Topic: SOLVED: WTH # 385 - 1965 Lotus-Rotorvic 23B V12

[sixtee5cuda]

To earn your point, specify the year, make, model, and powerplant of this strange race car.

There is something unusual about those wheels.

[sixtee5cuda]

Rookies don't like race cars?

Up!

[shamrock]

the ROTORVIC 23

[sixtee5cuda]

LOCKED briefly for Shamrock.

Can you include the approximate year it was built, and say something about the engine?

[shamrock]

1965. ENGINE WAS 6 AERIAL ATOM ENGINES ( FLAT TWINS) JOINED TOGETHER , NOT A GREAT SUCCESS

[sixtee5cuda]

And the point goes to Shamrock for the correct answer.

In researching this puzzle car, I found numerous web sites describing the Ariel engine as a V-twin.  I haven't seen the Ariel motors called "Flat twin", they are usually called "inline twins".  Most sites call these "Ariel Arrow" engines, although Atom is also named.

If you can find it, the video of this car running is impressive.

[Allan L]

Yes, but . . .
 Ariel offered a couple of motorcycles with twin-cylinder two-stroke motors of 249 cc.
The first in 1958 was the Leader, a totally enclosed job like this:

A year or so later the Arrow appeared which looked more of a motorbike.

As you can see on the Arrow, the two cylinders are side by side so neither V-twin nor flat-twin is correct.

The Ariel Atom is a car with a space-frame exo-skeleton (if I can so describe it!) which used a proprietory car engine (Honda I think).

[sixtee5cuda]

About those wheels...    The Lotus 23 and 23B had 4-stud wheels in front, and 6-stud wheels in back.  The spare tire with 4 holes would only fit the front of the car, so it was not allowed to race at Le Mans.  The 23C had 6-stud wheels on both ends, so it was allowed to race.

[Carnut]

Here's the car pictured at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016:

[nicanary]

It was very slow. And noisy.....