One to Buy: ex-Jim Clark 1962 Lotus Type 26 Elan S1 (SOLD)
Launched at the London Motor Show in October 1962, the Type 26 Elan was conceived to replace the Type 14 Lotus Elite which had most famously incorporated a state-of-the-art fibreglass monocoque construction.
By contrast, the Elan was based around a light weight steel backbone chassis to which a Ron Hickman-designed fibreglass bodyshell was mounted. Although simpler and more cost-effective to build, the Elan was a no less formidable proposition and went on to achieve great success in every discipline of motor sport.
The Elan’s engine bay housed a potent 1.5-litre Lotus Ford twin-cam engine which had made its debut in the back of a Lotus 23 driven by Jim Clark at the Nurburgring 1000km race on May 27th 1962.
Elan number one (actually chassis 002; the first pre-production car manufactured) was loaned to Jim Clark following the conclusion of a successful 1962 campaign, during which the Scot had won three Grand Prix (Belgium, Britain and the USA) and finished second in the Driver’s standings (to BRM’s Graham Hill).
Chassis 002 was painted Carmen Red and fitted with a prototype hardtop (painted silver). During 1963, Clark covered around 15,000 miles in the car, during which it became a frequent sight in paddocks around the UK.
Towards the end of the season (in which Clark secured his first F1 Driver’s title having taken seven wins from ten races), 002 returned to the factory and was freshened up before being sold to Clark’s early mentor, Ian Scott Watson in Berwick.
Today, this most significant little sports car is on offer with Fiskens in central London whose description is reprinted below:
Issued to world champion Jim Clark as a pre-production factory development car, and the earliest surviving Lotus Elan
Famously photographed with the kilted Clark on his family farm for Lotus advertising campaign – “I drive my Elan for pleasure – not because I have to.”
Later the property of Clark’s mentor Ian Scott Watson, instrumental in starting off Clark’s tremendous career in motorsport
Loaned to Andrew Cowen, of subsequent rally fame, for a race at Ingliston where he finished second for Scottish team Border Reivers
A superb driver’s car, and a symbol of one of Formula One’s greatest champions
Jim Clark's Lotus Elan – offering its new owner a living link with one of Formula One's most extraordinary drivers and most enigmatic characters. 997 NUR is the earliest surviving Elan, issued to Jim Clark in 1962 as a pre-production factory development car.
This Elan is the very car in which the kilted Clark was photographed for a Lotus advertisement at his family’s sheep farm in the Scottish Borders, Edington Mains, saying “I drive my Lotus Elan for pleasure – not because I have to.”
After a year in Jim Clark’s hands and about 15,000 miles, 997 NUR was returned to Lotus and then very fittingly sold to Ian Scott Watson, the friend and mentor who played the instrumental role propelling the young Clark into Scottish club racing, before Clark’s God-given talents were fully revealed.
During his ownership, Scott Watson loaned the car to Andrew Cowan, a close friend of Clark and subsequently world-famous in rally circles with successes at Rootes and Mitsubishi, for a very wet race at Ingliston where he finished a close second in a field of race-prepared Elans.
After rediscovery in the 1990s, 997 NUR was comprehensively restored, presenting today in its original Carmen Red livery over black interior, with a factory hardtop and a later-fitted 1,558 cc Weber-carburetted twin-cam engine.
Correspondence with Lotus and a certificate of vehicle provenance confirms that this was the pre-production development car issued to Jim Clark, and the final Elan development car before production of the retail cars commenced.
Recently in the appreciative ownership of another Scots racing driver, 997 NUR has been loaned to the Jim Clark Trust for display. She was also present at Loretto School (where Clark was a pupil) for a Jim Clark commemoration service.
A symbol of the racing partnership between Lotus and Clark, the significance of 997 NUR of course lies in the wider history of the huge achievements of Jim Clark behind the wheel of Colin Chapman's Lotus racers. On the road to two Formula One World Championships in 1963 and 1965, Clark took 25 wins in 72 career GP starts in championship races.
With its Lotus twin-cam engine, four-wheel independent suspension, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes, the Elan is a spirited and enjoyable drive today. Elans are treasured by discerning collectors as great driver’s cars – owners include Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1, and Adrian Newey, the all-time most successful designer in Formula One.
997 NUR offers the guardianship of a superbly drivable living link to one of Formula One’s greatest and best-loved champions. For any fan of Jim Clark, she will make a suitable prize worthy of Scotland’s world champion driver.
