CHOTIS BILL
02-14-2012, 04:09 PM
I am new to this forum but not to wrenching on cars. I race prepped my first car in the early 60’s. It was a Bugeye Sprite that I race for several years until I built a LeGrand MK-4 Maserati BSR from blueprints. I raced it until I got married and went back to school to get my BS degree and sold the car. I always liked DSR’s and in the early 80’s I teamed up with a few other guys and built a car based on a Legrand MK18 DSR. After a while every one dropped out except me. I kept the car and raced it but didn’t like the idea of racing a car that I didn’t design so I decided to design my own car. The hardest part of designing a car at that time was the suspension geometry because there were no computer programs available and doing a model mockup was very time consuming. So I wrote my own program and designed my own car around the data from that program. I have designed, built, and raced several cars over the years and they have done very well. I have won regional championships, divisional championships, and have set lap records some of which still stand. The latest car had full ground effects that would pull 2.5G’s in turns and 3G’s under breaking. It turn 1:38’s lap times at California Speedway and 1:17’s or maybe 1:16’s at Willow Springs with a younger driver. I have had a few guys drive for me over the years and one of them started a web page called
Ecurie Chotis.com. To pay for this hobby I started a part time machine shop business called Chotis Engineering. I had to give up racing in 2010 because of back injuries aggravated by driving a car with very stiff springs on very bumpy race track like Buttonwillow. After I stopped racing I knew I wanted to build a type 65 coupe but needed time to make it happen.
After seeing one of the original Cobra Coupes back in the 60’s I knew that if I ever build a kit car it would be one of those. So just as one chapter of my life was ending a friend of mine told me about the Factory Five Coupe and a new chapter started. The last hurdle to overcome was selling my race cars and I sold the last one last month. I have ordered a complete Type 65 Coupe with IRS, Wilwood brakes, wipers, carpet, ac, and the free wheels. It should be ready for pickup on March 10 for the long trip to So Cal.
From what I have seen on this forum there are people that are willing and able to help each other with anything you can dream up doing to these cars. I am hoping to enjoy building this car as much as I have enjoyed all the others I have built.
Bill Lomenick
Ecurie Chotis.com. To pay for this hobby I started a part time machine shop business called Chotis Engineering. I had to give up racing in 2010 because of back injuries aggravated by driving a car with very stiff springs on very bumpy race track like Buttonwillow. After I stopped racing I knew I wanted to build a type 65 coupe but needed time to make it happen.
After seeing one of the original Cobra Coupes back in the 60’s I knew that if I ever build a kit car it would be one of those. So just as one chapter of my life was ending a friend of mine told me about the Factory Five Coupe and a new chapter started. The last hurdle to overcome was selling my race cars and I sold the last one last month. I have ordered a complete Type 65 Coupe with IRS, Wilwood brakes, wipers, carpet, ac, and the free wheels. It should be ready for pickup on March 10 for the long trip to So Cal.
From what I have seen on this forum there are people that are willing and able to help each other with anything you can dream up doing to these cars. I am hoping to enjoy building this car as much as I have enjoyed all the others I have built.
Bill Lomenick