Lotus 11, Le Mans, Series 1, – FWA engine, – complete and original

1956 Lotus Other Polished aluminum Additional Info:

This is a Lotus 11 Le Mans which has been restored to the highest level of originality and reliability. The suspension is deDion with Girling brakes all around. The differential casing is somewhat unusual in that it has the L-shaped oil sump at the bottom. This sump was only used on a few of the very early production cars. The engine is a Coventry climax FWA 1100cc which has been rebuilt using all-new parts including Carrillo rods and forged Pistons with the original L-shaped top rings. Crankshaft original designs having been cracked tested and inspected. The carburetors original SU which also have been freshly rebuilt. The car runs and drives like a dream. This Lotus 11 is of the highest standard to be obtained. It is ready for the racetrack or as a jewel in a Museum. The car may be inspected in Sacramento, California
.1956 Lotus 11 Le Mans

This car was purchased by me in the United Kingdom in about 1978. The car was purchased from a London, UK dealer. The car was in very bad condition having been crashed and neglected. The dealer told me that he purchased it in the United States and imported it to the UK. To his knowledge it had been raced and crashed in the United States. I received no other information about the car at that time. We started the restoration in about 1980. The body panels were in such bad condition that it was necessary to have Mr. Len Pritchard of Williams and Pritchard provide a new body for the car.

This car was imported back into the United States in 1985 when I returned from the UK to live in the US. The car was not completed at this time and collected the dust in my storage facility until about three years ago when we decided to complete the car.

We do not have a number plate or a chassis number for the car. We believe it is one of the very early Lotus 11 series 1 cars. It came with the L-shaped magnesium differential casing as used in some Mark 10 Lotus cars. I never was concerned about the number plate as up until the 1980s when vintage racing became very popular no one really worried about the chassis number. The worry was whether or not the car and its components were appropriate for the type.