The Hon. John Dawson-Damer’s collection of historic Lotus racing cars, considered by some to be one of the most significant outside that of the marque-founding Chapman family’s, will be offered for sale at auction by Bonhams & Goodman on November 16, in Sydney, Australia.
Dawson-Damer was a successful rally navigator, a prudent motorsports administrator, and staunch supporter of historic motorsport. A much-loved member of the historic racing scene, he generously supported the sport not only in his role as the Chairman of the Historic Commission at CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motorsport), but also by demonstrating his cars at events around the world until his tragic death eight years ago at The Goodwood Festival.
The cars cover a broad spectrum of innovative Lotus designs ranging from an ultra-lightweight front-engined Lotus 16 Formula 2 car that was driven in period by works driver Alan Stacey, to one of the groundbreaking ground-effect Lotus 79s that carried Mario Andretti to the World Championship in 1978.
The highlight of the collection, however, is undoubtedly the ex-Jim Clark/Richard Attwood 1963 Formula 1 World Championship-winning Lotus 25 that is estimated to fetch between AUD $1,100,000 and 1,800,000. This Colin Chapman design was F1’s first monocoque chassis and simply dominated the 1963 season as Clark won seven of the year’s ten championship rounds to give Lotus its first Constructors Championship and Clark his first drivers World Championship.
“This is arguably the most important and historically significant collection of collector’s motor cars ever to be offered for sale by auction in Australia,” said Robert Glover, National Head of Collectors’ Motor Cars at Bonhams & Goodman. “Racing cars of this pedigree rarely come on to the open market, and we expect this sale to spark huge interest among the historic motor racing and collecting fraternity both nationally and internationally.”
