Lotus Owners Gathering Meeting

July 31-Aug 4, 2008

When:	July 31st- Aug 4th, 2008
Where:	Indianapolis, IN
Contact:	Atwell Haines at carbuff@lotusowners.com
Info:	LOG was a TRIP this year. Held in downtown Indianapolis, IN (easy to find since what passes for skyscrapers stick up over the countryside and are visible for miles), they got something like 200 Loti of all descriptions attending. Why, stacked up, all that fiberglass would be higher than the spire at Monument Circle! The LEO group did a lot of bonding during the trip…we learned how to smoke stogies, inhale fiery cocktail sauce, drive like maniacs around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, create acetylene “bombs”, drink Mojitos, plant corn furrows with Elises, and more… Like: claiming squatters’ rights on hotel bar stools…certain pets chewing their feet whenever they sit in a Lotus…walkin’ the dog in an urban jungle…Billboards in Indiana that extol the goodness of NJ…New nicknames like ”Cousin Davey” and “Frantic Fran”…stalking the principals of Lotus Cars USA and Classic Team Lotus…being chased away from our photo op at the Air Force Lotus Enthusiasts Organization Letter, Volume Ten, Number one Museum…getting lost on the Scenic Tour (turns out Atwell can lead but not follow)…a certain party being asked to climb into the 2-Eleven racer, in a dress, by Bob Dance... Then there was the screamin’ 11-MPH parade lap of the famous Brickyard (all the better to take pictures with, my dear). Hot fun on the tarmac at the Concours. Monument Circle taken over by Lotus cars. The Johnny Cash Serenade in Story, Indiana on the scenic drive. The LEO Return to our past lunch stops like the Dutch Pantry in PA and various Cracker Barrels. Here are the details on our adventure: The LEO Caravan got a late start at our rendezvous point in Bartonsville, PA. Seems that the truck stop/restaurant that Atwell remembered (and that still looked inhabited on Google Maps) was shuttered, but there was a gas station/convenience store that filled in while we waited for everyone to arrive. Once on the road we moved relentlessly towards our first night’s stop in Springfield, Ohio, only stopping at a Dutch Pantry to gas up and grab a bite to eat. We were really looking forward to arriving in Ohio where the gas prices were the cheapest, according to GasBuddy.com. The day’s only mechanical glitches involved frozen air conditioners (boy, motoring isn’t as tough as it used to be, is it?). That night we enjoyed beer and cigars near the motel pool. Next day we promptly traveled to the US Air Force Museum, which is a fantastic place…in fact we had agreed to leave for Indy about 3 PM but we ended up staying until closing at five…it was that interesting. We then went directly to LOG HQ, the Hilton, in Indianapolis. Thursday was spent walking the city of Indianapolis, as the Hilton was a block from the state Capitol and the Canal Walk, and Lockerbie Square, the historic district. That night we attended the first official LOG function, a reception at Prototype Development. They had a lot of interesting machinery there, such as a 60’s Lotus Indy car, Ferrari replicas, a Stalker (Seven clone with a V-6!), and other exotica. Friday began with a caravan to Walker Racing. I glommed a ride in Ron Schmittou’s Lotus Carlton sedan! We got to see how the Atlantic cars were assembled, and talk to the technicians there. I never saw so much unshaped carbon fiber in my life! They served a nice lunch with complimentary bottles of Aussie Vineyards wine (left over from last year’s CART sponsor…but we didn’t mind). That afternoon was spent cleaning our cars for the Concours the next day. During the evening all LOG attendees were invited to a reception in the Arts Garden, a glass structure built over the city streets. It was there that we got to greet other Lotus owners from all over the world. Several other LEO members that couldn’t do the Caravan met us there as well. Lotus Legends such as Clive Chapman and Arnie Johnson (even Richard and Julie Parramint, celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary) were there to meet us. Next day was the big one! The police closed Monument Circle to vehicular traffic and our Loti were displayed there in preparation to the drive to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This was one of the highlights of the weekend! After a few hours on the Circle, we had a police escort to the Speedway. There we queued up for a pace lap of the oval. Although it was a slow pace, we got a great opportunity to take pictures and “kiss the bricks” before assembling for the LOG Concours. Amidst the Concours voting, we were treated to a talk by the Speedway’s Historian, as he recounted many of the anecdotes about Lotus, Ford, Jim Clark, and Dan Gurney in the 60s. Great times! Too bad he got cut short. That night was the main banquet, and Roger Becker provided insight into the future Lotus products. He was SO enthusiastic about the Evora! And yes, we were supposed to be drinking and not noticing, but I got a good inkling of what the new Esprit will be like from the Evora presentation and talking to Roger. Next day (Sunday) the Autocrossers had to get up early to attend (we knew of at least one NJ member who didn’t make it), but the majority of us went on either the Rally or Scenic Drive. Indiana is fairly flat, but the organizers found several twisty roads in Brown County south of the city, with a shopping stop in rustic Nashville IN and lunch in Story, IN. I can heartily recommend the drive on Route 135 between Nashville and Freetown, IN! That night we got a sampling of what it was like to be a Lotus mechanic in the 60s courtesy of Bob Dance of Classic Team Lotus. There was a video talk from Hazel Chapman, and even Clive Chapman spoke (something he rarely ever does). Monday was the track day at Putnam Park Raceway, and those that participated had a great time. The rest of us enjoyed watching the LEO members try to drive fast, while keeping between the grass Lotus Enthusiasts Organization Letter, Volume Ten, Number one shoulders of the course. We all got to drive the track at lunchtime, which was a LOT more fun than at Indy, since we were actually able to shift out of first gear. On the trip home (a smaller caravan, as some couldn’t join us) we overnighted in Elyria, OH and attended a BBQ at the home of Debbie and Roy Collins. Crazy as we are, we tried to emulate the pranks of the Lotus techs by making our own acetylene fireworks…luckily, they duds for the most part. The LOG ended WAY too fast. The “official” stuff recounted above was only part of the fun. The endless hours at the bar, treating the Parramints to dinner at a swanky steakhouse, riding in everyone’s cars, meeting new friends…that’s what makes a LOG special. Join your fellow LEO members at LOG 29, to be held in Birmingham, AL at the Barber Museum, May 29 – June 1, 2009!