotus Europa. Their buying guides always includea “One to Buy” selection from the classifieds, so thisissue does too—it’s a TwinCam model in near perfectcondition offered for £14,995. After a seemingly accurate review of weak points andcomments about the fine handling, the article winds upwith a verdict that the best policy is to find an examplethat has the body and chassis restoration work donealready.

Their summary is:

For:Revolutionary concept in its day; but still striking.Lively performer as standard, very fast if tuned.Galvanized chassis eliminates rot worries.Prices are rising fast.

Against:Damage to glass fibre is expensive to repair.Uncomfortable for tall or less comfortable drivers.Never much fun to drive in the wet.

The article also features some verynice Europa pictures. I suggest thatyou find a copy of the magazine ifyou have any interest in the Europaas it will likely be a worthy additionto your Europa book collection,whether or not you agree with theiranalysis!

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N. Bay Fun Runand BBQby Greg Tatarian

Maybe it’s a tribal thing—abasic human urge since the dawnof time. Sometimes you just wantto hang out with members of yourown clan. In this case, we’retalking about Lotus cars and theirdrivers. My friend, John Kenner, and Iare both classic Elan owners andmembers of a mixed-marqueNorth Bay British car club thatmeets twice a month for drives.Even though we are active partici-pants and enjoy meeting anddriving with Jags, MGs, Triumphsor the occasional Sunbeam orDaimler, we both were jonesingfor some serious drive time andsocializing with fellow GGLCmembers. Neither of us attend theusual GGLC events in the South orEast Bay locations because, well,our Elans are 40+ years old, andthe long freeway drives andpotential for traffic just don’t holdmuch appeal. So we thought why not host aclub event in our neck of thewoods? Surely there must befellow members in our area whoalso feel the need to stay closer to

home, and don’t make many ofthe other club activities. So that’sjust what we did. John graciouslyagreed to host members for aBBQ at the lovely Sebastopolhome he shares with his wife Julia,four dogs, two horses, and ofcourse multiple cars. I designed adrive that would take us from ourstarting point in Rohnert Park(with easy access to gas, coffee,

food and facilities) southwestthrough the rolling hills of Cotati,Petaluma and Two Rock to a briefstop at the Rouge et Noir CheeseFactory. This intermediate stopallowed a few additional clubmembers (who wanted to sleep infor some reason!) to catch up withthe group, which already totaledabout 14 cars. The cheese factory is a nicemeeting place and rest stop, withfood, facilities, picnic area, goodparking, and great view. Also, it

doesn’t hurt that it’ssurrounded bysome great countryroads with destina-tions in Marin orSonoma counties. The next leg ofour drive took uswest out Marshall-Petaluma Road to

Marshall, then up the CoastHighway through Tomales, east ofBodega north through morefarmlands then east through Occi-dental and Graton, on a mix of:tight, twisty roads; long, sweepingturns; and coastal scenic beauty. A little more than two hours afterthe start, we reached Sebastopolfor a little R&R viewing John’sLotus/Triumph barn, Julia’s horses,

members cars, and a deliciousBBQ prepared by John’s friendsCindy and Daniel (both trainedchefs). Together with the potluckitems contributed by those whojoined us on the drive, we had anexcellent lunch in a beautifulsetting, surrounded by 16 Lotuscars--from early Elites to Espritsto Elans (both classic and “new”),not to mention the Elises andExiges. There were also a coupleof non-Lotus interlopers who, ofcourse, were quite welcome. Trish, my wife and map-readerfor the day, and I very muchenjoyed meeting for the first timeall of those who attended, andcatching up with several friends.Leading this huge pack of Lotuscars on the road was a blast.However, my one disappointmentof the day was a malfunctioningrear-facing digital video camera

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Welcome to John and Julia’s place!

One of the projects in John’s “barn”

that would have captured someamazing views of all those carssnaking through the windy roadsbehind us.

We’d like to make this anannual event (I’ll vote for that!,ed.), and we’d also like to hostother drives for those memberswho either live in the North Bay or

are willing to make the drive uphere to enjoy some great roads inMarin, Sonoma, and Napa Coun-ties. New and old Lotus cars arewelcome, however it would beespecially nice if some of theclassic cars would shake the dustoff and attend in the future. I’ve also held a few tech ses-sions for our local club, and some

GGLC memberseven attended oneof them that fea-tured the Ford2000E gearbox. Iwould be willing tohold more suchsessions if there isany interest. Myexpertise is witholder Lotus cars,however, so thesesessions may notappeal to owners ofcurrent cars.

John and I were not alone in theorganizing of this enjoyable day;Cindy and Daniel spent the daypreparing the food and picnic area,then cleaning up, while Joel,Kiyoshi and Rahul put in a lot ofeffort to post the event in theChapman Report and on the blog.They also helped by generatinginterest at the meetings. John and Iwant to thank all of you for sup-porting this event and for contribut-ing to its success, and we alsothank everyone who attended—itwas great meeting, driving andtalking with all of you.

Let’s gather the Lotus clan togetheragain soon!

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Lotus NotesAbstracted from recent press releases

Engineering Award

The British Engineering Excel-lence Awards recognize the designengineering excellence of industry,and they show the world the depthand variety of engineering designinnovation throughout the UK. Thisyear, Lotus Engineering, the world-renowned automotive consultancydivision of Lotus, received theJudges’ Special Award, and it wasalso named “Highly Commended”in the Consultancy of the Yearcategory. The Judges’ Special Award waspresented to acknowledge acompany that epitomizes the aim ofthe British Engineering ExcellenceAwards by being recognizedglobally as a world leader inengineering. Paul Newsome, ManagingDirector of Lotus Engineering said:“We are delighted by this recogni-tion from the British EngineeringExcellence Awards, a testament tothe hard work of our talented,visionary work force. LotusEngineering is revered for innova-tion, outstanding driving dynamics,exciting niche vehicles and efficientperformance engineering; and itcontinues to offer a unique blend oftechnical expertise and provenability to create successful productsthat stand out in the market place.Lotus Engineering has seen a 23%sales increase over the last financialyear, an incredible achievement inwhat is a challenging market, firmlyreinforcing our position as one of

the world’s leading automotiveconsultancies.” The judges looked at recentprojects and assessed how LotusEngineering has been able todiversify its knowledge base and todeliver world class engineeringsolutions. They were impressedthat the company had continued tothrive despite the recent economicproblems experienced by thesector. In summing up the achieve-ments of Lotus Engineering, thepanel of Judges said: “Most of itsbusiness is derived from engineer-ing services, and it is even moreimpressive when you think aboutthe size of some of the companiesthat have gone to Lotus for itshelp. Lotus is a truly excellentorganization and an obvious flagbearer for all that is good in UKengineering.”

Evora Wins! The Lotus Evora beat strongcompetition to win the title of CarMagazine’s 2009 Performance Carof the Year. The prominentcompetition featured cars fromsome of the greatest marques in theworld such as Lamborghini,Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin. In total, thirty cars were includedin this year’s competition, whichfeatured exhaustive subjective andobjective testing on some of thegreatest driving roads in Britain andat the Rockingham MotorSpeedway. Chris Chilton, Assistant Editor atCar Magazine was so taken withthe Lotus Evora during the firstdrive activity in Scotland that he

said he would eat his Apple Mac ifthe Evora didn’t win this year’sPerformance Car of the Yearaward. In saving his Apple Mac, Chriscommented, “There are executivesaloons that don’t ride this well,supercars that don’t turn in socrisply, and surely no other car onthe planet steers like this”. To further safeguard hisconstitution, Chris added, “Lotushas managed to transfer everythingthat we love about the Elise to abigger, more refined, more grownup platform. It couldn’t really bemuch better to drive—the Evora isnigh-on perfect. A winner on everyconceivable level”. Roger Becker, VehicleEngineering Director said that “It isvery rewarding to win the well-established Car Magazine,Performance Car of the Yearaward against such toughcompetition. I am personally verypleased that Chris Chilton soaccurately informs on the characterand performance that we set out toachieve in the Evora. They are allyou would expect from a moderneveryday Lotus. The Evora is agreat ownership proposition,offering the great Lotus drivingexperience in a very comfortable,practical, refined and efficientpackage.” He added “It is a greatvalidation of the expertise at Lotusto win this title against incrediblecompetition from such a highlyregarded publication and verypleasing to continue Lotus’outstanding record in thiscompetition”.

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Classifieds(non-commercial ads are free to GGLC members and will run

for three issues before requiring renewal)

For Sale: 1967 Lotus Super 7Series II. 1600cc crossflow enginerebuilt by professional FormulaFord race shop. It has only beenrun on the dyno. The frame is fullytriangulated and a “racing” roll barwas added. The body has been re-skinned by a professional raceshop. Comes with: fuel cell, brandnew wheels, and rebuilt dash withbrand new instruments. It needsshocks, brakes and final assembly. Garage space limitations mean it’stime to sell for the best offer. Contact Dick Ryan at (510) 886-1581 (h); (650) 312-4022 (w); rryan-at-frk.com

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The Rallye Club has scheduledthis year’s annual Toy Rallye forDecember 5. Registraton will beginat 12N at: Larry’s AutoWorks 2526 Leghorn Street Mountain View.

This is a charity event featuringan A-B Gimmick Rallye using localroads, and the entry fee is a new,unwrapped toy ($15-$25) that willbe donated to a local charity.

The GGLC traditionally co-sponsors this event each year byproviding volunteer workers for theRallye’s check points.

GGLC members are welcome toparticipate, of course, but I alsoneed a few members (6-8) todonate their time for this goodcause by operating two of the eventcheck points. Please contact me:webguy@gglotus.orgfor more information and if you canhelp.

Toy Rallye Needs Your HelpDecember 5, Mountain Viewby Kiyoshi Hamai

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Classifieds(cont’d from p. 9)

The Chapman Report is published monthly by the GoldenGate Lotus Club, PO Box 117303, Burlingame, CA 94011. TheGGLC is a non-profit incorporated car club, and it is notaffiliated with Group Lotus, Team Lotus or Lotus Cars USA.The GGLC’s annual membership dues are $25.00.

Opinions expressed in the Chapman Report are those ofthe authors and do not represent those of the GGLC or itsofficers.

Submissions to the Chapman Report are accepted andencouraged. Please email them to chapmanreport@gglotus.orgin MS Word, rtf or ASCII text.

2009 GGLC Officers are: President--Rob Dietsch, VicePresident--David Ellis, Treasurer--Laura Hamai, EventCoordinators--John Zender & Scott Hogben, MembershipChairman--David Anderson, Secretary--Scott Hogben.

Chapman Report Staff: Editor--Joel Lipkin, CirculationManagement Team--Tom & Cherie Carney, AdvertisingManager--Mel Boss.

For Sale: Fully race-prepared 395transaxle from my “Europa” racecar. Ultra-close ratio: 3.14 to 1.25.Many improvements, includingQuaife LSD. Package includes bellhousing, second case, and secondmodified rear cover. Lots of extraparts, including gear blanks andinput shaft blank made from thebest material available, 9310VAR.Almost enough parts to build asecond tranny. No reverse gear,but can be added. I have drawingsfor all mods. This is a serioustrack-only tranny. Asking $5000.Contact Mike Schlicht at (408)891-5833; mikeohm7-at-earthlink.net

Want to Trade: My Elan S4body shell (including doors andlids) with no major fiberglassdamage—but needs strippingand re-painting—for your ElanS2 body shell in similar condition.If condition varies, some sort ofdeal can be worked out. Con-tact: John Kenner at (415) 806-2457; jkenner-at-tamcab.com

For Sale: 1980 Esprit Engine withtransaxle. Transaxle in poor condi-tion. Engine fully rebuilt; then 1-hour on engine before transaxlefailure. Crank: 0.010 under,pistons: 0.030 over, 777 cams, allnew valves, and more. $7500 firm.

Engine and TA in North Port, FL.Contact Stewart Prince at (941)429-4850; prince6360-at-verizon.net