Current Owner Bruce Ward, son of original purchaser Joe Ward, writes:

The first thing you will notice when you climb into this Lotus is all the trophy plates arrayed on the dash like so many war medals on an old generals uniform. They hint at the many battles waged in the formative years of the SCCA. I puchased SB1843 in December of 2005. The guy I bought it from was the sixth owner of the car since my father, Joe Ward, sold the car to Dean Watts in 1965. My father purchased the car in early 1964 from a dealer in Manhattan Beach, California - Bob Challman/Ecurie Shirlee.

Dad campaigned the car in the Pacific Division of the SCCA and won the 1964 C production championship for that division. Dad's own record of that season documents 21 starts with 13 first place finishes, 3 seconds, 3 thirds, 1 fourth and 1 DNF. He claims to have beaten every A and B production Cobra and Corvette in the West Coast SCCA at least once, including factory backed cars drivin by pro drivers. He competed against one B production Corvette on 12 occasions, beating that Corvette in 8 of those 12 races. This was no slouch Corvette. It ran second in points until the last race of the season, finishing third in the Pacific Division. In fact, SB1843 was so successful running against the A and B production cars that my father believed he finished second in points for B production.

I have many photos, newspaper clippings, trophies, trophy plates, flags and more, which remained in the family since 1964. Most of the owners of the car kept extensive records of the races, repairs and other information accumulated over the last four decades. One document was of particular interest to me.  My father had written a nine page letter to Dean Watts recounting that 1964 race season. Dean passed that letter on to the next owner. The letter stayed with the car for over 40 years and is now in my possession. This is the same Dean Watts and the same Super 7 in the "Long Lost Sevens" page of your website.

I noticed that there is another SB1843 on this website. I have attempted to contact the current owner without success. Any help you can give me with that is appreciated.
Best regards,
Bruce Ward

Dean Watts originally wrote:

I sold the car years ago, (1970's), it stayed with the fellow that I sold it to for about 15 years, he was a commerical pilot and I learned later he had been killed in a flying accident. His widow kept the car in their garage for another number of years. The car then went though a few owners, and about 3 years ago I saw it at the Monterey Vintage Races. Talked to the fellow and indeed, it was my old car. The original owner was a Doctor from Southern California. He sold it so that he could purchase a new, (at that time), Lotus Elan. Unfortunately, he was killed in that car at a race just a few months after he purchased.

Unfortunately, that's the only photograph I have of the car. I gave most to the fellow that I sold the car to, and the others have disappeared over the years.

The car had a very nice race history, wish I would have kept that information. I did well at autocrossing both in that car, and a Porsche Speedster prior to that. I won a number of "first overall's" in that class for some years My original intention was to buy a new kit from the factory and build it myself. I had it on order for over a year and never could get the fellow to deliver. So, when this car came up, he made me a deal I couldn't pass by. It was Bob Challman (sp?) a Lotus Dealer in the Los Angeles area. The Super-7 was very forgiving on a short course and at the time I was the only one running one seriously in the SF Bay Area. I've since vintage raced for over 30 years pretty much in Porsche's. Boy, where does the time go??

I just sold my 1966 Lotus Elan to a friend. Another nice car, a "streeter" for me, but it too was a ex-SCCA race car when I purchased. I spend a ton of money on it too make it street legal. It's now been rebuilt again as a race car and will join us on the Vintage Race Circuit.