The Lotus 49, first introduced in 1967, not only launched the racing world’s most successful Grand Prix power unit – the Cosworth-Ford DFV V8 – into racing history, it was also one of the most renowned Formula One car designs by legendary Lotus head Colin Chapman.
The racer instantly set new performance standards, and won its debut race — the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix, driven by Jim Clark. In 1968 British World Champion Graham Hill won his second Formula One World Championship title in the developed Type 49 and 49B cars, and the chassis ‘R8’ became the new World Champion’s mount for the Tasman Championship races in New Zealand and Australia in January-February 1969.
Now, on June 27 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale in Chichester, chassis number 49-R8 will go under the hammer for the first time. Built in October 1968 and one of a handful remaining of just 12 Lotus 49s produced, the iconic car has seen its fair share of races and owners. In 1969, it was adapted to latest Type 49B specification and raced by Hill at the 1969 British Grand Prix, finishing seventh. After retiring from the 1969 German GP due to a fuel leak, it was sold, first to Swedish privateer Joakim Bonnier, and then in 1970 to Dave Charlton, who used it to clinch the first two of his six consecutive South African Formula 1 Championship titles, 1970-75.
The Lotus 49-R8 was eventually acquired in damaged condition by Australian resident and British Lotus enthusiast John Dawson-Damer, who painstakingly restored the vehicle to race-worthy condition. It is the last in his fleet of eight Dawson-Damer Lotus Collection cars, six of which were sold by Bonhams in Sydney in 2008.
"By every standard, Colin Chapman’s Lotus 49 concept is an absolute landmark in Formula One design. It simply raised the bar for every rival manufacturer," said James Knight, Bonhams group motoring director, in a statement. "Add the excellent provenance of it being offered direct from the famous Dawson-Damer Collection and plainly ‘R8’ is an iconic car."
