1l7CcRC

Here we are delighted to be offering not just another fine example ofthe peerlessly beautiful, original-series Lotus Elite, but also perhaps themost special variant of the entire production run – the almost legendary‘big-engined LX’.While Colin Chapman was only ever really interested in building racingcars, he was also anxious that his embryo company should have a firmcommercial foundation upon which to survive and grow. To provide sucha foundation he created the Type 14 Elite as a road-cum-racing GrandTouring Coupe, and it was first announced in 1956 as the immenselyfar-sighted forerunner of a new age of composite-construction,monocoque-chassised performance cars.The cars made their mark in competition from 1959 forward and in 1960this very special version of the futuristic little Coupe was built with onemajor objective in view. It might, with luck, just have been capable ofwinning the Le Mans 24-Hours race, the most prestigious single-raceprize in the world of International motor sport.The engine to be used was a 2-litre Coventry Climax FPF twin-overheadcamshaft unit, a very different proposition from the specially-tailored1216cc Climax FEW 4-cylinder single-came unit with which standardproduction Elites were equipped.The new car combined a huge boost in both power and torque withits tiny frontal area, slippery shape and ultra-lightweight construction topossess immense promise. However, its Le Mans foray was ill-starredfrom the beginning. It had been entered by Lotus Enginering and hadbeen jointly financed by enthusiastic amateur owner-drivers JonathanSieff – scion of the Marks & Spencer retail family – and Michael Taylor.The latter had been prime customer for the first Formula 1 Lotus-Climax18 single-seater which he entered in the 1960 Belgian GP, only to suffera life-threatening crash during practice when the car’s steering failed,pitching him way off circuit at La Carriere corner, ending up deep in theforest, grievously injured and in fact overlooked as rescuers attended toStirling Moss, injured when his 18 had crashed on the opposite side ofthe long circuit.Motor Cars | 71