1963 LOTUS ELITE SERIES 2 "COVENTRY CLIMAX' ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT ROAD/RACE CAR

Description

UP FOR SALE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 35 YEARS, PLEASE FIND THIS EXTREMELY RARE PIECE OF AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY:
THE LOTUS ELITE SERIES 2 TYPE 14 "COVENTRY CLIMAX"
THE LOTUS ELITE REPRESENTS A BENCHMARK IN HISTORY. IT WAS THE FIRST VOLUME-PRODUCTION VEHICLE MADE WITH FIBERGLASS MONOCOQUE CONSTRUCTION. THE 1963 MONOCOQUE BODIES WERE MANUFACTURED AT BRISTOL AEROPLANE CO, AND ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE TOUGHEST OF ALL THE ELITES. THE GOAL WAS TO MAKE AN ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT "ROADABLE RACE CAR", AND EXCELLENT SHOWINGS AT LeMANS AND NURBURGRING WERE PROOF OF THAT SUCCESS. EVERYTHING IS LIGHTWEIGHT AND SIMPLIFIED, MADE OF FIBERGLASS AND ALUMINUM. THE RADIATOR IS ALUMINUM, AS IS THE FWE 1216cc "COVENTRY CLIMAX" INLINE 4-CYLINDER MOTOR. THE MOTOR GENERATES 75-105 HP, DEPENDING ON CARBURETION . THIS CAR FEATURES A SINGLE SU CARBURETOR. THE FIBERGLASS MONOCOQUE BODY WEIGHS ONLY 305 LBS. !! THE LONG-RANGE FUEL TANK IS CRAFTED FROM ALUMINUM, AND THE VEHICLE HAS A CURB WEIGHT OF ONLY 1,110 LBS., AND A DRAG COEFFICIENT OF A SLIPPERY 0.29!! THAT'S CRAZY, EVEN BY TODAY'S STANDARDS, AND IT GETS 35 MPG!!. INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION ALL AROUND, WITH TRANSVERSE WISHBONES IN THE FRONT, TALL CHAPMAN STRUTS IN THE REAR, AND TRIANGULATED TRAILING RADIUS ARMS. GIRLING DISC BRAKES FRONT AND REAR, WITH THE REARS BEING INBOARD. BEAUTIFUL REAL WIRE WHEELS. CLOSE RATIO ZF GEARBOX. SUPER SIMPLE COCKPIT WITH GREAT VISIBILITY AND SMITH GAUGES ON THE DASH. A LOT OF FUN TO DRIVE, AND SHOW READY. THESE CARS HAD VERY LIMITED PRODUCTION NUMBERS (ONLY 1,037 BETWEEN 1957-1963). SURVIVORS ARE NOTED IN THE LOTUS ELITE WORLD REGISTER.
THIS CAR HAS BEEN OWNED FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS BY LEGENDARY AUTOMOTIVE ILLUSTRATOR, HISTORIAN, AND COLLECTOR SHIN YOSHIKAWA, WHOSE "CUTAWAY" ILLUSTRATIONS GRACE THE WALLS OF MUSEUMS AND SHOPS AND DEALERSHIPS WORLDWIDE. GOOGLE HIS NAME AND SEE HIS ARTWORK LICENSED BY PORSCHE, TOYOTA, AND NISSAN, THROUGH KAI ART INTERNATIONAL. SHIN'S ELITE WAS FEATURED IN EUROPEAN CAR MAGAZINE, AND HAS WON NUMEROUS AWARDS. SEE LINK BELOW TO SEE HIS APPEARANCE WITH JAY LENO TO DISCUSS HIS REVOLUTIONARY WORK.
https://youtu.be/TjXMhub9yos
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY RARE AND UNIQUE CAR, IN EXCELLENT OVERALL CONDITION, WITH LOTS OF DOCUMENTATION AND HISTORY, LOW MILEAGE, AND VERY LOW PRODUCTION NUMBERS. IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE. IT BEARS A CLEAN CALIFORNIA TITLE AND BLUE AND GOLD CALIFORNIA PLATES.
THIS CAR IS FOR SALE LOCALLY SO I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO END THIS LISTING AT ANY TIME. I WELCOME YOUR INSPECTION IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY, PLEASE.
THANKS FOR LOOKING