Lotus 23b GT - building the history........

[Matt Newman]

With at least one 23b converted into a GT car back in the sixties, I am starting to investigate this practice and trying to find as much history as possible and to collect a portfolio of photos and chassis numbers etc. It's an exciting concept and I have already been given leads to investigate Mercury GT's and a firm in East London called D&A shells. It also seems that one Lotus GT went down to Australia and was sold in 1981 to a Mr John Shepherd , I do not know anything futher on that car as yet.
If anyone has any further date/photos, I would be very grateful to hear from you.
Many thanks in advance and seasonal greetings to all.
Matthew.

[Ted Walker]

Mercury GTs were made by D & A shells in London The D was for Dennis someone but the A was for Alan Fowler,who drove Mercurys.The early cars were in fact Lotus 23s but I think the later ones used their own chassis.

[davyboy]

Wren Classics have one for sale in this week's Autosport - www.wrenclassics.com for their details. They may have some history/photos to help your project.

[Wilson GT]

i have a Mercury gt chassis it is not the 23b chassis as it is shorter by a few inches it is called the Wilson gt i have a chassis plate but it is only a small bit of copper but is original.

i am, only a 16 year old apprentice and got the car as my first project race car
any pictures you have i would like to see if possible


as you can see the roof is missing

[zefarelly]

Jeez, all I got when I was 16 was a Vespa 100 sport in bits! lucky boy, looks like a great project!

[911thillclimber]

Indeed!
I had an Li 150 Series two then a TV 225 Wildkat Lambrettas.

What a project at 16 and what an apprenticeship!
I did my 5 years in an aluminium rolling mill in Birmingham...

Good luck with the history, believe me I DO know how hard this can be but you are in VERY SAFE HANDS on here.

Get Clive Brown on the case!

[sainswor]

Hi all,
Background on D&A and the Mercury GT:
Founders Dennis Pollard and Alan Fowler, of D & A Shells, Ltd., started in London in 1962 to provide body kits and chassis for customers to convert their own cars (i.e. Merlyn MK6's and Lotus 23's) into closed GT cars. In addition they produced a small number of space frames specifically to fit their fiberglass bodies. They continued to produce bodies and chassis for various frames and manufacturers until 1970, under the trade name Mercury. The cars from D & A are period frames from various manufacturers fitted with required body at D & A's London site. The Mercury has a square tube frame originally thought to have been built by Chevron or Groopers of London and fitted with a Lotus 23 body, (note: the frame is 4" shorter in length than the Lotus 23).
Because of it's extremely light weight, rigid frame and semi-monocoque construction, it is much stronger than the Lotus 23.
A photo of a Mercury GT with enclosed body can be found at http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/ot...58575197d1.gif .
I fell in love with these cars in 1965(?), when I saw one racing at the 750MC Relay at Snetterton entered by Mike Spence Racing (along with a Tojeiro EE ) - they were in the Scratch team.
I know that George Silverwood raced one for some time (1300cc car?), and there was one that ran in the up to 2000cc class in the Motoring News GT Championship driven by Reg Skeels(?).
The 2 litre car had cast magnesium MRE (Brabham) wheels - 7" fronts and 9" rears.
I recall one well known Mercury GT had the registration number UWT2F (this might have been George Silverwood's car - but can't remember).

[Wilson GT]

Originally Posted by Wilson GT

i have a Mercury gt chassis it is not the 23b chassis as it is shorter by a few inches it is called the Wilson gt i have a chassis plate but it is only a small bit of copper but is original.

i am, only a 16 year old apprentice and got the car as my first project race car
any pictures you have i would like to see if possible


as you can see the roof is missing

i have since found out that the car was designed by Jo Marquart who was famous for been the chief designer of McLaren after Bruce McLaren died designing the 4x4 McLaren. he then went on to found argo cars.

but the first race car he designed was this when he was still working as a bus designer in Edinburgh.

[BChild]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

Jeez, all I got when I was 16 was a Vespa 100 sport in bits! lucky boy, looks like a great project!

I didn't even get a vespa - but hell I agree with you what a fantastic project to start with