Good afternoon everyone!

It’s been a rather lacklustre month for the cars so far – here in Sydney anyway, where it has been cold, wet and miserable…much more reminicent of the UK in summer in fact. Apart from getting the Elan out for a run out to Sydney Retro Speedfest (which was absolutely brilliant, and if you missed it, don’t miss it again!), and an excellent round of the CSCA Sprints at SMP North Circuit (more in Mike’s roundup), it has been a bit quiet… but that’s all about to change.

By the time you read this, we will have had the second Club Run of the year, this time heading south for brunch at Shimmer, in Gerrigong – hence the run is Shimmer my Timbers (oh dear). Simon Kalis, one of our number is the sous-chef there, and by all accounts we are in for a treat.

The following weekend (27-29 June) we have a fantastic weekend of motorsport, with the third round of the CSCA sprints on the Saturday, the All British Day on Sunday, and the Simply Sports Cars Lotus Only Track Day on Monday – how much better could it get than that?! We should have the writeups on all that fun for next month… any volunteers?

Looking further afield, don’t forget that Lotus 2015 is looming large, so if you haven’t started getting your act together, now would be a good time to start! Go to www.lotus2015.com.au and follow the instructions to book into the event, and also book your accommodation. It is shaping up to be a fabulous event, and is looking really well attended, so if you have been prevaricating, don’t wait too much longer or you might miss out!

We’ve also got lots of fun coming up in July. Our Extraordinary General Meeting kicks the month off at 6.30pm on Wednesday 8th July. We have been invited by the Royal Automobile Club to join them at their very smart facilities just off Macquarie St; the speaker is Tony Caldersmith, well known to many Club members, who will be regaling us on his time working at the Lotus factory. Parking is free in their car park (off Alfred St at the bottom of Phillip St) if you bring a Lotus, or $25 if you don’t. Bar food and drinks will be available for purchase for between $15-$30 per head. Once parked, head for the 3rd floor, sign in in the lobby and head to the Members Bar, also on 3rd floor.

For our monthly General Meeting at 6.30 on Tuesday 14th July we have been invited by Trevor Simpson to his shed to admire and discuss his lovely collection of cars from the 60’s and more – most recently he has bought Leo Geoghegan’s Lotus Cortina to add to his already lovely collection.

Also in July we are going to launch our inaugural Tyre Kicking and Coffee morning – Sunday 19th July in the Gough Whitlam Park in Tempe – designed to avoid competing with other similar events, but give those south of the harbour a more local gathering spot. The only rule is that you have to wear a red tie in honour of the great man. The park is on Bayview Avenue, Earlwood NSW 2206 –
Starting from around 8am as thats when the cafe opens.

Tom will be following up his very successful Lotus Lunch at Cuccina with the next, likely to be early August, so watch this space (or your emails from Elliott).

Changes are afoot at Lotus Australia, and we offer our fond farewell and very grateful thanks to Alastair Manihera, who is heading off with his family to live in Germany. Alastair has been the Lotus Brand Manager and stalwart supporter of all things Lotus, be they new cars, old cars, owners, club or forum members. Many many thanks to him for all he has done for the brand here, and we look forward to welcoming Tim Williams back to the fold to replace Alastair.

At our last Committee Meeting (minutes will be on the website shortly) we discussed the success of the Club Lotus Overalls (for the organisation of which, very grateful thanks to James Chan and Evan Jones), and also the need to determine what’s next. So if you have a view on what merchandise or apparel you would like us to source next, let any of us know, and we will add them into the mix. So far the ideas have included flat caps, umbrellas, fleecy jackets, car covers and polo shirts – please feel free to think outside the box!

And finally, for those of you thinking further ahead than most, Brian Caldersmith has started planning for the Diamond Jubilee for the Elite in 2017, so if you want to be involved, please make sure to get in touch with Brian. The last time Brian had a gathering of Elites, there were 24 of the over 40 cars in Australia present, so we’re hoping to better that.

Ed Holly, Tony Galletly and I are pulling together a similar Diamond Jubilee event for the Elevens next year (2016) although by necessity it will be slightly smaller, given there are only 12 cars here!! But if you would like to be involved, please let us know so we can keep you informed.

OK, that’s quite enough from me – I hope that gives you a good idea of some of the stuff we have planned for you – please do come along and join in – I look forward to seeing you out there.

In the meantime, have fun, and keep it safe, upright and on the black stuff!

Pip pip,
Ashton