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 single-seater, 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
Letter of the month wins a top motoring title worth up to £150 (including postage), courtesy of Horton
