Lotus Elite Series 1 Racer, 1959
Lotus Elite
Lotus Elite•
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Chassis No.: LOT122259
Auction: Monterey 2017
Auction date: August 19, 2017
Lot No.: F35
$48,400 | Sold
- Exterior: Red
- Body: Racer
- Serial no. 1222
- Street legal registration in New York
- Originally raced in Great Britain
- Restored and prepared by Bob Akin Motorsports
- Stage V 1216cc inline 4-cylinder engine
- Billet crank
- Red exterior with black interior
- Race-tuned suspension, shocks and spring rates
- Eligible for vintage racing competition
This 1959 Lotus Elite is a shining example of racing pedigree, having been personally owned, restored and raced by the legendary Bob Akin. Originally raced in Great Britain, the car was imported into the United States in 1985. Two years later it was purchased by Akin, who owned the car for 13 years until he decided to sell it in 2000. During his reign of ownership, Akin performed refurbishment, restoration and race-preparation work on the Elite at a cost of more than $100,000. The car is fitted with a Stage V 1,216cc Coventry-Climax engine built by Marcovicci-Wenz Engineering. The suspension and brakes have been upgraded and fine-tuned for maximum performance.
The Lotus Elite was first unveiled at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1957. Until the introduction of the Elite, Lotus and founder Colin Chapman were famous for making racing cars to compete in road racing, hill climbs or club racing. The Elite was the first attempt at a dual-purpose car that could be truly roadworthy, as well as competitive in racing. The Elite would meet both objectives with six consecutive competition-class wins at Le Mans and an enthusiastic motoring public clamoring to purchase the car. The car was certainly advanced for its day. It featured front and rear independent suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes and a very slippery shape with a 0.29 drag coefficient.
However, the signature feature of the Elite was its highly innovative fiberglass monocoque construction. Mimicking the construction of a fiberglass boat with an upper and lower section bonded together to create a monolithic load-bearing structure, a steel subframe was attached to support the engine and front suspension. The resulting outcome was a feather-light curb weight of just less than 1,200 pounds. This Elite comes complete with chain-of-custody documentation and period pictures.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/306088/1959-lotus-elite-series-1-racer/
