Filed under: Classics, Lotus, Racing
In 1958, Robert Kahmer his friend Ben Fowke split the $2,700 cost of a 1955 Lotus Mark X and had it shipped over from England. Customs were a little more lax in the late 50s, and Fowke was able to drive the baby-blue Lotus straight home from the Baltimore dock in April of 1959. The very next weekend, the two guys raced the car at the Cumberland Race Track in Maryland.Fowke was able to drive the baby-blue Lotus straight home from the Baltimore dock in April of 1959.
Kahmer loved the Bristol-powered Lotus, but Fowke didn't and sold his half to Kahmer who raced it for all of the 1959 season and some of 1960. But that's when the car's story begins to sound all too familiar. Kahmer got engaged, and sold his Lotus. Over the next few decades, Lotus RCR 520 lived a hard life. One owner converted it to a road car, moving the steering wheel to the left, fitting a full-sized windshield and cutting the body sides to make room for "normal" sized doors. It was a mess.
About 55 years after selling his Lotus, Kahmer answers his phone to hear, "Hi, Mr. Kahmer. Did you once own a 1955 Lotus?" Kahmer, a bit stunned, answered, "Well, yeah. I'm looking at the title framed on my office wall right now."
Continue reading 1955 Lotus Mark X restored, reunited with former owner
1955 Lotus Mark X restored, reunited with former owner originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments