Like The F1 Legend, Ex-Mario Andretti Lotus Elite Has A Few Wrinkles

A celeb title in a automobile’s historical past file can massively inflate a basic automobile’s worth. And if the automobile in query is from a blue-chip sports activities automobile model with critical motorsport heritage, the numbers can get fairly loopy. Simply ask the man who parted with $1.95 million for Steve McQueen’s 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera.

However it’s nonetheless doable to purchase a cool automobile with an awesome badge and a real superstars’s title within the possession paperwork. This Lotus Elite was as soon as owned by F1 legend Mario Andretti and is predicted to promote for simply £10,000-12,000 ($12,000-14,500) when it crosses the block at H&H’s Pavillion Gardens public sale on November 30.

Andretti drove for Lotus within the late Sixties however grew to become a fully-fledged member of Workforce Lotus in 1976, and by 1978 he’d capitalized on the ground-effects know-how of the revolutionary Lotus 78 and its 79 successor to win six races and safe each the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.

Understandably, Lotus boss Colin Chapman needed his hot-shot driver to be seen within the firm’s street vehicles, so issued Andretti with this left-hand drive, British-registered Elite in 1976. The front-engined, two-plus-two Elite was an enormous deal for Lotus when it was launched in 1974, a part of Chapman’s plan to take the Lotus model upmarket and escape its kit-car roots, having bought the rights to the Seven to Caterham in 1973.

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The fundamental idea of a metal spine chassis topped with a fibreglass physique was acquainted sufficient to Lotus patrons, however the angular styling with its sensible opening hatchback positively wasn’t, and neither was a newfound stage of luxurious that included energy steering and automated transmission choices for the primary time on a Lotus.

Additionally new was the aluminum Kind 907 DOHC 2.0-liter engine that may finally go on to energy the extra well-known Esprit in modified kind. Andretti’s automobile was rated at 155 hp (158 PS) and would have been good for zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 7.8 seconds and 126 mph (203 km/h) when new.

Not right this moment, although. We don’t know when Andretti handed again the keys, however the automobile’s final registered keeper purchased it in 1984 and it final handed a UK MOT roadworthiness check in 2013. The present proprietor says the Elite has not too long ago acquired a minor service and a brand new battery however would profit from a brand new clutch and a few consideration to the brakes. However offered the spine chassis hasn’t disintegrated, it needs to be a reasonably easy undertaking.

It’s definitely an fascinating one. The Elite’s funky Seventies styling made it retro within the Nineties and 2000s, however the wagon-back coupe seems cooler with each passing yr, and Mario’s is a superb title to have the ability to drop on the fuel station when somebody asks you about it. After which there’s the worth: $12-14k is beer cash for a automobile with this many speaking factors.