Lot 126: Lotus Relica XI

The Lotus XI was a Le Mans sports car, which was designed to win the Index of Performance. This was a category at Le Mans based on efficiency as well as speed. The car used an off-the-shelf 1100cc Coventry Climax engine and not only won the index, it also won the 1100cc class. Another example, equipped with a larger engine, won the 1500cc class. It also set a speed record for its engine size (143mph) and became the inspiration for Colin Chapman to build the first Lotus road car, the Lotus 7.Offered here is an aluminium bodied replica of the Lotus XI, which is based on a 1990 Caterham DeDion Supersport chassis. The aluminium body was manufactured using the original bucks used to manufacture replacement panels for 1955 Lotus XI cars. The only differences between the original car and the dimensions of this replica is an extra 3" in the width and length, which allows the use of the later Caterham chassis.The car has the standard Caterham Super Sport suspension with Bilstein race specification springs and dampers, front and rear anti roll bars, the rear being adjustable. Wheels are Compmotive alloy shod with Yokohama A048 tyres, the brakes are Caterham SS with competition pads and Aeroquipe hoses.The car is powered by a 2 litre, TOHC, Ford Zetec engine built by Raceline Engineering and gives around 200bhp. The fuel is fed via throttle body injection with GEMS engine management and an electronic rev limiter, which is set at 7,200rpm. The exhaust is a stainless steel system designed by Raceline using F1 "pulse" technology. This drives through a Ford 5-speed gearbox and Caterham limited slip differential. The build was completed in 1998, since when it has covered just 7,000 miles.Described as extremely quick, the car can be configured as a single seater, as seen in the action photograph, or as a two seater for road use. The car has proved to be a truly outstanding performer during track days and has often out performed Caterham R500's and many other exotica. In the late 1990's, the car was featured in Classic and Sportscar when they carried out a comparative test between it and an original 1955 car.With a power to weight ratio of around 390bhp per tonne, this beautifully built Lotus replica offers outstanding levels of performance, while the chassis delivers limpet-like grip and single seater standards of handling.