One of the most beautiful sports cars of all time - Lotus Elite as a bargain in August 2017?
It is not at all easy to design small sports cars elegantly. Anyone who has ever tried to design a coupé that is only 3.8 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, which should look attractive and still be aerodynamic and usable, knows what we are talking about here.
One person who had a very lucky hand was Peter Kirwan-Taylor, actually an accountant by profession. With the help of aerodynamicist Frank Costin, he created the Lotus Elite, to this day one of the most beautiful sports cars ever.
With just over 1000 examples produced, the Lotus Elite, which was built between 1958 and 1963, remained rare. With several class victories and winning the "Index of Thermal Efficiency" trophy at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car has more "racing pedigree" than most Maserati and Ferrari.
It is therefore beautiful, rare and famous, in fact legendary. Nevertheless, it can still be bought cheaply even in good condition, although restoration would be expensive and it even has a legendary engine, the Coventry Climax, under the hood. Is it because the body is made of GRP? Or the fact that you feel like you're in a drum when you drive because the whole car acts as a resonating body? Or the fact that lightweight construction fanatic Colin Chapman largely dispensed with a stable chassis?
In any case, the Lotus Elite still has enormous potential to increase in value compared to other cars. If you want to get involved, you should perhaps take a look at the example that Bonhams is offering at the Quail Lodge auction on August 18, 2017 . It is in fact the more popular Series 2 version, a "Super 95" with a standard power injection. The fact that Lotus collector John Mullen owned it twice is actually a good sign for the restored car. USD 90,000 to 125,000 (EUR 77,000 to 110,000 or CHF 85,000 to 120,000) certainly seems a fair estimate, but lot 59 is even being auctioned without a reserve price, so a lower price is even possible.
All of the more than 100 cars announced for the Bonhams auction at Quail Lodge can of course be seen in the detailed preview .
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