Today’s Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com is a 1960 Lotus Elite offered by a dealer in Southern California.
The Elite, known internally as the Lotus 14, was a very important car for Lotus. The car was Colin Chapman’s first attempt to build a true road car. The engineering of the Elite was groundbreaking, being the first road car to use a fiberglass monocoque, made by Bristol Aircraft. The aero numbers of the Elite, due to the genius of its stylist, Peter Kirwan Taylor, was an incredible 0.26 Cd. As a result, the Elite was the star of the 1957 London Motor Show.
The mechanicals of the Elite were just as good as its looked. Under the hood was a Coventry Climax engine, with S2 (Series 2) cars featuring an optional twin-carburetor setup. The Elite also featured a front independent wishbone suspension and Chapman struts at the rear. The ride of the Elite was firm, yet amazingly well damped, which made for class-leading handling. To top it all off, the Elite featured four-wheel disc brakes when most sports cars were still using drums or, at best, front discs.
The Elite was quite successful as a race car, winning its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1959-64—six consecutive years. My friend, racing driver David Hobbs, also had great racing success with the Elite, as he won 15 races out of a total of 18 starts in two years of racing.
I also have a personal Elite story: it was the car with which I learned to drive a manual transmission. The father of my best friend in high school was none other than the legendary Lotus racer Jay Chamberlain. He had one in the 1980s and, after finding out I did not know how to drive stick, took me out in his car to teach me. Ever since, I have had a serious soft spot for these amazing cars.
The seller describes this Elite as a left-hand-drive example finished in its factory color of Lotus Yellow over a red interior. To add to its exclusivity (Lotus built between 1,030 and 1,045 total cars), this Type 14 features the signature of the famous race car driver David Hobbs on the steering wheel.
This Elite is equipped with a manual transmission, correct Coventry Climax inline-four engine with SU dual carburetors, Equilux branded headlights, Lucas branded taillights, Smiths instrumentation, 15-inch wire wheels with knock-off spinners, Pirelli tires, a jack, and a spare tire.
Looking at the photos provided, I’d say this Elite would not make a show car but does looks like a very solid driver-condition example. The exterior appears to be in nice shape, and the Lotus Yellow paint looks great.
From every angle, the Elite is a stunning looking design. The fact that these cars drive as well as they look only makes the proposition of owning one look even more attractive.
The interior really seems to be in nice shape. The contrast of the red interior with the yellow exterior is striking. Again, this is not in show condition, but it looks very presentable. The gauges are all correct, as is the wood steering wheel, providing the perfect vintage sports car view from behind the wheel.
Under the hood the Coventry Climax engine looks to be in nice shape; everything really appears to be both correct and in decent condition. The same goes for the underside of the car, which, while a bit worn-looking, shows no troubling issues that I could detect in the photos.
The best part about this car for me is the asking price of only $79,950, which puts it at the lower end of Elite values. If I had the spare cash right now, I would buy this car immediately as a Christmas present to myself.
If you are looking for a truly historic British sports car at a reasonable price, this 1960 Lotus Elite might be just the ticket. Why buy a Porsche 356, Austin-Healey, or Jaguar when you can have something so much rarer and more special?
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