Lotus Wants You To Help Track Down Its First Ever Car

Ascelebrations for the company's 70th anniversary kick off this month, Lotus is on a mission to track down the first car its founder ever built. Billed as "the most elusive Lotus ever," the Lotus Mark 1 was hand-built by company founder Colin Chapman in a small London garage that belonged to his girlfriend's parents back in in 1948.

Based on an Austin Seven, the lightweight competition car featured a reinforced chassis and lightweight body panels, which made it successful in competition events. Originally finished in bare, unpolished alloy, the car was then painted white, before being repainted in red.

The Lotus Mark 1 was ultimately short-lived, however, as Champman soon started work on his next car, the Mark II, using experience gained from building the Mark 1 and entering competition events to make it even more competitive. As a result, Chapman placed an advert for the Mark I in Motor Sport magazine, where it was described as an Austin Seven Special four-seater sports-cum-trials car.

那辆车在Novembe出售r 1950 for £135 to a new owner based in the north of England, but nothing else is known about them. Despite the efforts of enthusiasts and experts to track it down, the location of the car has remained a mystery ever since. Let's hope Lotus can finally locate the landmark car, as the automaker's 70th birthday celebration wouldn't be complete without the car that started it all.