Formula 1 cars are, without a doubt, some of the most extreme pieces of engineering devised by human hands. Made to go fast and hard on challenging tracks for the glory of their builders and drivers, many of them tend to disappear from public view once their time on the track is over. And that's a pity, because at least some of them deserve to be the stars of their own public shrines.
The disappearing act Formula 1 cars pull when they are no longer used does not mean they are destroyed or in some other way neglected. The most spectacular of them usually end up in private collections, only to surface from time to time when they sell at various auctions.
Take Lotus, for instance. I'm pretty certain fans of the British brand's racing exploits would pay big bucks for the chance to sit next to the likes of the Lotus-Climax Type 12 we have here. After all, it is the race car that put Lotus on track to eventually win Formula 1's constructor's titles seven times, and the driver's title six times.
As it stands, however, the car can only be admired when its owner decides to take it out for one reason or another. And they just did, as they’re planning to sell the vehicle during a major auction later this spring.
The official and full title of the car on auction house's Bonhams lot is 1957-58 Lotus-Climax Type 12 chassis 353. It will go under the hammer at the beginning of May as part of the Les Grandes Marques à Monaco auction taking place in, well, Monaco.
The Lotus is rightfully described as “one of the most historically significant of all British Formula 1 Grand Prix cars.” The first reason why that's so is that this racer was Lotus' first-ever F1 car. The second is that it was the vehicle in which Graham Hill made his entry into the series. Hill would later go on to become a double Formula 1 world champion.
Photo: Lotus
The Type 12 is the brainchild of Colin Chapman, the company's founder. Recently honored by Lotus with a new bespoke service for the current model lineup wearing his name, Chapman brought the Type 12 bloodline into the world specifically to compete in the world's premiere racing series.
I say bloodline because a total of seven Type 12s were made, and five of them got to be raced in official competitions at the hands of Lotus drivers, including Graham Hill and Cliff Allison. This particular example was first fielded in Formula 2 races, where it managed to set the fastest laps and aided Allison finish sixth overall in F2.
Hill took it out for an official spin in Formula 1 at Silverstone. Equipped with a 1960cc engine sourced from Coventry Climax, the car was raced to oblivion, but only managed to land Hill to place seventh in the race.
The Type 12 didn't stay for long in the possession of Lotus. Soon after the Silverstone race, it was sold to a privateer named John Fisher, who raced it with several drivers, including Maria Theresa de Filippis, the first woman ever to take part in Formula 1.
The car moved into the possession of Australian racer Frank Gardner, and was taken Down Under. From 1962 to 1991 it exchanged hands four more times, until ending up with the Australian who is currently selling it via Bonhams.
Aside from being famous as Lotus' and Hill’s first F1 car, this Type 12 was also the star of a very strange experiment. Back in 1957, exactly on Christmas day, when the car was still a newcomer in the world, it was taken out on public roads (that's right, public roads) by racing journalist Denis Jenkinson.
Photo: Lotus
There was no hidden message or publicity stunt to the Lotus doing this; it was just a desire of the journalist to drive a racer on public roads. The car traveled on the empty streets (it was Christmas, remember?) of Hampshire, until its drive shaft broke and caused an abrupt end to the joyride. A joyride fans would get to know as the Figgy Pudding Grand Prix.
During its many travels, the Lotus managed to survive pretty much unharmed, but it was still in need of restoration. That was performed on it by the current owner, who also brought it back to running condition and even wrote a book on the vehicle back in 2006, titled Lotus 12 Chassis No. 353: The History.
The British auction house will be selling the 1957-58 Lotus-Climax Type 12 chassis 353 in May with high expectations. Estimates are that the racer could fetch anywhere between 290,000 and 390,000 euros, which in American dollars would mean $313,000 to $420,000 at current exchange rates.
We will of course keep an eye on this amazing piece of racing history and update you with info on the sale price as soon as we have it.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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