In its 70th-anniversary year, Lotus is calling out to the classic car community to help find the Lotus Mark I, the first car built by Colin Chapman.
The British marque has launched a campaign to find its founder’s earliest creation, over six decades since its whereabouts were last known, despite much research.
The Lotus Mark I was a competition car built in London in 1948, in a small garage owned by his then-girlfriend’s parents – indeed the two later married and Hazel Chapman is pictured above in the car in question.
Hand-built by Chapman, with assistance from his girlfriend and friends, this re-imagined and re-engineered Austin Seven enjoyed immediate success in trials in 1948.
With Colin driving and Hazel alongside, they won two class awards in the car’s first events.
Colin Chapman competing in the Lotus Mark I which was successful from the off
At first, the Mark I was finished in bare, unpolished alloy, later painted white, then later still repainted red.
Modifications made by Chapman included optimising the ground clearance, reinforcing the chassis, using bespoke, lightweight body panels and making sure that often-damaged items could be replaced quickly.
