Skip to main content

You can buy the very first Lotus F1 car

Own a piece of Fi history: the first Lotus car

Bonhams / Bonhams

Collecting cars is a passion that allows for all sorts of niche vehicles to go for astronomical prices for a myriad of reasons. Maybe it was a poster of a Lamborghini Countach on your wall as a kid, or the first Porsche you ever saw just happened to be a 911 Slant Nose Turbo, or maybe it has been your lifelong obsession with F1 racing that has you fixated on not wanting, but needing to own a piece of the sport. Well, now is your chance to get your hands on a truly one-of-a-kind car. The very first Lotus Formula 1 car will be going up for sale at a Bonhams auction on May 10th.

Recommended Videos

This Lotus F1 weighs just 700 pounds and makes 141 hp

Bonhams / Bonhams

This one-of-a-kind car is chassis number 353, which was raced by Lotus in both F1 and F2 for eight races between 1957 and 1959. Its official debut was during a non-championship race at Silverstone. Both the car and its driver, Graham Hill, made their F1 entrance that day, beginning an illustrious tandem career, where man and machine would go on to not only win the triple crown of Monaco, Indy 500, and Le Mans, but two F1 championships to boot.

Graham Hill also went on to win the Monte Carlo Classic five times, posting a hat-trick by winning 1962, 1963, and 1964 back-to-back-to-back, and then back-to-back in 1968 and 1969, making him something of a legend in the Lotus racing community.

Designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, the Lotus 12 was forged from aircraft aluminum and fitted with a Coventry Climax inline-four-cylinder engine that made 141 hp. That power was routed to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.

141 hp may not sound like much with 1,000 hp Teslas flying around, but by weighing just 700 pounds, this Lotus F1 has a better power-to-weight ratio than the Ferrari F50.

The first Lotus F1 is expected to sell for up to $420,000

Bonhams / Bonhams

This well-presented, fully restored, and very original-looking Type 12 Formula 1 and 2 racecar is a collector’s dream. All the hard work is done, and all that is left is to enjoy it. Bonhams expects chassis number 353 to sell for between $310,000 and $420,000, but when the bidding starts, there’s no telling how high the price might go for someone who has idolized Lotus and F1 their entire lives.

As we’ve seen with many other auctions of Ferraris and Porsches, collectors with deep pockets can throw caution to the wind and bid with reckless abandon to get their coveted prize. But unlike the one-of-however-many Porsche or Ferrari out there, there is exactly one first Lotus F1 car to be had. It has exchanged hands with several private owners since 1958 and is finally going back up for sale for the first time since 1995. If you’ve ever wanted a piece of true F1 history, your chance is coming May 10th of this year.

Lou Ruggieri
A lifelong lover of cars, Lou contributes to Motor Trend, Hot Cars, Auto & Truck Connection, and the PowerAutoMedia Group.
Feel the speed: F1 X brings legendary F1 race cars to Las Vegas Grand Prix Plaza
In F1 X, fans use interactive tools to design and construct an F1 race car.
Aston Martin AMR23 at F1 X in Grand Prix Plaza in Las Vegas.

When the Las Vegas Grand Prix Plaza officially opens its doors on May 2, the massive F1 X interactive exhibit will feature three of the most famed race cars in F1's 75-year history. None of the cars has been displayed previously in North America.

Spanning 20,000 square feet, F1 X provides guests with numerous opportunities to immerse themselves in F1. Among the activations available at F1 X, fans will learn about the workings of F1 today, including experiencing F1 simulator seats and spending time on an interactive pit wall, listening to virtual race engineers converse and strategize on team radios.
An iconic race car sampler on view at F1 X

Read more
F1 in the Americas 2025: six Grand Prix Championship races from May to November
The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix is the first of six F1 races in the Americas in 2025
Aerial shot of the 2023 F1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.

F1 moves to Florida for the Miami Grand Prix, May 2-4. The Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2025 is the first of six races in the Americas in the 2025 F1 schedule.
Why F1 races in the Americas matter

Formula 1 has a global scope, but the most significant growth in the motorsport's popularity has recently been in the Americas, particularly in the United States.

Read more
F1 engineer reveals how he found a job and fulfillment with the Red Bull pit crew
Nicholas provides plenty of evidence that work in an F1 pit garage is a high-pressure job
Life in the Pitlane by Calum Nicholas bookcover shot against road with yellow centerlines.

Anyone who aspires to work for a Formula 1 racing team would do well to read Calum Nicholas's new book, Life in the Pitlane. Nicholas, a senior engineer who has been part of the F1 Red Bull Racing team since 2015. He is also a member of the pit crew that held the 1.82-second world record for the fastest Formula One pitstop from 2019 until 2023.
How Nicholas found a job with the Red Bull F1 pit crew

Nicholas details his journey as a young man growing up in England. He had an interest in cars, but lacked direction until he attended the Formula 1 2009 British Grand Prix at Silverstone with his mother. Prior to the race, they walked the pit lane, an experience Nicholas now describes as a "light-bulb moment."

Read more
OSZAR »