As soon as rival British firm Cooper secured the 1959 Formula One Constructors' Title with its mid-engine T51 design, the ever-innovative Colin Chapman realized it was time to evolve away from what he had believed to be the superior and traditional front-engine philosophy. This understanding, in the wake of the ongoing development revolution, led to the birth of the mid-engined Lotus 18, a racecar that would ultimately bring great success to the Lotus team as well as the privateers who effectively utilized the chassis.

Like all Lotus designs, the 18 employed various techniques to keep the weight down, but also included a number of key developments to the suspension, gearbox, and driver packaging. Up front, double wishbones were employed, deviating from the traditional Lotus design which used the anti-roll bar as a leg of the upper wishbone. Upper and lower radius arms and a fixed-length half-shaft acting as an additional link formed the geometry of the rear suspension. The magnesium-cased transaxle housed both the sequential manual transmission and limited-slip differential for a tidy, lightweight package.

Lastly, the driver was oriented in a reclined position to maintain good weight distribution, also keeping the frontal area of the car lower for better aerodynamics. These innovations allowed the Lotus team to achieve its first podium finishes in points-paying Grand Prix races and ultimately 2nd place in the World Championship. The following year, a number of chassis were upgraded to an interim model dubbed the 18/21, which utilized the sleeker bodywork of the newly introduced Lotus 21.

The example on offer, chassis 918, was delivered new to an organization originally run by Alfred Moss, Stirling Moss’ father, the UDT Laystall team. Immediately successful, Stirling’s first outing in the car at the 1961 Silver City Trophy non-championship Formula One event hosted by the Brands Hatch circuit saw the Englishman, once again, at the top step of the podium. Several weeks later, the Lotus appeared for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, but did not qualify after suffering an accident with Cliff Allison during practice.

Lightning would strike again during the car’s next non-championship event, the 1961 Kanonloppet at the Karlskoga Circuit, Sweden, where another victory was secured by Moss. Over the next several events, Henry Taylor, Masten Gregory, and Olivier Gendebien would gain the opportunity to drive chassis 918, but none reached the same level of success as Moss behind the wheel. Moss once again piloted the Lotus at the Natal Grand Prix and South African Grand Prix, achieving 2nd place finishes at both events. This gave him four podium finishes in chassis 918 and marked the end of the last full year of his racing career.

In 1962, the car made it to the victory lane yet again at the non-points Pau Grand Prix after being traded to Rob Walker’s outfit in a famous last-to-first performance by Maurice Trintignant. Two-time Formula One Drivers’ Champion Graham Hill soon followed this result with a 3rd place podium finish at Mallory Park in June of 1962. A week later Belgium driver Lucien Bianchi, who would win Le Mans in 1968 driving the Gulf GT40 chassis 1075, took a turn behind the wheel of 918 at the Belgian Grand Prix for the Equipe National Belge team, finishing in 9th place.

In 1963, the car was sold to a privateer team and chassis 918 was fitted with a Ford V-8 to compete in Formula Libre. With the powerful and heavy engine in the back, the delicate chassis proved to be a poor fit, and an accident eventually resulted in the car’s retirement from racing.

Decades would pass before the Lotus would see the track again. In 1993 the car was located and identified with the help of Roger Cowman and Jock Russell. A restoration was completed by Alan Baillie in 1995, and the car was returned to its original specification with a Coventry Climax engine and UDT Laystall livery. Now ready to race once again, the Lotus took to the track at a number of historic events between the late 1990s and early 2010s, including Monterey and Goodwood in 2000, Isle of Man and Silverstone in 2002, Sonoma and Monterey Historics in 2012, and Lime Rock in 2016.

Presented in good order and with extensive period race history—driven by legends Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, and other accomplished racing luminaries—the sale of this Lotus is an exceptional opportunity to acquire an outstanding racecar from one of motor racing’s golden ages.