1956 Lotus

11 XI -

4 - Cyl.

Manual

Gasoline

I've owned this 1956 Lotus Eleven Le Mans for over 30 years. I acquired it as part trade for restoration work I performed on a customer's Packard Phaeton. I do not know the specific history of this Lotus Eleven prior to the mid 70's. This one has always been the way they were and completely original, and not made from some doubtful original parts, and sold from a "you can't prove it isn't the famous..." stand point. Lotus Elevens came in three versions, Sport, Club, and Le Mans. This is a Le Mans. The Le Mans cars have 4 wheel disc brakes, De Dion rear suspension, and Coventry Climax aluminum block overhead cam engine. This Lotus is almost completely stock and original. I don't mean it is an untouched survivor. During my ownership most components have been cleaned, painted, upholstered, rebuilt, etc. but always to "as original". It is titled and licensed for street use and I have vintage raced it sparingly over the decades. In the 1980's I blew the engine in a race in Portland, OR. That engine was Coventry Climax FWA 6794(I still have this block and it will go with the car) and now the car has FWA 6893 in it. Lotus was the featured marque at the 1995 Monterey Historics and for that event I did a cosmetic restoration and Bob Yarwood Engineering rebuilt the 1098cc engine using the last of the OEM Hepalite pistons and the transmission with Jack Knight internals. I have only run a total of 7 events after the rebuild. I drove it through the night from Seattle to Laguna Seca, camped and raced, and drove it back home to Seattle-an easy 2000 mile road trip in a 1956 Lotus Eleven! At Sears Point, Sonoma, 1999 HMSA event I spun out to a stop and was hit by a Scarab. That damage led to frame and body repairs. The forty year old bottom tubes were weak from rust and were replaced along with front components as needed. All the frame work duplicates and appears original-except not the thin spots and pits from rust! I still have the original pieces that were removed. This work was completed in just seven years-in time to race at the 50th anniversary of the Lotus Eleven at the 2006 Monterey Historics. Just this month(June 2010) I participated in the first annual Sonoma Historics at Infineon Raceway. In addition to the mentioned races, I've also run the car in Kent, WA at SIR, Vancouver, BC(westwood, BC). Additional info on this Lotus-I got the car in Seattle. It had British plate ROV511G on it from the late 60's. I still have this plate. The radiator tag says Streck(?) South Hampton. Using information from the book, Lotus-The Historic Years, by Graham Capel, the first 5-10 Lotus Elevens had 20 ga. chassis tubes and Lotus "works" cars continued to use 20 ga. tubes. Mine has 20 ga. The first 50 cars had 17 1/2" doors-as mine has. The car has no chasis number plate on it. It may never have had. A Historic Lotus Registry article stated that many Eleven's that remained in Europe(as opposed to being exported) may not have had chasis numbers. This car had a British license plate on it when I got it. Page 74 in Capels book say, "Chapmans replacement may not have had a chassis number as it was a "works" car. " From Lotus-The Sports Racing Cars, by Anthony Pritchard, page 58, "...works team cars are so frequently rebuilt that it is impossible to ascertain what is new and what is not. " Note from the photos: It has had three windsheild set ups-single seat as allowed in 1956, the current 2 passenger as required in Europe in 1957 and note the steel where the windsheild posts were once attched. Also see the plates where the top bow pivots were and the snap holes behind the cockpit. There is a lamp for a racing number on the rear drivers side, twin tanks, and two fuel pumps for long distance and night racing. It had an air scoop in front of the windsheild and has a 18" X 3 1/2" air exhaust hole in the rear most area of the floor. Note the bracket for a single float between the two S.U. carbs and the brace from cam cover to intake manifold. When I got the car the lateral structure below the drivers thighs was four inches forward from normal. See the photo of the original floor. I put it back to the common position. The number "207" is stamped in three places on the aluminum sheetmetal. The rear brake calipers have AUOCHB LM11 cast into them. Four wheels are new-60 spoke on the rear to fit the new vintage Dunlops. I have the original thin rimmed 15 X 4 wheels. This is one of the most original non "improved" Le Mans Elevens that looks, runs, accelerates, brakes and drives like it did in 1956. In an email from Jay Sloane; "If you feel it adds anything to the description you could say that as far as the Lotus Eleven Register ( www.lotuseleven.org ) is concerned, there is no doubt this is an authentic Lotus Eleven but it isn't yet possible to prove which one." The car has FIA Historic Technical Passport. It can race in FIA sanctioned international vintage events. I have more pictures to email upon request. Contact Stan Murray at 208-919-1802 with any offers. Stand out amoung the Aston, MG, Healey, Bentley, Alfa, Morgan, and other vintage race cars. On Aug-27-10 at 08:27:33 PDT, seller added the following information: I have dropped the reserve. The car will sell.