“Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win.” These are the immortal words of Enzo Ferrari, and while the car we’ll be examining today isn’t a Ferrari, it did certainly achieve great success on track. This Gold Leaf-liveried stunner is a 1969 Lotus Type 62. In period, it raced with John Miles and Brian Muir behind the wheel in the appendix J Group 6 prototype class, securing numerous wins including the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch and Zandvoort.
Designed by Martin Waide, the Type 62 strictly adhered to Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s commitment to lightness, weighing in at just 567 kg thanks to its multi tubular space frame chassis and three-piece fiberglass body. It borrowed many ingredients from the legendary Lotus 49 Formula One car, including the staggered F1-sized 12” and 15” wheels, front and rear suspension, and ZF gearbox. Its engine, based on the 2-Litre Vauxhall block with new Lotus-designed internals and Tecalemit Fuel-Injection, produced around 240hp, making it a fearsome competitor in the 2-Litre class.
This car, chassis 62-001, benefitted from a complete restoration at the hands of Lotus experts around the start of the 1990s, including a total overhaul of the chassis, body, and all mechanical components, including the suspension, brakes, engine, and gearbox. Having belonged to a single Lotus collection for the past 38 years, this represents an unmissable opportunity to acquire one of only two factory-built Lotus Type 62s.
