1961 Lotus Elite - Very Rare

1961 Lotus Elite Additional Info:

This particular vehicle is something of secret…

Previously owned by a Ford engineer, this vehicle has all the whispers of a vehicle that was mentioned by David Lazenby, the general manager of Lotus Components.

“return of the elite” the caption states in the vintage January 1968 issue of Car Magazine. (feel free to message me, I can send you the link)

The magazine chronicles the details of the Lotus Elite being revamped and re-engineered for production. The twin-cam engine and Ford close ratio transmission would be powerplant that would move this beautiful dream into a new age.

In the magazine article it states that Lotus’ Lazenby had the bugs worked out and were at a stage where they were ready for production. “They will make them in batches of five to order”, Lazenby goes on to say.

“We don’t anticipate a rush on orders – in fact, we couldn’t cope with volume production” says Lazenby. “But we do know there are people about who still rate the Elite as a very desirable motor…”

Is this one of those cars that David Lazenby produced…. you be the judge.

This vehicle has been in storage with current owner for 24 years.

The mantra of Colin Chapman’s Lotus is that nothing may be larger or heavier than is essentially required. This article of faith is echoed in the first Elite.

The Lotus Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seat coupe penned by Peter Kirwan-Taylor. Kirwan-Taylor not only help define the shape of the LeMans winning Elite, but he would go on to be director of Group Lotus.

The Lotus Elite was produced from 1958 to 1963 and made its debut at the 1957 London Motor Car Show. The Elite's most distinctive feature was its highly innovative fiberglass monocoque construction. Advanced aerodynamics also made a contribution giving the car a very low drag coefficient of 0.29 - quite low even for modern cars. What is more astonishin, that this was all accomplished without the use of computer-aided design or wind tunnel testing.

It had independent suspension all round with transverse wishbones at the front and Chapman struts at the rear. The Elite also used this glass-reinforced plastic material for the entire load-bearing structure of the car though the front of the monocoque incorporated a steel sub-frame supporting the engine and front suspension. The vehicle sported four wheel disc brakes in an era where premium vehicles had drum brakes. The rear disc brakes were even more exotic as they were inboard.The resultant body was both lighter and stiffer and provided better driver protection in the event of any mishap. When production ceased in 1963 a mere 1,030 units had been manufactured.

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