Paying tribute; hero Clark was killed 40 years ago this year. (Autocar photo) » More Photos

The freeway was boring, but we had finished with it soon after lunch, having turned 30mpg to the first refueling stop, after 220 miles, without trying. A quick call to Ian S-W caused me to ditch the original Google plan to follow the A1 to Berwick-upon-Tweed, then turn left for Chirnside and Duns. Far better, he advised, to peel off the A1 highway just north of Morpeth and take the more sinuous and interesting A697 to Coldstream, then the even better A6112 into Duns.

Ian and his friend would be waiting outside the Jim Clark Room, the modest but deeply impressive, local council-maintained museum in which many of Clark’s trophies repose, along with artifacts from his remarkable racing career.

To me, the moving thing about that place is to appreciate the homespun nature of Clark’s early achievements, as a young farmer simply having fun with friends. Much of the time he drove Scott-Watson’s thoughtfully chosen cars: DKWs, a Porsche 365, then a succession of Lotuses.

Clark’s supreme skills emerged artlessly, aided by the selfless help of Scott-Watson, also a hero in my eyes, who knew very early that his friend had something very special. Clark was so much better than the rest of them – even the decent ones – that the margin would not be disguised. Within a couple of years he was racing a D-type Jaguar. Within four he was a grand prix star. Within six he was winning grands prix.

In a car like the Europa, you leave the A1 and head for Coldstream with a rightful sense of expectation. The soaring straights and long, super-quick bends of the A697 demonstrate the Lotus’s brilliant steering accuracy and stability, and increase your challenge, as does the task of watching for killjoy speed cameras. Beyond Coldstream on the A6112 you understand why such enthusiasm for cars and driving, and for motorsport of all kinds, has grown up in this comparatively underpopulated place.

"By the time I’d driven back I’d learned what inputs the Lotus needed, so I was providing those and nothing else." (Autocar photo) » More Photos

By English standards, this is a drivers’ paradise. The A6112 is little trafficked on weekdays, wide enough to take a line through every corner, and its surface is impeccable. The corners vary in radius, presenting constant braking and gearchanging challenges, but you can see them coming. Get to the end of that 12-mile sprint into Duns and your instinct is to turn around and do it again straight away. I kept thinking of young Jimmy and his carefree set in the late 1950s and very early ’60s; how they must have loved driving in this place.

Scott-Watson and two friends were waiting outside the Clark Room, but by the time I’d arrived it was closed. So we toured the local sites associated with Jim Clark (the churchyard and memorial clock in nearby Chirnside, the farm at Edington Mains) and then we had a convivial dinner in a nearby pub, resolving to be back at the Clark Room the next morning. Ian also invited me to his house to view a wonderful Clark picture collection, most of the images never published. It was the highlight of the journey.

I drove the Europa back to Hethel as quickly as traffic, speed cameras and the forces of the law would allow. By then we were allies, friends; I had learned what inputs it needed and was enjoying providing those and nothing else. It was powerful, quick to respond, firm but supple, and its unpadded seats were amazingly comfortable. Deep upholstery, I decided, is sometimes the enemy of comfort.

Giving the Europa back was the worst thing. I’d have cheerfully taken it on to London and used it for commuting. Or sought another far-flung destination. This may not quite be the “businessman’s express” as originally labeled, but this new edition is still a fine long-distance car for the driver who understands it. You may not be cosseted, but you’re never, ever bored.

Steve Cropley /Autocar