A Lotuseer is Lost
All at Classic Team Lotus were very saddened to learn of the tragic death of Historic Racer and true Lotuseer Simon Diffey in a road traffic accident this past weekend.
Simon had a passion for all vintage and classic cars and for Lotus in particular. His on track endeavours always were conducted to the very highest standards and in the very best of spirits. Simon’s enthusiasm for all things racing rubbed off on everybody he came into contact with in the world of Historic Racing.
Simon’s Lotus highlights include:
- Being part of the team involved in the revival of JPS Lotus Type 76 chassis 1, when Jim Bennett acquired it from Classic Team Lotus.
- Running at the front of the Formula Junior field at Goodwood, Spa and Monaco in his first single-seater drives in William Taylor’s Type 20.
- Lots of racing at the front end of the Formula Junior grid in his own immaculate gold Lotus Type 20.
- The discovery and outstanding restoration of the ex-Peter Warr, ex-Getty Veedol Lotus Type 20 (a finalist in the RAC Restoration of the Year 2021).
- Various Works Classic Team Lotus outings at Goodwood, including driving the Type 56B (“Emerson’s Jet Car”) as he excitedly referred to it as during the 2021 Festival of Speed. It was always good to have Simon on your team.
- Racing together with son George at the 2021 Goodwood Revival, lining up side-by-side on the grid in the FJ race.
The above is a tiny fraction of the outstanding number of achievements he realised in his time, which has been so tragically cut short.
Recently, Simon put together a really excellent video about the Veedol Lotus Type 20 he found and restored https://youtu.be/j_OXTdbhBfM . This footage that captures some of the spirit of how Simon went about things and his passion for Lotus is well worth watching.
Everyone at Classic Team Lotus will miss him a great deal, as will many, many others in the historic motorsport community.
Sincere condolences to Simon’s wife Sarah and family.
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