1959 Lotus Eleven S2

Lot 9
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Estimation :
180000 - 230000 EUR
1959 Lotus Eleven S2
French registration title Chassis n° 511 Historic car, ex-Tour de France Automobile 1959 Sold with its original chassis Equipped with the very powerful 1 460 cm3 Coventry Climax engine Well-known on the historic scene, high-performance car Eligible for historic competitions, including the Tour Auto, Le Mans Classic and the Fifties Built in 270 examples between 1956 and 1958, the Lotus Eleven synthesised all the experience and know-how of Colin Chapman. Intended for endurance and sprint racing for small capacity engine, this new Lotus, which introduced the E-names, quickly attracted a demanding clientele of sportsmen and gentlemen drivers. True to Chapman's philosophy of "light is right" and aerodynamics, the Eleven has a superb chassis made of a fine lattice of round and square steel tubes that weighs only 25 kg, while ensuring an amazing rigidity. The whole thing is covered by a thin aluminium bodywork designed by Frank Costin, chief aerodynamicist at the aircraft manufacturer De Haviland. The car was available in three versions: Club, with a rigid rear axle, Ford side-valve engine and drum brakes; Sport, which differed from the former in having a Coventry Climax engine; and Le Mans, which featured a De Dion rear axle and disc brakes (inboard at the rear). The latter will be powered, depending on the class in which it competes, by Coventry Climax 750cc, FWA 1098cc and FWB 1460cc 4-cylinder engines. In the latter configuration, power exceeds 100 hp. This was more than enough to allow the 450 kg unit to build up a solid track record. In 1957, the Series 2 appeared with major chassis improvements to better handle the extra power of the 1,475cc Coventry Climax FPF competition engine with over 140 hp. Its front end was based on the superimposed wishbone geometry of the Lotus 12 Formula 2 car. In 1956 and 1957, the Eleven won the 1,100cc class at Le Mans. In 1957 it also won the 750cc class and the performance index with the small 744cc Coventry Climax FWC. That same year, it also won the 1,100cc class at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Colin Chapman at the wheel. Together with its little sister, the Seven, it encapsulated the genius of Colin Chapman and made the small British firm successful. The Lotus Eleven we present is a 1958 Series 2, imported in France in April of that year by the unavoidable Jacques Savoye. Its chassis number is 511 and it was one of the last Eleven to be built. It seems, according to information gathered in the 1990s from Gérard "Jabby" Crombrac and Jacques Potherat, that it was only registered in January 1959 in the name of Jean Lucas' stable, Los Amigos, via one of its illustrious members, the gentleman driver Jean-Claude Vidilles. The latter was indeed a distinguished driver on D.B. and Lotus, signing good results at Le Mans in particular (11th in 1956). The results of #511 are not known, with the exception of a participation in the 8th Tour de France Automobile! We find our Eleven on September 18, 1959 in Nice, flanked by the number 122, entered in the names of Michel Dagorne and René Pichard. Dagorne, who seems to have started his "career" at the 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Maserati 200 SI, raced until the end of the 1960s, mainly in Formula Junior, scouring the most prestigious circuits, from Montlhéry to Monaco... The 1959 Tour Auto will be remembered as one of the toughest! Out of 106 participants at the start, only 29 crossed the finish line, after 5,549 km, including more than 1,200 km of racing. On the first stage alone, which took the caravan from Nice to Spa in Belgium, 77 crews abandoned. This seems to be the case for the Lotus Eleven with the number 122. Very little is known about chassis #511, until it was brought out in the early 1990s in the hands of Jean-Pierre Delhaye. He had the car restored at great expense by the best English specialists, including Cooper Motorsport, while the bodywork was rebuilt by GP Panelcraft. It was then that the car, found without an engine, received its current Coventry-Climax FWE. Initially intended for an Elite (hence the E), it was rebuilt in FWB configuration, with a long-stroke crankshaft allowing it to go from 1,216cc to 1,460cc. It was Jean-Pierre Delhaye's wife who raced it, notably in the Lotus Trophy in the early 2000s. Its current owner has very recently redone all the brakes and the axle (waterproofing and 45CD4S steel support), changed the shock absorbers, and proceeded to a complete painting in a superb midnight blue colour. He has participated in a few races, including Le Mans in 2021 in a round of the Sixties Endurance by Peter Auto trophy. The car is running very well, and after an overhaul and the change of the carburettors (compliant models supplied) to obtain the precious Historic Technical Passport, its future owner will be able to take part in the most beautiful historic events, and why not try to get a victory in the very competitive Performance Index.
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