The Mechanic's Gallon

I came upon the phrase ‘the mechanic’s gallon’ a while ago. Lotus in the 60’s were trying to save weight and make the car as light as possible, inc. putting as much fuel in the car at the start of the race so that it lasted JUST to the end. This generally worked but a few times ran out of fuel with a few laps to go. So unbeknownst to Colin Chapman, the mechanics when fuelling the car would add an extra gallon, just to make sure it was enough, hence the ‘mechanic’s gallon’!

Friday, December 20, 2024

Dave Brodie, recorded in April 2016

Download the audio here, also on the YouTube channel

I met the Brode just twice, the first time was to film this interview (April 2016) for my Lotus 72 documentary. The connection to that was that he was Ronnie Peterson's best friend, and indeed, at his wedding to Barbro was not only his chauffeur but also his Best Man!

In this interview I cut virtually nothing out, the Brode was such a skillful storyteller that we needed no re-takes.

Ronnie is my favourite Grand Prix driver and as the interview drew to a close both the Brode and I knew how it was going to end, we both finished with tears in our eyes.

RIP Brode, thank you for your time and patience.