There’s not much to be written about Jim Clark’s talents behind the wheel that hasn’t already been written. He was a natural, he formed a close relationship with Colin Chapman and he drove with deft efficiency as well as speed. He was also humble. A quiet man outside of the car and a farmer first and foremost.

His career was littered with highs, and 1965 was a particularly special year. He won his second Formula One World Championship, took victory in the Indianapolis 500, claimed the Tasman Series title and won the Formula 2 championship. A year prior he took the British Saloon Car Championship crown. It was an utterly remarkable period that cemented his versatility as a driver and those achievements 60 years ago will never be repeated.

It was an anniversary that had to be marked, and the hard working folks at The Jim Clark Trust hosted a spectacular weekend to do just that in an utterly memorable way. The setting was the spectacular Duns Castle, an important gothic landmark in Scotland located a stone’s throw from the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum. It was the ideal venue to bring together some of the most significant cars in Jim Clark’s history. Classic Team Lotus was on hand all weekend having brought together some of those incredible green and yellow machines.

Three of Clark’s four 1965 single-seaters were present. The Type 33 Formula One car (chassis R1) made its debut at the non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch before Clark had back to back wins at Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and the Nürburgring. In Germany, he set a qualifying time three seconds clear of the opposition. Despite sitting out of Monaco to compete at (and win) the Indianapolis 500, Clark comfortably won that year’s F1 World Championship.

It sat alongside the Type 35 with which Clark won the Formula Two championship. It was run by Ron Harris and last changed hands in 1970. It has remained in unrestored condition exactly as it was when it retired from racing in 1966, which is why it’s in a few different shades of green. It’s the most original unrestored Clark car in existence. A real timewarp.

Then there was the Type 32B car from the Tasman Series. In the 1960s, F1 drivers would spend their winters continuing to race in Australia and New Zealand. This car has the distinction of having been built specifically for Clark, and he was the only one to have raced it. He won 75 percent of the races he entered and, of course, claimed the title.

Sadly the Type 38 Indy 500 car from 1965 wasn’t present. It was due to be shipped over, but Donald Trump’s tariffs put paid to the plan. This isn’t the place to discuss American foreign policy, and event-goers had the chance to see the 1967 Type 38 and its distinctive offset suspension. Other Clark single-seaters were present, too, including the Type 49 (chassis number R2) that Clark drove for the 49’s F1 debut at Zandvoort in 1967.

Also present were more Lotus Cortinas than have ever been gathered in one place before. This included the one-off version with independent rear suspension that Clark used as his chosen road car until his death in 1968. Two of his Elan road cars were also on show. And, while Clark is virtually synonymous with Lotus, it’s worth noting his career also included drives in Porsche 356 (his first competition car) and Jaguar D-types, which were also displayed. His Case tractor was on show, too.

Event-goers also had the opportunity to meet personalities from motorsport. Sir Jackie Stewart was mobbed by adoring fans wherever he went, while Dario Franchitti took to the castle’s driveway in the Type 49 for one of the many live action demonstrations of the car. Five time Le Mans winner Derek Bell was present, too, whose first ever race was in a Lotus at Goodwood. Prodrive’s Dave Richards completed the line-up of celebrities.

The constituent parts of the event were remarkable. The people and the cars meant that wherever you looked there was some living history to keep alive one of motorsport’s greatest ever stars. But the event was about so much more than what there was to see and do. The intangible atmosphere had to be experienced to be understood. It’s an event that will live long in the memories of those who attended.

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