Lotus Eleven

Built

1956 to 1959

Versions

1

Body styles

Coupe

The Lotus Eleven was built from 1956 to 1959.

The Eleven, the most traded version: The Lotus Eleven stands as one of the most successful racing sports cars of the 1950s, embodying Colin Chapman's 'simplify and add lightness' philosophy in its purest form. Launched in 1956, this tube-frame racer featured revolutionary aerodynamics with its distinctive nose and tail design, achieving remarkable efficiency for the era. The space-frame chassis, clothed in lightweight fiberglass bodywork, typically housed Coventry Climax engines ranging from 1.1 to 1.5 liters. With only 270 examples built, the Eleven dominated club racing and achieved notable success at Le Mans, including class victories. Today, genuine Elevens are among the most coveted vintage Lotus models, with their competition provenance and Chapman pedigree making them blue-chip collectibles. The Eleven's influence on subsequent Lotus designs cannot be overstated.

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