LOTUS 340R - EARLY CARBON FIBRE ARCH CAR / LAST OWNER FOR 20 YEARS / JUST SERVICED

When the concept first appeared at the Birmingham Motorshow in October 1998, the purpose of the 340R was to showcase what the Elise could have been like if Lotus had taken the Chapman philosophy a step further. The car had no doors, side windows or roof and with a host of composite body materials used, the goal was to achieve a very ambitious target of 340bhp per tonne.

Such was the reception given to the concept car that a year later at the Frankfurt motorshow, the production version of the 340R was reviled.

Manufactured by Hydro Automotive Structures, the chassis was based around a bonded extruded aluminium tube borrowed from the Elise and weighing in at just 68kg, was also able to provide huge torsional rigidity. A host of other bespoke components were also crafted for the 340R along with a list of parts borrowed directly from the Elise 190 Sport including the brilliant four-cylinder Rover K-series powerplant.

In the end, the 340R weighed in at 675kg and substantially lighter than a regular Elise and while the target power-to-weight ratio came in a little lower than the initial 340bhp/tonne goal, the car was just as bonkers to drive as it was to look at.

First registered in March 2000, this incredible Lotus 340R is one of the 120 UK supplied cars delivered out of the total production run of 340 units. Having covered just 2,400 miles from new, the car has resided with its second owner for the last 20 years. This truly is a time warp example of the brilliant lightweight special. The car has just returned to us from a full cambelt service at Bell & Colvill and presents in perfectly original condition. It even maintains its factory trickle charger, tooling kit and storage cover.

Not only does the car sit on its original Yokohama A038R tyres and unmolested Tecnomagnoesio wheels but being one of the early production cars, it also features the rare and very desirable carbon fibre front and rear wheel arches.

Examples as original as this are few and far between. The Chapman philosophy in a modern Lotus.