Can you help find Lotus' holy grail?

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It’s not very often that we find a press release in our mailbox that we really want to share with you. But here is one. It’s regarding the car that is considered to be the very origin of Lotus Cars. Here it goes:

Calling on enthusiasts, collectors and car hunters worldwide, Lotus needs your help in tracking down the long-lost Lotus Mark I, the first car built by company founder Colin Chapman.

As the British marque continues its 70th celebrations, it wants fans from around the world to pick up the trail of the most elusive Lotus ever – the competition car that the young engineer hand-built in a small London garage owned by his then girlfriend’s parents. Overcoming the standard car’s limitation Chapman applied innovative approaches to improve its performance in challenging trials competitions.

Despite its existence being well documented, the current whereabouts of the Mark I remains a mystery. Built by Chapman, with the help of friends and his girlfriend (who later became his wife), Hazel, he entered a number of events in 1948 with immediate success. The first car was sold in November 1950 after an advert was placed in the Motor Sport magazine, describing an Austin Seven Special four-seater sports-cum-trials car. Chapman received £135 for the car, but the only thing now known about the new owner was that they were based in the north of England. From there, the car’s trail goes cold. Despite much research over the years, its whereabouts have never been established. The car was originally finished in bare, unpolished alloy, but was later painted white and repainted in red.

Over the years many enthusiasts have looked for the car, but to no avail. Lotus has previously called on experts to help locate the lost vehicle but, as the company gears up for the highpoint of its anniversary celebrations at the end of September, it’s hoped that a renewed search, on a global scale, will help track down the landmark car.

Here’s hopin’!

(Pictures Lotus Heritage / The Colin Chapman foundation)

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