Lotus 11 Alpha

tiga2

Jedi Trainee

Offline

• Dec 6, 2006

• #1

Hey,

I am at last scanning some of my old slides from the 60's. This was taken at Del Mar, CA about '64. My good friend John Mcknight still has this car, a Lotus 11 with an Alpha motor and Corvette box. He only ran it a few times, pretty scary with those skinny tires and wheels! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

 

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DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Dec 7, 2006

• #2

That's interesting. IIRC Alfas were 1300 and 1600cc at the time. Which one is in his Eleven?

 

OP

tiga2

Jedi Trainee

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• Dec 7, 2006

• #3

....I ment ALFA, it was a 1500, a 1300 bored and sleeved.

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Dec 7, 2006

• #4

THAT should make for a fun ride!! Full chat should sound like a mad hornet!

 

A

AlanT

Jedi Trainee

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• Dec 7, 2006

• #5

Note the Jaguar MKIX in the background. I used to tow my MG to the track with one of those , throw everything unnecessary out and race them both.

Alan T

 

78Z

Darth Vader

Offline

• Dec 7, 2006

• #6

Neat picture! That Eleven must have flown with the Alfa motor.

 

OP

tiga2

Jedi Trainee

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• Dec 8, 2006

• #7

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

Yea, that was his dad's, and John still has that, along with a blown MGTC and all kinds of good stuff. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Dec 8, 2006

• #8

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

You can bore and sleeve and alfa Liner?

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

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• Dec 9, 2006

• #9

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

Seems a bit of a job. I'd be curious as to the how/why of it myself. It had to have been an expensive proposition for a 50cc per hole increase. Pistons would have to be either sourced by size (and wrist pin fit, diameters etc. all metric), or made specifically for it.

I'm pretty sure I've both a 1300 and a 1600 here in bits. I may do some measuring out of idle curiosity... when I get time.

 

coldplugs

Darth Vader

Platinum

Offline

• Dec 9, 2006

• #10

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

Mahle (of all people) made piston & liner sets for Alfa 1300 blocks. I don't know if they offered a 1500cc version. Maybe in conjunction with a different crankshaft (stroked)?

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Dec 9, 2006

• #11

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

Almost had to be (stroked) IMO to get to 1500. The liners are kinda "close" together in there. 78mm bore on the 1600 (1570cc), with a stroke of 82mm... both the 750 and 101 series 1300's (1290cc) were a bore of 74mm with a ~slight~ oversquare 75mm stroke. Curiously, the GTA Jr. (1290cc "twin-plug") was at a 78mm bore (1600 liners?!) and a *short* 67.5mm stroke.

 

coldplugs

Darth Vader

Platinum

Offline

• Dec 9, 2006

• #12

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

[ QUOTE ]
Almost had to be (stroked) IMO to get to 1500. ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Either that or bored almost 6mm oversize. Do the liner walls have 3mm in them? That's quite a bit.

ISTR that these engines could be stroked but needed to have notches cut in the liner bottoms (& block?) but may be wrong about that one.

Also curious about the Corvette transmission. The close ratio Chevy 4 spd had a 2.20 first gear and may not have been the best fit for an Alfa. I wonder why they didn't just use the Alfa box although the shift lever would have needed major shortening and maybe even some sort of remote.

Tiga2 - do you know?

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

Platinum

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• Dec 9, 2006

• #13

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

I think 3mm would be making the liners a little on the thin side. Mebbe cut thinner and then sleeved? That doesn't seem to make sense tho... The 1600 block had a redesign to allow a longer stroke. IIRC the 101 series 1300's were close, but the 750 series would interfere and need the rod cutouts. This is getting into the minutiae a bit! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Maybe someone could 'volunteer' a GTA or that Eleven for us to 'inspect' some of this? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif

 

coldplugs

Darth Vader

Platinum

Offline

• Dec 9, 2006

• #14

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

I agree. Too much speculation. We need the car delivered for inspection! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

S

Super 7

Jedi Warrior

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• Dec 9, 2006

• #15

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

There was an unfinished Westfield 11 / Alfa in Maine for sale a few years back.

It would have been super cool

 

coldplugs

Darth Vader

Platinum

Offline

• Dec 9, 2006

• #16

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

[ QUOTE ]
There was an unfinished Westfield 11 / Alfa in Maine for sale a few years back.

It would have been super cool

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't know that - probably just as well....

 

Westfield_XI

Jedi Warrior

Offline

• Dec 11, 2006

• #17

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

Coldplugs, did you ever run across a fellow in Wiscasset named David Laemmle? He did some work on my XK-120 back in the early '70's and I remember him having an Alfa 1500 from the 20's and a Maserati 200SS birdcage looking sports racer too, 4 cylinders, 2 overhead cams and 2 honking great Webers! I remember one afternoon slapping some dealer plates on the Maser and flying down the road to "blow out the carbon". His shop was called Carriage Motors IIRC.

 

coldplugs

Darth Vader

Platinum

Offline

• Dec 11, 2006

• #18

Re: Lotus 11 Alfa

Michael, no I don't know him. We get over to Wiscasset occasionally and I'll make a note to stop in to see him if he's still there, probably after Christmas. Sounds like a interesting guy.

I'll let you know if he's still there.