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Thread: What is the allure of "old tat"?

  1. #11
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    Moss’ career was over in 1962 as result of Goodwood accident so his race gear was probaly before the specialist race boots offerings. Boxing boots foe him seem to make sense — didn’t he box at one point ?

    Also it just occurred to me … If Jim Clark is seen wearing the distinctive Edward Lewis Westover GP boots with tan heel on the image on the prior post when he tragically died early April 1968 it further questions the timeline of the Hagerty author’s Ciccio tale. That says the Ciccio big break only came following the one-off bespoke pair he made for Elford that Targa of 68
    4AE8A196-DBF6-4F98-820B-E3E01AF73CD3.jpg
    Comparison Clarke boot vs similar detail on mine today
    2DA4E0C8-B39F-4444-888D-B7714100FC3D.jpegA183DB2A-8D00-4604-A66C-15BD74EE8A88.jpeg
    Unless I’m mistaken this is Silverstone 1963 around two years before the Ciccio first one off commission and nearly five years before it is implied drivers were all forced to use regular clodhopper street shoes until Ciccio race boots. Hmm…. If so then clearly specific for racing grand prix boots were available and in already use by top driver(s) 1963 and 1964
    079283CD-26FD-48F8-A720-5993AD670520.jpeg
    Last edited by 911MRP; 01-09-2022 at 05:03 AM.

  2. #12
    Senior Member StephenAcworth's Avatar
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    Steve

    Here are details of the patent:

    https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publ...R=764268A&KC=A

    Stephen
    1966 911 Coupe - Slate Grey - 304598 - still in restoration!

    Member #1616

  3. #13
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    Cheers Stephen

    Amazing what is in www. A few things jump out:

    The patent is dated 8 years or so before Jim Clark seen wearing Westover’s in 1963 so Lewis was quite established in footwear business even though he was well known as a race driver who good enough to be invited to the selective BRDC.

    Jenks does comment Lewis would be focusing on driving shoe after restructuring business circa 1965. Seems his own racing and Jim Clark wearing his GP boot in a championship winning year might’ve highlighted a niche for footwear business?

    Jim Clark wearing the Westover GP boot with their distinctive tan heel for the Indy 500 race win in the Lotus in 1965 — this probably helped Edward Lewis narrowed focus on racing footwear achieve sales in USA too?

    58208E7D-C29F-4926-B8E5-87467622367D.jpg

    Even in a simpler less commercial world before celebrity sportspeople were being paid huge sums of money brand for endorsing athletic shoes and people collecting them Clark wearing these with the distinctive tan heel might’ve been a tad more prominent than Ciccio making prototypes boots with the glue soles for the three drivers in Targa Florio the same year perhaps?

    With 1965 being another F1 drivers championship winning year for Jim Clark that too probably drew attention to Westovers at GO events around the world for what on this evidence might have been his racing boot of choice in period around 1963-65. Different angle but it seems likely these are the same Westover GP boot as Indy being worn at the A Grand Prix around the similar time
    377A05B5-A863-460D-83C2-AF4326A462ED.jpeg

    Judging by so many the top racing drivers including F1 world champions wearing his racing boots (photographs in the posts at top of this thread) for the next decade was possibly a good call for Lewis to specialise on driving footwear in way Jenks describes. Maybe not a huge fortune but comfortable enough to retire to a Spain which was popular for British retirees in that era.
    http://www.brdc.co.uk/Notice-of-Death---Edward-Lewis

    Doesn’t seem like the patent is specifically a motorsport feature although it may help in some way for that use since it was applied to GP boots.

    Because of the flat leather piece on top of foot on my example I didn’t initially notice a central seam in the pair I have to hand — however upon closer inspection there is a neatly sewn seam at the front of the strip that runs around the edge of the toe. 61485DB6-678D-4DB3-85B7-5E550D9BC8E3.jpg Presumably the seam just visible in photo relates the patent you found since it bears the number I photographed that I suppose you used to locate the patent info.



    I now know more about shoe manufacture than I ever cared to although all this about Clark and shoes somehow puts me in mind of a colleague who I worked with who went to Clark’s shoes (the famous British shoe maker but no relation to Jimmy afaik). Left the place we worked together to take up a director role. Around the time I moved to Lotus Cars. Bet he knows all about shoe stuff. Lovely chap. He and I worked together on a few things and got on very well socially — he was a degree qualified marine engineer. Around the time I bought my classic Porsche he also treated himself to an old Riva boat from Monaco and brought it to U.K. to restore with his father. I recall carrying engine parts back from USA for their project on our regular transatlantic business trips as a favour to him. Split the heavy metal load between our bags — that was long before carrying such things for someone else in personal luggage was frowned upon by airline security. Bet the bags would set a few airport scanners buzzing these days!

    Steve

    Ps Rindt wore Westover by Edward Lewis GP Boot black leather with the tan heel feature around 1970
    6F3704DD-91A2-4B5B-8A7D-B09027C9FFFD.jpeg
    25834B39-BA59-42F9-9944-AF052F33ED32.jpeg
    69D3DA08-638E-41C6-BA34-BDF5676151D2.jpeg
    Last edited by 911MRP; 01-10-2022 at 07:43 AM. Reason: Ps with More photos

  4. #14
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    This is an advert for Westover by Edward Lewis featuring his specialised driving shoes and Grand Prix boots dated 1965. Appeared in the same magazine edition that did a full road test review of the 911 that month. Clearly these are period appropriate driving footwear to match the then new to market 911!
    98C16D79-62ED-415A-A4BB-FA2F3FC521C7.jpg
    Given his own racing background it seems Edward Lewis had decided to focus on the shoes and boots for keen drivers and racing people in mid 60s. Advertising in motoring weekly press, the breadth of range suggests the niche was by then quite developed by then which seems to tally with prior post showing he took out the patent mentioned in bottom of advert around a decade earlier in 1955. While others might claim to be to inventor of the racing boot the use of the GP boot with specialised patented features before some others who make the claim even made theirs suggests Edward Lewis was amongst the earliest — if not the first to make specialised GP boots as worn by quite a number of the very top drivers of the era. The tan heel is a distinctive feature that helps identify them in so many period photos. I believe the xx/x below was the price in shillings and pence before decimalisation; it was was 20 shillings to the £. I was young when decimalisation superseded the old system in 1971 so my memory is unreliable but think the format used in the advert meant eg 95/6 = 95 shillings and sixpence?

    Factory was in Northampton where best handmade shoes are made but they had a by appointment at mil st which is a continuation of Savile Row home of fone bespoke British tailoring

    The GP boots I have shown might be nearly as old as me!
    Steve
    Last edited by 911MRP; 11-28-2022 at 05:05 AM.

  5. #15
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    Perhaps Graham Hill who won the F1 world championship twice ( 1962 and 1968) as well as being runner up in other years is wearing a pair of the leather “GP Boot” by Edward Lewis in this photo.

    IMG_7189.jpg
    Hard to be certain since the angle doesn’t clearly show the distinctive tan-coloured heel cup of Westover but there are similarities to the boot in centre of advert in my prior post such as the two lace holes, slim rather pointed shape and the boot cut.

    An advert from 1970 — note it mentions the Nomex version like in my original
    post
    IMG_7194.jpg



    The Graham Hill photo in 60s is yet more evidence specialised GP boots with thin soles ans other features specifically for driving were available and worn — not just regular “clodhoppers” shoes as some would have us believe — years before an Italian brand came along dod a few race in 65 but claim to be the originator of racing boots. Rather unfair sonce Edward Lewis was clearly making and advertising specialist boots and driving footwear before this one of at targa event. The article abive mentions adverts appearing in motorsport. Not knocking the Italian boots as no doubt good quality but the chronology of such innovations should be kept straight!

    However, if though the owners own racing they were promoting how these Westover boots helped give better feel and car control then this crash at Crystal Palace circuit maybe didn’t help that messaging — although not named by commentator regarding the crash just before the 1 minute mark, Edward Lewis was listed as the driver of car 77 in the programme.

    https://youtu.be/bWp-0TuY4Sk?si=3NePfJLb8rffXt37

    However Jim Clark (that photos above show also wore Westovers at that time shows have it should be done.

    Bit later in 70s when my old comfy pair hail from they were applying a more prominent branding compared to the discrete mark just visibje in the advert of 70— the sown in label looks crude by today’s approaches but hardly surprising to see the light label given it was the how sportswear and advertising was moving.
    IMG_7196.jpg
    Wonder what Edward Lewis made of how things have progressed on specialised sportswear and its marketing — particularly footwear. He only died in 2015 so would’ve seen the sector transformed and the cult like interest in sports shoes. He was on to something — a decade too early and a focus on the wrong sport but seems he had an idea there was something afoot based in his own hobby motorsport and his work experience in the evolving footwear industry so went for it even parenting some features of the shoe design..


    Steve
    Last edited by 911MRP; 09-21-2023 at 01:53 PM.

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