1958 Lotus Elite Type 14 - Chassis 008

The Lotus Elite Type 14, when first launched in 1958, put Colin Chapman and Lotus cars very firmly on the map. It utilised a monocoque construction which meant there was no separate chassis and the body was load bearing, and whilst this was becoming accepted practice, the Elite was the first time it had been attempted in glass-fibre. When combined with independent sporty suspension, a ZF gearbox, disc brakes, a Coventry Climax all-aluminium engine and a very low drag coefficient of just 0.29 - it made for a great drivers car. So much so that by production end in 1963 over one thousand had been produced and Lotus was now a credible British sports car manufacturer.

The lilac-hued Type 14, chassis #1008 on offer here is a rather special car and an important part of early Lotus history. It is the eigth pre-production prototype Elite and was displayed on the Lotus stand at the 1958 Earls Court Motor Show. The car that followed it, #1009, is recognised as the first genuine production car and was originally purchased by one of Colin Chapman's favoured customers and friends, jazz legend Chris Barber. Initially, 008 was used by the then Lotus works driver, Keith Hall, for road use until 1960. This example and the other prototypes were being sold or lent to selected racing drivers in the late 1950s to gain publicity whilst at the same time discovering any weaknesses before full production started.

After Keith Hall’s time with the car, chassis 008 passed in 1960 to its first private owner, who staggeringly kept it for the following 60 years! Under this long-term ownership the car was preserved in its Motor Show appearance both inside and out, as you can see by the charmingly original patina of the Lilac bodywork and original yellow interior. Documented in the huge accompanying history file are details and letters regarding the installation of a 1,500cc Cosworth-modified Ford engine, with a close ratio gearbox due to the poor reliability of the original 1,220cc Climax. This unit was fitted relatively early in the car's life as you’ll see in the letter dated 9th March 1964 to Mr Costin by the then owner.

The result of this change meant a huge improvement in both the reliability and performance of 6 SML as recently confirmed by renowned marque expert, Paul Matty, who told Silverstone recently just how good this car is to drive today. Paul knows the car well and, in fact sold 6 SML to the current owner, who is only the second registered keeper, following his predecessor's 60 years of loyalty to the little Lotus.

008 boasts some interesting and unique design features that never made it onto later production, one of which is the fuel tank which is encapsulated in the right front wing. There is an incredible amount of history accompanying this special car, far too much to list here as you can see from some of the accompanying photographs, so we highly recommend interested parties come see the car and the owner's file for themselves to really understand the history and preservation on offer here.

By the time Elite production ceased in September 1963, 1,030 examples had been built and Lotus had developed from a company unheard of outside of UK club racing to one of the most famous racing teams in the world. They were about to be crowned F1 World Champions for the first time with Jim Clark, and were seen as established world players in road car manufacture with a mature market presence in the USA and elsewhere. The Elite played a big part in this remarkable feat of automotive industrial growth. It was Lotus' first 'grown-up', credible road car and laid down the foundations of the Lotus business that still exists today.

Cars are only original once, and 6 SML needs be preserved and cherished by its next owner. We welcome and encourage any inspection of this important piece of both Lotus and British Automotive history.