1959 Lotus Elite S1 Coupe

The Lotus 14, better known as the Elite, was conceived with competition in mind. Colin Chapman incorporated technology developed in Lotus's single seaters and was designed to achieve class wins at motorsports around the world. They had a glassfiber monocoque body tub (the world's first), an independent suspension, and disc brakes with the rears mounted inboard. Power was from a four-cylinder Coventry-Climax FWE, single overhead-cam unit displacing 1,216cc and offering 75 horsepower. The gearbox was an MGA unit fitted with an alloy casing and modified ell-housing. The body design was courtesy of Peter Kirwan-Taylor and aerodynamicist Frank Costin and had a low coefficient of drag of 0.29.

During its competition lifespan, the Elite achieved 6 class victories at the 24 Hours of LeMans in addition to similar triumphs at the Nürburgring.

This particular example was delivered to Jay Chamberlain on June 20th of 1959, along with chassis 1047 and 1954 as the first shipments to the North American market. The original owner of this vehicle remains unknown. In 1970, it was purchased by Richard Yagami who would place the car in storage for many years. It emerged from its slumber in 2015 and the ownership transferred to Phil Lamont. It was then given a thorough restoration.

Currently, the car has 9,515 miles on its odometer, with 100 miles being clocked since the restoration was completed. It is finished in its original Cirrus white with a black interior. The engine is a 1,216cc SOHC four-cylinder unit fitted with a single SU H4 carburetor and offering 75 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission, an independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2018