LIFE WITH A ROADGOING RACER
I was delighted to see how well my old Emeryson has been restored by owner David Gidden (March). As a boy, I was shooting at Bisley when I saw that one participant used a Lotus 15 as a road car, and my heart was set. Georgina Baillie Hill, a family friend, had retired the Emeryson for an Elva MKVII so a deal was done. It was a tough little thing and suffered none of the structural traits of ʼ60s British spaceframes. That said, former owner Gerry Tyack had broken the car in two and, with just a few tubes between my size 12s and the accident, I learnt not to tailgate.
I used the car year-round, first as a student at Oxford Polytechnic then in London for my first job. Down the Cromwell Road it was great to be able to out-accelerate everything from the lights.
At 6ft 1in, I sat directly in the aluminium seat – the “Mobile Hip Bath” as Paul Emery christened it. Davidʼs generous upholstery looks wonderful, but would preclude me from getting in the car again. Not that the ride was uncomfortable: racing-car suspension during that period had proper wheel travel, and with high-profile tyres the comfort was surprisingly good.
Keeping the Emeryson legal was difficult: I originally stripped the paint and drove the car in bare aluminium. The police stopped me three times, so I painted it black and was never stopped again. The MOT test was more of a trial. A Bowden cable to the brake pedal had to be substituted with a system of lever-arms added to the rear calipers, applying Citroën GS pads. The ʻspeedometerʼ was a couple of Dymo labels on the Smiths chronometric rev counter – itʼs good that modern regulations are actually more relaxed!
The car was well used: I had the engine overhauled by Tony Mantle three times. In the ʼ70s you could still get transaxle parts from the original supplier, but after I broke the crownwheel at a Crystal Palace hillclimb I was hampered by only being able to obtain a low-ratio replacement pinion.
I decided to sell the car only after a serious illness. I was concerned that the torquey, ex-gerry Wicken Climax FWB and Cooper ERSA transaxle would end up in a singleseater, and the Emeryson would be pushed aside. Iʼm so glad to see it safe, beautifully photographed and accurately recorded in print. Richard Falconer RIBA
Painswick, Glos