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The 1964 Rotorvic 23B
Based upon the Lotus 23 that made its debut in 1962 in the hands of Jim Clark at the Nurburgring. The name for the car derives from the race team run by Bill Hill and Ron Marchant called Rotorvic Development Associates. It was built with a V12, 1.5 litre, air cooled, 2-stroke engine, made up from 6 Ariel Arrows motocycle engines. After a spectacularly unsuccesful racing career, the engine was put into the Donington collection and the rest of the car enjoyed a second and succesful career as a sports racer called The Rawlson. It is now owned and driven in the UK by Jeremy Deeley.
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Rotorvic
A Unique Lotus 23
The "Rotorvic" is a unique Lotus 23 that has not been seen on British motor racing circuits for over 40 years. 131 official Type 23s were built by Lotus from 1962 to 1966. But this one is a unique "special" on account of its unique Rotorvic Developments engine, a V12 1.5 litre, air cooled, two stroke made up of 6 Ariel Arrows 250 twin motorbike engines, arranged in two banks of 6 cylinders at 90 degrees. It also possesses unique and spectacular rear bodywork, with its two large rear air scoops to cool the engine.
It is understood that the car was a "toy" project built up from within the Lotus works by a team headed by Ron Marchant. Colin Chapman would have been well aware of the car and its one off engine, possibly as an alternative to the then prevalent Coventry Climax 1.5 litre Formula One engines. According to its owner back in 1968, Mike Rawlings, who bought the car then, minus engine, for the basis of his own sports racer, the "Rawlson", Lotus allowed Bill Hill and Ron Marchant to build the car up from Lotus 23B components from the works. The car never appears to have had a chassis plate, due its nature as a one-off "special".
The car ran from 1964 with Bill Hill as its driver, but without any real success due to continual engine misfiring problems. It was entered for a number of races from 1965 onwards but there is no record of it ever having finished one of them. It is a brilliant example of British engineering ingenuity and innovation of the time. But in reality it was a glorious failure. Once the Formula 1 engine capacity moved from 1.5 litre to 3 litres from 1966 onwards, the rationale of the car disappeared anyway and there was little point in further engine development.
This is the first time the car with its famous engine has run for at least 40 years. John Bolster, the well-known 1960's motoring journalist wrote in 1965 about the car and especially its engine as "A New Sound on the Circuits". All those who saw it run remember it well on account of its ear shattering noise. That noise can be heard today for the first time since the mid 1960's.