Lotus' First F1 Racing Car to be Auctioned

The first Lotus F1 car will be offered at a Bonhams auction in Monaco on May 10.

The original Team Lotus was disbanded in the early 1990s (the Lotus name has since been used by other unrelated teams), but the innovative car, designed under the supervision of legendary Lotus founder Colin Chapman, won seven constructors' championships and six The team was once a Formula One powerhouse, winning seven constructors' championships and six drivers' championships in the revolutionary car designed under the direction of legendary Lotus founder Colin Chapman.

This car (chassis number 353) was one of the first of its kind. The Lotus 12 was raced eight times in both F1 and F2 by Team Lotus between 1957 and 1959.

These included the BRDC International Trophy, a non-championship F1 race held at Silverstone in 1957. Although not part of the official world championship calendar, it was the F1 debut of Lotus and driver Graham Hill. He would go on to win two Formula One championships and the "triple crown" of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Chassis number 353 was also the first Lotus car to compete in the F1 championship, driven by Hill in the 1958 Monaco GP. Aside from its historical significance, the car did not have particularly good race results, with a best finish of second in an F2 race.

Embodying Chapman's philosophy of "simplify then add lightness," the car reportedly weighed only 700 pounds in racing trim, thanks to a chassis made of aircraft-grade aluminum. The Coventry Climax in-line four-cylinder engine produced 141 hp in F2 spec, sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed sequential gearbox with an unusual shift pattern: straight left.

After the 1958 racing season, Lotus sold chassis number 353 to privateer John Fisher. Fisher raced the car four times in 1959 before selling it to Australian Frank Gardner, who planned to continue racing the Historic Lotus but soon sold it. The car then went through several owners before the current owner, Mike Bennett, and his partner acquired the car in 1991. Bennett took full ownership of the machine in 1995 and had it fully restored.

Bonhams expects the first Lotus F1 car to sell at auction for between $310,000 and $420,000. However, for the avid Lotus fan, it may be worth thousands of dollars.