Lotus 1100 Le Mans Spider & Coupé (1957)

Lotus Eleven Aigle Spider, Lotus Eleven Le Mans Coupé

Designer: Giovanni Michelotti, Torino (I)

Chassis no. 237
Engine no. 6969 FwA 400/9

10/1956 Lotus Eleven Chassis number 237 built (Capel 1998)
chassis displayed at the Coventry Climax Ltd. showroom in London’s Piccadilly Circus (Capel 1998)
09–12/02/1957 chassis with engine delivered by John Crosthwaite (racing mechanic at the Experimental Department of Lotus Engineering Company, Hornsey, GB), with a VW truck to Carrosserie Ghia S.A., Lugano (CH) (Crosthwaite 1957, Capel 1998)

Lotus 1100 Spider (1957)

Lotus 1100 Le Mans Coupé (1957)

1957 Lotus 1100 Spider fitted with Coupé roof

09/1957 raced in hillclimb at Col de la Forcaz near Martigny (CH) (Sports Car and Lotus Owner, Vol. 1, no. 12, 3/10/1957: p. 254)

14/08/1958 Customs bill No. 8607 stamped by Douanes Suisses

30–31/08/1958 raced in GT class at Ollon-Villars hillclimb (CH); race no. 79

1963 owner Schäfer (CH)

1966 owner Claude Barth, La Capite/Vesenaz (CH)
Color: White
08/03/1967 registered in Canton de Genève (CH) with license plate GE 37.880

04/1970 owner Nick Sciurra, Glen Mead/Long Island (New York USA)
08/04/1970 imported from Le Havre (F) to New York (USA)

Color: White with British racing green longitudinal stripes on hood, roof and trunk

197x owner Walter Hagstrom, New York (USA)

197x owner Mitchel Cahn (USA)

197x owner Ed Williman, New York (USA)

197x owner (again) Mitchel Cahn (USA)

08/1974 owner Bruce W. Philbrick, Sheffield (Massachusetts, USA) (later West Townsend, Massachusetts, USA)
Color: Red

03/1975 last New York state inspection certificate no. 1956866
06/1976 for sale for 5,499 $ in the Lotus Eleven Register (LER) newsletter no. 12 (June 1976)

09/1976 for sale for 4,999 $ in the Lotus Eleven Register (LER) newsletter no. 13 (September/October 1976)

03/1977 owner Gary A. Schonwald, New York (USA)

1977? sold via Stephen Langton Ltd. (vintage car dealer), Tandridge (Surrey, GB)

1977? owner Hugh Edgley, London (GB)
“The present owner is described as an eccentric man, with a fantastic Lotus collection. He will never allow anyone to see them, they are probably hidden till he dies.” (Paroutaud 2001)
06/1996 Mystery car of the month of Classic and Sportscar magazine

05/2005 Mystery car of the month of Classic & Sports Car magazine

8/2015 (km 10258) moved to another storage (GB)

12/09/2015 exhibited at Malcolm Ricketts’ Workshop Open Day in Wheathampstead (Hertfordshire, GB)

[Sources: Gary A. Schonwald, letter to Lutz Montowski 08/02/1985; Ortenburger 1988, Capel 1998; Paroutaud 2001; own research]

Technical Data