Description
This car is Lot 171 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale on 6 February, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available Tuesday 4 February from 08:00 until 18:00 and Wednesday 5 February from 9 AM - 6 PM, at The Grand Palais Historique, Paris.
Lot 171
1959 Lotus Elite S1
Registration no.
Chassis no. 1101
Prepared for historic competitions
Valid Historic Technical Passport until 2030
Eligible for numerous international events, including Tour Auto and Le Mans Classic
French registration document
'The road manners of the Elite come as near to those of a racing car as the ordinary motorist would ever experience.' - The Autocar.
With the Lotus 14 of 1957 - better known as the Elite - Colin Chapman demonstrated that his skills as a racing car designer and constructor could just as easily be applied to production road cars. The Elite was, nevertheless, conceived with competition in mind - Chapman had his sights set on class wins at Le Mans and the Monte Carlo Rally - and incorporated technology developed in Lotus's single seaters. Every bit as innovative as Chapman's outright competition cars, the Elite featured a glassfibre monocoque body tub (the world's first), independent suspension all round (based on that of Lotus' racing monopostos), rack-and-pinion steering, and four-wheel disc brakes, the rears mounted inboard. Its engine was the lightweight four-cylinder Coventry-Climax FWE, a single-overhead-cam unit of 1, 216cc producing 75bhp, while the gearbox, an MGA unit fitted with an alloy casing and modified bell-housing, was sourced from BMC.
The curvaceously styled body - the work of Peter Kirwan-Taylor and aerodynamicist Frank Costin - although possessing an admirably low coefficient of drag (0. 29), made few concessions to comfort or noise suppression, not that that is likely to have bothered the Elite's customers, for whom its 112mph top speed and superlative handling were of far greater importance. The Elite made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1957, with deliveries commencing in 1958.
Body production was farmed out to Maximar, a boat builder, which supplied around 250 for assembly at the Lotus factory in Edmonton, North London. With demand increasing, the company relocated to a new purpose-built factory in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in 1960. By the time production ceased in 1963 an estimated total of 1, 078 cars had been completed.
On the racetrack, the Elite proved every bit as successful as Chapman had hoped, scoring its first international class win at the Nürburgring 1, 000km race in 1959, and would go on to win its class at Le Mans on five occasions, twice winning the prestigious Index of Thermal Efficiency competition, with best finishes of 8th overall (twice). Driven by the likes of Jim Clark, Trevor Taylor, Peter Lumsden, and Les Leston, Elites were a mainstay of sports and GT racing at national level on both sides of the Atlantic, and many are still in action in historic events today.
The current owner acquired #1101 at an auction in 2022. The description at the time highlighted the car's comprehensive preparation undertaken by its previous owner. A new engine producing 220 bhp, built by the renowned British specialist Peacock Engineering, had been installed, and the gearbox fully overhauled. Under its former owner, it performed notably at the Grand Prix de l'Âge d'Or and the Dix Mille Tours du Castellet in 2016. Sold with its FIA FFSA Historic Technical Passport valid until 2030, some adjustments will be necessary to bring it back to race-ready condition. It is accompanied by a history file and its former cancelled French registration document. This car requires recommissioning before any use after a long period of static display.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams|Cars website for all pertinent auction information.
