Lotus 47 'snorkel' car unveiled at StoneleighOne of the most impressive unveilings at the Stoneleigh International Historic Motorsport Show was the ex-works Lotus 47 that Pat Thomas and his engineer Tony Hills have painstakingly restored to 1967 specification.The 'snorkel' car raced by John Miles and Jackie Oliver to class victory in the BOAC 500 at Brands in July 1967 will be raced in Heritage GT races by Thomas and will return to Brands in April, almost 40 years on from that famous victory.Thomas has owned the car for 25 years and reckons it has not raced for at least 30 years. They have worked on the car on and off for a decade, and it is now complete and will have a shakedown test at a Heritage track day at Snetterton ahead of being raced in the Heritage GT Challenge this season. "We just want to shake it down at Snetterton and then we'll try and get a test at Donington before the first race on 22 April. It’s taken us so long, but I'm just so chuffed with it."Last season in Heritage races, Thomas and Mike Youles drove the ex-Willment Racing Elan 26R first raced by John Miles in 1966. They scored several class victories in the Elan and Thomas now aim to continue that form in the 47, the first such car to be seen in Heritage races in recent times."I thought if I didn't get it done soon, I'd be too old to race it," joked Thomas as the car drew major interest at the Stoneleigh show.

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