1967 Lotus Super Seven 1988 Rotus V8

1988 Rotus 8 Certificate of Origin states it is a Replica of a 1967 Lotus Super Seven America Model - The Buick V8 engine has seize, but it should be relativity easy to drop another V8 in it and have fun at say the Coatesville Grand Prix. The call came a few months ago and we met out in the middle lands of Delaware and sitting behind a simple ranch was the open shed with the back of peeking out. Coated with dust and spider webs, I immediately started looking for the engine numbers. My husband,new to my business but old to the car world, pointed out it was a GM Product with a Buick engine and the numbers were always int the same place,in front of the block under the carburetor on a flat plane written 3/1569885 and then upside down HI299179 . I should know all about the Offenhauser valve cover after having attended the Indy 500 last year and viewed the "Offy" engines at the Indy museum. This large V8 has 2 values per cylinder with the Highrise Intake manifold, Edelbrock Air cleaner and Carter AFB 4 barrell carburettor might yield about 215 hsp! But unfortunately, sitting for so long the engine is not running. The previous owner custom built this with Chris Custer of Frederick MD. Chris a Toyota Dealership Principal, built his idea of a perfected Lotus Super Seven out of spare Toyota parts. Letters from Chris Custer state this was the first retail V8 sold as most of the approximately 70 built were rotary engines? Wiping the old grease of the 2" by 5" build plate revealed; R088800000044 Built for J Graham 1st Production Built V8 Powered Rotus 8 As I snapped photos of the flat tires and wheels, entire compartment with the racing cap still laying on the seat and the odometer reading 38,676 miles, I uncovered the tonneau cover over the trunk area. Too bad a video wasn't running when I pointed out the shredded paper towels in the storage compartment "This is an indication of live roooAHHHHHHHH" as it moved suddenly! MR. JESSE D.GRAHAM 3 29 1988 TOWNSEND, DELAWARE 19734 JESSE: THANK YOU ONCE MORE FOR ALLOWING ROTUS LTD THE CHANCE TO BUILD YOUR NEW ROTUS SUPER EIGHT V-8 POWERED MOTORCAR FOR YOU. WE WILL REPAIR OR REPLACE ANY PART OF THE CAR THAT EITHER FAILS OR DOES NOT ACT AS IT SHOULD FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR OR 12,000 MILES WHICHEVER COMES FIRST UNDER NORMAL USE. BOTH LEN AND I ARE AWARE OF A TENDENCY FOR THE 5 SPEED GEARBOX TO COME OUT OF FIRST GEAR IF THE CAR IS RAPIDLY DECELERATED IN THAT GEAR AND WE HAVE SPOKEN TO THE GENTLEMAN WHO BUILT THE TRANSMISSION FOR D & D FABRICATIONS OF ROCHESTER MICH. WHO TOLD US THAT HE WILL BRING A REPLACEMENT UNIT TO THE CARLISLE PENNA. SHOW AT THE END OF APRIL. ROTUS WILL REPLACE OR REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION SO THAT IT PERFORMS 100% TO YOUR SATISFACTION. AS WE AGREED, YOU WILL RETAIN ½ OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE DUE AT THE TIME OF DELIVERY AGAINST THE DAY WHEN WE REPLACE OR REPAIR YOUR GEARBOX TO FULL HEALTH. THANK YOU ONCE MORE,YOU NOW HAVE THE FINEST ROTUS THAT WE HAVE EVER BUILT. Best Wishes, Christopher R. Custer PARTS AND EQUIPMENT SOURCES AND SUPPLIERS STEEL TO FABRICATE FRAME ALUMINIUM FOR BODYWORK HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES TAILIGHT ASSEMBLIES REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY FRONT SPINDLES AND BRAKES MOTOR COMPLETELY REBUILT TRANSMISSION TIRES & WHEELS FENDERS AND NOSECONE BRAKE ASSEMBLY UPHOLSTERY & TOP 4 POINT SAFETY BELTS BATTERY LIMITED SLIP REAR DIFFERENTIAL WIRING HARNESS EDGECOMB STEEL CO. YORK PENNA REYNOLDS CORP. WILMINGTON DEL. J.C.WHITNEY CO. CHICAGO ILL. FREDERICKTOWN TOYOTA FREDERICK MD. TOYPAR INC. LISBON MD. MINIATURE AUTO '{T. AIRY MD. D & D ROCHESTER MICH. D & D ROCHESTER MICH. SUPPLIED BY THE OWNER PERFECT PLASTICS PITTSBURG PEN NA TILTON ENGINEERING CAL. JOES UPHOLSTERY FREDERICK MD. BARON SPEED CO. FREDERICK MD. INTERSTATE HAGERSTOWN MD. TRD TORRANCE CAL. DH ENTERPRIZES HEDGESVILLE W. VA. NOTE TO THE DELAWARE MOTOR VEHICLE DIVISION: THE VERY NATURE OF A SEMI-MONOCOCQUE TYPE OF AUTOMOBILE CONSTRUCTION IS TO FIRST MAKE A RELATIVELY LIGHTWEIGHT BUT EXTREMELY RIGID FRAME OF TUBULAR STEEL, CAREFULLY TRIANGULATED AND WELDED AND THEN COVERED WITH A STRESSED ALUMINIUM SKIN WHICH IS THEN RIVETED TO THE FRAME WITH HUNDREDS OF AIRCRAFT RIVETS. WHAT WOULD MERELY BE A "BODY" ON ANY OTHER KIT CAR IS A CHASSIS-BODY UNIT ON OUR CREATIONS. THERE WAS NO PARENT FRAME TO START WITH ONLY A PARENT POWERTRAIN. THAT OF A 1963 BUICK MOTOR WHICH WAS THEN TOTALLY REBUILT BY D&D ENGINEERING OF ROCHESTER MICHIGAN. Christopher R. Custer (301) 293-1777 This is an obscure car-very rare. How do I compare it even with the simpler less expensive Rotus? Chris Custers letters speak volumes to his appreciation of allowing him to build a V8. See the article in CAR & Driver March 1990. This car was co built and hand built with the owner at the small factory in Frederick MD. And the provenance ...history is all known- One owner engraved in the build plate,and street legal like the Shelby I sold several years ago. But like Stradivarius there is never going to be a Rotus built again by the Chris Custer factory in Frederick MD. It's gone. Stradivarius is dead. But the art lives forever. Contact Suzanne for more info and photos 610-444-2222

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