Lea-Francis engine in Clairmonte Special

Posted by Peter Ross on October 28, 2001 at 14:27:51:

To: Dennis Kawabata
From: Peter Ross
Subject: Jack Turner and the Clairmonte Special

Dear Mr Kawabata,

I came across your web site as a result of surfing the web for Jack Turner, whose name had been given to me by Barrie Moore of Lea-Francis
Cars as someone who dealt in Lea-Francis engines in the early 1950s.

I am doing research into the early history of the Lotus Engineering Company, and in 1952 they built a Formula 2 car called the Lotus Mark
VII for Clive Clairmonte, who intended to fit the six cylinder 2-litre engine from his Riley sports car.

The (unconfirmed) story goes that this engine was blown up, and he decided instead to fit a linered down Lea-Francis engine, and convert
the car to a sports car, and call it the Clairmonte Special. It raced for the first time in 1953.

For the 1954 season it was fitted with a 1960cc Connaught engine, and did quite well until being sold in 1955. It still exists. I have photos of it with both engines.

I think there is a good chance that the Leaf engine was obtained from Jack Turner, and if he is still alive I would dearly love to get a message to him and ask if he has any memories of it in those days. I was around at the time but was not involved with Clairmonte.

Can you help?

Yours sincerely,
--
Peter Ross (now 72)
The Birches, Cuckoo Mills, FALMOUTH Cornwall UK TR11 4HZ
Tel. and FAX 01326 317789 (outside UK +44 1326 317789)
e-mail PeterRoss@CrystalEngineering.FSBusiness.co.uk


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