Ex‑Graham Hill Lotus set for auction

Of 1968 vintage, this Elan Plus 2 was once owned double Grand Prix World Champion Graham Hill, who won his second F1 championship with the Lotus Works team in 1968.

This Elan Plus 2 was given to Graham Hill for his personal use whilst at Team Lotus. The car comes with an interesting history file, which includes the original log book, showing the first registered keeper as Lotus Cars Ltd., dated 18th June 1968. Also included in the file is a letter from Lotus Cars (Sales) Ltd., from 15th July 1970 that states that RAH 400F was "supplied to Graham Hill for his exclusive use during has associations with Team Lotus and was registered by Lotus Cars Ltd."  A well-known photograph of Graham Hill next to the Lotus and his aircraft adds further to the provenance.

Originally supplied in silver to Hill, this Plus 2 is powered by the celebrated Lotus twin-cam engine. The current owner and vendor acquired this Lotus in August 1976; by which time, RAH 400F was sporting yellow coachwork.

The vendor used the car for commuting and holidays abroad. Shortly prior to one such trip abroad, the Lotus suffered engine problems and a decision was made to replace the unit with another, rather than rebuild the original engine, due to time constraints. This was a common fix for many marques during that period, as the cars had little value and the costs of rebuild outweighed the easily obtainable second hand engines.

Today, this Plus 2 can be described as requiring restoration. The body, however, does look straight and the original silver finish may still be seen in places. Whilst in the present vendor’s us ownership over the past 40 years, the car has been garaged for the 37 of those years. The odometer is faulty but the vendor states that the mileage is approximately 120,000 miles. 

Offered with no reserve, this Elan represents an interesting opportunity to acquire a Lotus owned by ex-F1 Champion Graham Hill, a rare opportunity indeed.