Did Jim's gear knob go missing?

[Ray Bell]

A friend of mine bought a Cortina GT500 from a Brisbane Ford dealer in 1966. The dealer had held onto the car for several months after its release, the car was still new.

The salesman was a Kiwi. He told my friend that his family owned the Ford dealership in Auckland where Team Lotus worked on Jim Clark's Tasman entry in 1965. But it could have been 1966.

Anyway, after he'd handed over the money and signed all the papers, my friend was presented with a Lotus gear knob by the Kiwi salesman. This came as a complete surprise. The story he told was that it had been purloined from the Lotus during the car's time in the Auckland dealer's workshop.

He still has the gear knob. And the GT500.

But is the story true?

Or is it possibly true of another Ford dealer, not in Auckland but near another circuit used in the Tasman Cup?

[Steve Holmes]

A friend of mine bought a Cortina GT500 from a Brisbane Ford dealer in 1966. The dealer had held onto the car for several months after its release, the car was still new.

The salesman was a Kiwi. He told my friend that his family owned the Ford dealership in Auckland where Team Lotus worked on Jim Clark's Tasman entry in 1965. But it could have been 1966.

Anyway, after he'd handed over the money and signed all the papers, my friend was presented with a Lotus gear knob by the Kiwi salesman. This came as a complete surprise. The story he told was that it had been purloined from the Lotus during the car's time in the Auckland dealer's workshop.

He still has the gear knob. And the GT500.

But is the story true?

Or is it possibly true of another Ford dealer, not in Auckland but near another circuit used in the Tasman Cup?

Wow, I hope its a true story! Very cool.

[Ray Bell]

You know, it is possible it had been taken out of the car Clark drove at Ardmore in 1961...

I never thought of that before.

[Kwaussie]

Sounds more like very fake news - Ray can you ask your friend to photograph the gearknob from as many angles as possible including the thread etc.
I have someone who could perhaps tell you which year the knob was fabricated!
On reflection seems a mean thing to do at your old man's dealership.
If true more likely happened in Australia!

[Ray Bell]

I do have a photo of it somewhere...

I'll see if I can find it. From memory, it screwed right onto the Cortina gearlever.

As to its age, there's no doubt whatever that it's from the period as my friend bought the car in 1966.

[khyndart in CA]

Perhaps someone could contact Jim Palmer as he had Jim Clark's Lotus 32B after the 1965 Tasman Series.

[Ray Bell]

The knob would have been replaced immediately, probably with one from a FJr or something...

It would have been a forgotten issue by the time Palmer bought the car, which was six races later and an annoying misfire problem still not having been solved.