LINCOLNSHIRE SECTION
January 2009
A few of the Lincs section members along with Dave Wood and his wife Linda who was responsible for reforming
the Lincs section enjoying their Italian meal at Colosseo's.
Our chairman Martin's fun day out!!
This article was written by Martin in December 2008
So, when‘s the best time to carry out a comparison between two soft top cars?
A. In summer, fine weather and warm temperatures.
B. In December in the pouring rain and biting wind.
Answer should be A, so why were three people stood in the middle of a disused air field for 2 hours in December, while
one of them was taking photographs of a 2.0 Alfa 916 Twin Spark Spider and an equally good looking Lotus 2.0 turbo M100.
The section was contacted by Graham Flemington who is a freelance photographer/reporter for Classic Car Mart Magazine.
He had been tasked to provide an article which compared the two cars from the point of view of the owners not a technical
list of statistics, so needed an example of both cars and their owners to meet for a photo and interview session.
And that’s why; on a wet and windy Saturday morning I climbed out of my sick bed to meet him, and Paul, the owner of
the Lotus in deepest Lincolnshire.
After introductions, we followed our host along the runway to the airfield perimeter track which appears to now be part
of the local road system and found a group of 3 foot high heaps of road chippings to shelter behind while static shots
of the exterior and interior of both cars were taken.
By now all of us were completely frozen and soaked through to the skin, Graham asked if we would drive his car while
he took shots of the others travelling along the road and so trying to avoid puddles and holes in the road while he
hung out of the back door of his Cavalier we drove up and down for half an hour. Next came cornering “action” shots
which were taken from the top of one of the gravel heaps and, in a nearby village, where he took some additional
standing shots. Paul insisted on lowering the top of his car but I couldn’t bring myself to accept soaked seats and
carpets so mine stayed up.
With wet cameras and frozen hands Graham called a halt to photography; we adjourned to a local hotel for coffee,
lunch (thanks Graham!) and a chat about the cars. Are there any weak points? What is it like to own the car?
Recommended internet sites and what about the owners clubs?
Graham then needed to take each of the cars for a short drive which is where he came to appreciate the Spider,
it was quieter, smoother apart from the slight scuttle shake, and he felt more comfortable than in the Lotus,
a better touring car although probably not as fast considering the turbo on the Lotus. This could be due to
the Alfa being a one manufacturer car and the Lotus a mixture of Ford, Renault and Lotus parts stuck together
to make one.
So now, dry and warm we let our interviewer go to use his computer to remove each of the rain drops on his
chosen photographs! and produce the article which will appear in the March issue of the Classic Car Mart
Magazine.
A few of the Lincs section members along with Dave Wood and his wife Linda who was responsible for reforming
the Lincs section enjoying their Italian meal at Colosseo's.
Our chairman Martin's fun day out!!
This article was written by Martin in December 2008
So, when‘s the best time to carry out a comparison between two soft top cars?
A. In summer, fine weather and warm temperatures.
B. In December in the pouring rain and biting wind.
Answer should be A, so why were three people stood in the middle of a disused air field for 2 hours in December, while
one of them was taking photographs of a 2.0 Alfa 916 Twin Spark Spider and an equally good looking Lotus 2.0 turbo M100.
The section was contacted by Graham Flemington who is a freelance photographer/reporter for Classic Car Mart Magazine.
He had been tasked to provide an article which compared the two cars from the point of view of the owners not a technical
list of statistics, so needed an example of both cars and their owners to meet for a photo and interview session.
And that’s why; on a wet and windy Saturday morning I climbed out of my sick bed to meet him, and Paul, the owner of
the Lotus in deepest Lincolnshire.
After introductions, we followed our host along the runway to the airfield perimeter track which appears to now be part
of the local road system and found a group of 3 foot high heaps of road chippings to shelter behind while static shots
of the exterior and interior of both cars were taken.
By now all of us were completely frozen and soaked through to the skin, Graham asked if we would drive his car while
he took shots of the others travelling along the road and so trying to avoid puddles and holes in the road while he
hung out of the back door of his Cavalier we drove up and down for half an hour. Next came cornering “action” shots
which were taken from the top of one of the gravel heaps and, in a nearby village, where he took some additional
standing shots. Paul insisted on lowering the top of his car but I couldn’t bring myself to accept soaked seats and
carpets so mine stayed up.
With wet cameras and frozen hands Graham called a halt to photography; we adjourned to a local hotel for coffee,
lunch (thanks Graham!) and a chat about the cars. Are there any weak points? What is it like to own the car?
Recommended internet sites and what about the owners clubs?
Graham then needed to take each of the cars for a short drive which is where he came to appreciate the Spider,
it was quieter, smoother apart from the slight scuttle shake, and he felt more comfortable than in the Lotus,
a better touring car although probably not as fast considering the turbo on the Lotus. This could be due to
the Alfa being a one manufacturer car and the Lotus a mixture of Ford, Renault and Lotus parts stuck together
to make one.
So now, dry and warm we let our interviewer go to use his computer to remove each of the rain drops on his
chosen photographs! and produce the article which will appear in the March issue of the Classic Car Mart
Magazine.