A&Q about Lotus
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What a day! Today I went to the Highcroft Racing Shop. They had an open house for the Northeast Region of the NSX Club of America. My brother is a member and I was lucky enough to tag along. First a little background on Highcroft Racing.
Highcroft Racing is both a racing team and a company that specializes in restoring and preparing both classic high-performance street cars and race cars. Its shop is a state-of-the-art, 48,000-sq. ft. shop in Danbury, Conn. The team's ALMS and vintage race cars are located there, as are its automotive and racing equipment. Highcroft Racing competes in the American Le Mans Series and next year Honda Performance Development Inc. will field its Acura-powered LMP2 entries in the American Le Mans Series with the help of three world-class teams. Highcroft Racing being one of them and the other two are Fernandez Racing and Andretti Green Racing. Duncan Dayton is the company's owner and founder with Danny Sullivan as the Senior Advisor.
Highcroft Racing really runs a first class operation and the race shop is immaculate. Both Ducan and Danny were nice enough to give as a tour of their shop. Everyone at the race shop was exceptionally friendly and everybody had a great time there, including my son which is too young to really appreciate what he is seeing. Actually this is much more than a race shop. It is more like a museum. Enough talking, let me show you guys what I mean. Please don't reply until I've posted the last of the pictures. Hope you enjoy seeing these amazing vehicles as much as I have.
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This is Duncan Dayton, the company's owner and founder.
Danny Sullivan. No introduction needed.
Marlboro Mclaren driven by Senna. Danny Sullivan said it just arrived at their shop last night! What luck. He also said this is the only Marlboro Mclaren driven by Senna that is in private hands.
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This is the last race suit worn by Senna for Mclaren. Worn by him when he won in Adelaide in 1993
Mclaren F1 Race Car.
Interior of the Mclaren F1 Race Car.
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One more Mclaren F1 Race Car.
Rothmans Porsche.
Bentley Prototype Car.
Anybody know what this car is? I was busy looking at the Lotus Type 79. Yes, that is coming up.
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F1 car driven by Keke Rosberg.
Alain Prost's Ferrari F1.
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Ok. What you've been waitng for. The championship winning 1978 John Player Special Lotus Type 79 (AKA "Black Beauty") driven by Mario Andretti.
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Danny Sullivan was happy to take a picture with me and my son. What a nice guy.
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Nice!
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Looks like a great time. That is an impressive collection. Is the museum part open to the public?
That car might be a Gurney Eagle. I'd take the Rothman's Porsche.
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Originally Posted by Yeti
Looks like a great time. That is an impressive collection. Is the museum part open to the public?
That car might be a Gurney Eagle. I'd take the Rothman's Porsche.
Not open to public I'm afraid.
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Nice Lista cabinets too!
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sweet! looks like it was a fabulous day
looks to be about vintage 1966-1969. hmmmm kinda looks like a brabham. maybe BT10 or BT29 formula b. here are some 29s including one with the paint scheme and #7. your man dayton raced one- maybe this one (last pic) from 90-93
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Wow! Car porn! Must have been a blast.
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Originally Posted by LotusLust
here are some 29s including one with the paint scheme and #7. your man dayton raced one- maybe this one (last pic) from 90-93
I think you are right. Here is two more pics I took.
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Nice job Lotuslust! I was thinking Eagle because of the paint scheme. But I know the engine didn't look like the v12.
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there are also pix of duncan racing a bt29 in that paint scheme at road atlanta vintage race last year. carried #17. that was OCt. and zippo race in sept last year
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Is this the same car, it looks close
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Is that the '88 championship car of Senna's? (looks like it)
Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing!!
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Nice. I've never been to their shop but I know a guy who works there and I've been to and run some vintage racing events where they're there. Duncan's a hell of a driver as well. Two years ago, I saw him set a new all-time track record at Mont Tremblant in another of his cars (1995 Indy car, Jacques Villeneuve's Indy 500 winning ride) at the Sommet des Legendes vintage racing event.
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Originally Posted by SouL
Is that the '88 championship car of Senna's? (looks like it)
Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing!!
Not sure whether it is the '88 championship car but another interesting piece of tidbit from Danny Sullivan was that the owner of this car also owns 37 other F1 cars! He also owns the Alain Prost Ferrari F1 car that I've posted. The Ferrari does not have an engine in it because he wants to hang the F1 car on his Manhattan apartment wall.