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Colin Chapman’s Formula 1 Lotus concepts had set the pace inpinnacle-level motor racing technology since 1960 with his first rearengineddesign, the standard-setting Lotus Type 18. In 1961 he hadshrunk the Formula 1 car concept into the lay-down seat ‘hypodermicneedle’ form of the 4-cylinder Lotus Type 21. In 1962 his fertile andinnovative mind had launched the stressed-skin ‘monocoque’-chassisedand Climax V8-engined Lotus Type 25. That family of Formula 1 carscarried Jim Clark and the Lotus marque to World Championshiptitle-winning top honours in 1963 and 1965 and set the performancestandards of the time throughout the final four years of 1½-litre GrandPrix racing, 1962-65.The replacement 3-litre Formula 1 category had then been introducedfor 1966-69 and, with new chief designer Maurice Phillippe, ColinChapman had conceived – with Ford money and Cosworth engineexpertise – the Lotus Type 49 for 1967.Since this now legendary Lotus design then saw frontline servicethrough no fewer than four Formula 1 seasons, 1967-1970, the Type49 also became one of the longest-lived of Grand Prix car designs,campaigned not only by such superstar World Champions as Jim Clarkand Graham Hill, but also by subsequent World Champions JochenRindt and Emerson Fittipaldi.Only six of these transcendant Formula 1 cars survive today. It is manyyears since any became available via public auction sale, but Bonhamsis delighted to offer here the ex-works Team Lotus car number ‘49-R8’.This is the last Lotus to be sold from the collection of the late, sorelymissed British-born Formula 1 Lotus collector and racer, the long-timeAustralian-domiciled Hon. John Dawson-Damer.Never before offered at auction, ‘49-R8’ now offered here was built inOctober 1968 specifically for new double-World Champion GrahamHill to drive in the Tasman Championship races in New Zealand andAustralia during January-February 1969. Tasman Formula racing cateredfor single-seater racing cars with engines of no more than 2½-litrescapacity, and to meet this requirement Cosworth produced a smallnumber of conversion kits to present their highly successful new 3-litreDFV V8 power unit in 2.5-litre ‘DFW’ Tasman trim.With such a power unit bolted on to its forward three-quarter-lengthmonocoque chassis, Graham Hill drove the John Player Gold Leafliveriedworks Lotus 49 ‘R8’ brand-new in its debut race, the January4, 1969, New Zealand Grand Prix at Pukekohe, Auckland, but wasforced to retire. He also failed to finish in its second outing, the followingweekend at Levin, like Pukekohe on New Zealand’s North Island.208 | Goodwood festival of speed