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I realise that this is a very old thread but I think repeated references to Lotus 24-947 as '947' does this car a great disservice, as it implies it is not the real thing.
I've just completed a comprehensive investigation into its provenance and am quite sure that the car was not written off by fire in 1963 as has been suggested in some quarters.
I have a copy of a photo which shows it still largely intact after the fire and have traced a continuous ownership chain from then until the present day, including interviewing all surviving owners or their descendants while it was in both South Africa and the USA. The car was rebuilt and in running condition in South Africa until 1974 when the then-owner put a rod through the side of its block.
The next owner contacted Tony Mantle of Climax Engine Services saying that he had bought the car and asking about buying parts to rebuild the engine and I have seen some of that correspondence.
I have also spoken to the US owner who brought the car out of South Africa (he had relatives there), the next US owner after that and the US dealer who sold it back to the UK in 1998. Its history since it has been back in the UK is well-documented.
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