Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Isee this car sold in the past, but i don't know for how much. It is now for sale on ebay in the US. Is this the real deal?

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... ID=EBAY-US

http://www.grandprixclassics.com/1965-lotus-26r/

I would think it would be worth quite a bit more

Based on it having not yet reached the reserve, I would say that the seller also thinks it is worth more. Is it the real deal? It looks like a real 26R from the second build group, which included the knock-off alloy wheels, and round headlamp openings. Judging from the couple of pictures posted I suspect it may have been re-bodied at some point, but I would want to see a lot more pictures before throwing a real opinion on the table. If it has a new chassis and a new body and a different engine block (and I am not saying that it does), then there is a whole philosophical question of when an old car becomes a new car, and the question of continuous history, and the trail of ownership often comes into that discussion (which the seller has posted in brief by the look of the listing - so he likely has all of the detail). You probably couldn't build this car for $75,000 so for that price I wouldn't be asking, but for double that money I would want to know the whole ownership history, as well as the history of work on the car, such as when the bodywork or the chassis may have been changed if in fact they were. I don't know the real answer on this car but it looks real to me. Either way I would guess its worth significantly more than the current $75,100 bid.

If you followed this same car it recently was on eBay with a starting bid of $250,000 and a buy it now of $400,000. So highly unlikely going to be sold at 75k.

Looking at detail, it states that the car is listed as a real 26R by 26R registrar, Tony Thompson. Also, maintained by Dave Vegher and engine apparently refreshed more recently by Savannah Racing.

Whoever is interested in this car should do their due diligence but this appears to be a "real" 26R. Easily checked by a conversation with Vegher or others.

It's real, and a guy near me owns it. He owns ~10 Lotus vintage racers, including an Elite Type 14, Sir Stirling Moss' personal Lotus 18, a 19 Monte Carlo, a 23B... etc. He has listed them all recently (within the last 9 months), all for very high asking prices. I wonder if he really thinks they're worth that much, or if he's just throwing them against the wall to see what sticks... ie, testing the market. I can't believe anyone would expect a 26R to sell quickly for a $400k Buy-it-Now price.

Regards,
Tim Engel

If you look at the GrandPrixClassiccs link, it says the car is sold.

I looked at the photos and evidence a few days ago and, though not a 26R expert, it looked pretty real to me.

I don't remember if this is the same source as the polished alloy Eleven on ebay a week or two ago, which I certainly didn't think ever crossed the threshold of 7 Tottenham Lane. Not a bad copy, but I'd take a good bit of convincing to consider it real.

This "26R" though makes me wish my pockets were deeper, even with the 26R copy I have, which was built in the late 1960s of Lotus made parts.

Roger

I first saw this one at the Mid-Ohio vintage races in 1998 owned by Ron Finger (from Atlanta I think). It was fresh from its recommissioning as a vintage racer. Since then it has been owned and raced by at least 5 others on both the east coast and west coast USA. I've raced against it many times since 2003 including just last September at Lime Rock Park.

As to its authenticity I believe most in the Historic Lotus world recognize it as the real deal. Does it have a '65 Lotus build body and frame...perhaps not....but that's a dicy topic for many historic race cars. We all have seen Elans and 26R Elans resurrected from little more that a Chassis Plate.

From what I've seen 26-S2-29 is will prepared and always quick at the track.

An older photo of the car, when owned by Ron Finger.

Ron Finger circa 1998 at Mid-Ohio.

Is it the original body? I speculate not. The rear inner wheel wells have the concave shape of a modern TTR bodyshell for increased tire clearance.

It also has iron calipers on the rear.