And since most of you are here at the moment- wish me happy birthday- I'm 65 today! I've outlived my dad by 14 years now. And @Michael Pickett- exactly what part of Mr. Chapman's life are you comparing me to? Seems he was a man of many talents...
Happy Birthday, @ALB!
@Michael Pickett posted:I dunno, look how well crazy ideas like @ALB's worked out for Colin Chapman. He's dead now, is that just a coincidence?
He’s not the only one that died of “lightness.” Far from it.
@ALB posted:And since most of you are here at the moment- wish me happy birthday- I'm 65 today! I've outlived my dad by 14 years now. And @Michael Pickett- exactly what part of Mr. Chapman's life are you comparing me to? Seems he was a man of many talents...
Happy Birthday! With our love for these small plastic cars and going fast it's amazing any of us outlive our fathers 
.
Mr. Chapman was an amazing engineer, designer and inventor. To me, his way of thinking about solutions that were orthogonal to the norm was inspirational. Regarding building winning race cars, I loved his statement: "Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
I had a 911 friend that went through his car and drilled every reasonable flat of metal and trimmed all exposed threads above every nut. He wound up under 1900lb and ran like a bat out of h*ll. You remind me of him and Mr. Chapman. Going faster and cornering better!
@dlearl476 posted:He’s not the only one that died of “lightness.” Far from it.
He didn't die of lightness. He supposedly died of a heart attack, but there are those who think he staged his death (see the link I provided in the last post).
There's no dispute that his penchant for allowing his drivers to determine the limits of "adding lightness" killed Jim Clark and Joken Rindt.
... all that being said, he was a genius. My mind doesn't run along the same lines as his did, but I often check myself when I realize that the things I'm doing are trading weight for strength in places it isn't really needed. Strength (and more power) will always be my default.
A Speedster, and even more so a Spyder were the antithesis of that. Lotus took it to an extreme.
Thanks everybody- it's only just after 1pm here so a celebratory drink will come later, but raise 1 in my name as you feel the need.
And @Michael Pickett- great quote- I'm going to add it to my signature!
" "Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere." Thank you Colin Chapman.
Happy Birthday Al!
And Stan is right. The Spyder is about a few things, light being one of them. Light and mid engine = good handling and great tire wear.
I have a very stout motor. But 1500 pounds is what really makes it quick. Faster acceleration, better braking, less weight transfer in corners. All good things.
It's only 10:40 AM here so I'll have to wait 20 minutes to have a drink with you 🙂
Another quote I like that is attributed to Mr. Chapman is "Simplify, and add lightness."
Cheers!
Enjoy that drink, Al. I think you've earned it.
And I'll look forward to the next time I can join you.
Happy Birthday. 
its always beer thirty somewhere in the world.
Happy Birthday there, @ALB!
And wishing you many, many more, while remembering that age is just a state of mind. Never grow up.
Gordon
The Speedstah Guy from Massachusetts