1963 Lotus Elite S2 (Type 14)

Making its debut in 1957, the Type 14 Elite was the first production sports car that Colin Chapman designed for Lotus Cars. Lotus' design philosophy ran contrary to the prevailing norm, making their cars lighter, more aerodynamic and therefore more nimble, rather than increasing horsepower and weight, enabling Lotus cars to out-handle much more powerful vehicles on track. It was very light, weighing just 630kg and utilised a 'monocoque' construction which meant there was no separate chassis with the body being load-bearing and whilst this was becoming accepted practice, the Elite was the first time it had been attempted in fibreglass.

There were only two strips of steel in the car — a strip for the door hinges to attach to and a very small steel frame to which the engine and suspension were attached and when combined with independent sports suspension, a ZF gearbox, disc brakes, the Coventry Climax all-aluminium engine and a very low drag coefficient of just 0.29, it made for a great drivers' car. The first 280 were built by Maximar prior to production transferring to Bristol Aircraft who built a further 750, however the Elite was very expensive to produce, especially the GRP monocoque which was extremely labour-intensive, and it's understood that they lost around £100 on every car with its successor, the Elan, returning to more conventional construction.

This particular Elite S2, offered from long term ownership, has been with its present custodian for some considerable time prior to which it had been partially rebuilt due to having being rolled by an exuberant driver testing the Lotus phrase that the Elite was a ‘road-going racer’. A new body was ordered directly from Lotus in 1967/68 and rebuilt with all new glass, frames and bumpers and other associated parts as required. Finished in Lagoon Blue with a Silver Cap and black upholstery, the Elite has formed part of a private Collection since being acquired, with minimal use over the years however it has been maintained as required with invoices on file detailing such items as the ZF 4-speed close-ratio gearbox being rebuilt some years ago by DWR Engineering of Derby, marque specialists who it should be noted also rebuilt the engine with balanced internals. Other items noted within the history file list are a rebuilt differential, balanced diaphragm clutch and a replacement servo.

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 US 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.

With minimal use of late, minor recommissioning may be required but the potential is there for all to see and with that in mind we welcome and encourage your early inspection of this Bristol-built Series 2.