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Fifty-nine years after Colin Chapman debuted the Lotus Type 49 on the runway at Hethel, England, @classicteamlotus unveiled a perfect, down-to-the-rivet recreation of the original car. The project was commissioned by the late George Barber, the founder of Barber Motorsports Park and the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

Famously mated to the Ford-Cosworth DFV V-8 engine, 49 R1 contested 10 Formula One races, scoring victories with Jim Clark in the 1967 Mexican Grand Prix and Graham Hill in the 1968 Spanish GP. Following severe damage in 1968 at Monaco, a rebuild as chassis R9, and another accident in ’69, 49 R1 was lost to history.

Using the original design drawings and incorporating various period components, Classic Team Lotus expertly recreated 49 R1 as it was originally shown. Cosworth co-founder Mike Costin and Director of Racing Dick Scammell both attended the reveal. Clive Chapman then re-enacted the 1967 launch by taking the car for a few laps of the track.

“Thousands of hours have gone into recreating 49 R1 in every detail,” noted Chapman, “from the engine to the gearbox, to the monocoque, and the hundreds of bespoke parts made by hand with reference to the period design drawings held in the CTL archive.” The car will be delivered later this year to the museum, where it will join its Lotus stablemates.

Photos: Classic Team Lotus

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Shigeru “Stan” Yoshida was a 22-year-old university graduate when he wrote to Yamaha President Genichi Kawakami, requesting a motorcycle to ride around the world. To Yoshida’s surprise, Kawakami replied, offering him a brand-new YDS-3, plus a cache of spare parts.

In July, 1965, Yoshida set off on what became a three-year journey, which took him tens of thousands of miles through the Americas, the Middle East, and Western Asia. When he returned to Japan, he received a hero’s welcome—and a job offer from Yamaha, which he accepted.

At 60, Yoshida reprised his around-the-world trip, starting in Russia and heading west. He retired six years later, concluding his career as the inaugural director of Yamaha’s Communication Plaza, where he curated the museum’s motorcycle collection.

Now 84, Yoshida is on the road again, this time on a Yamaha DragStar, a 250cc V-twin cruiser. He started in Southern California, headed to Texas, and made his way east to Alabama. This past week, Yoshida visited the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

He signed one of the concrete supports and posed for photos with staffers Brian Case, Chuck Huneycutt, and Pierre Terblanche. Guy Reynolds, who worked with Yoshida at Yamaha, said, “I was astounded at his fitness. He seemed like someone 20 years younger.”

Three-time FIM 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Kenny Roberts just happened to be at the museum. During all his years at Yamaha, Yoshida had never met Roberts. “But I saw him race many times,” he admitted, “and he always won.” Safe travels, Stan.

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Primer on primer: The museum’s conservation department carefully monitors the aging and inevitable deterioration of the vehicles in the collection. When a new acquisition arrives, its overall condition is assessed. Depending on the findings of the staff, specialized treatments may be necessary to stabilize certain features of the machine.

For example, this 1913 Flying Merkel Model 71 is an unrestored, original example of the 61 cubic-inch, 45-degree V-Twin as it rolled off the assembly line at the Miami Cycle Manufacturing Company in Middletown, Ohio. Consider the paint: Much of the bright, distinctive “Merkel Orange” remains, but red primer is clearly visible in some areas.

Left untreated, ferrous metals eventually corrode, particularly in humid or wet conditions, which is why the museum is climate-controlled. Oxide primers form a durable barrier between the metal surface and the air, helping to prevent corrosion. Red oxide is a preferred primer and has been used for more than a century on many types of motorized vehicles.

Photos: Joe Avila

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