Bonhams & Goodman to Auction The Dawson - Damer Collection of Historic Lotus Race Car

[Wouter Melissen]

Press release:

An Australian auction house with international links has been appointed to conduct the sale of one of the most important collections of racing single-seater motor cars in the world. The historic and highly valuable collection of the English ex pat, the Late Hon. John Dawson-Damer will be offered for sale at auction by Bonhams & Goodman on the 16 November in Sydney. The sale will attract huge interest from major collectors and motoring museums worldwide.
The collection is considered by the motor racing cognoscenti to be the most significant collection of Lotus racing cars outside of the collection owned by the Chapman family who founded the Lotus marque. It was acquired by Dawson-Damer between 1971 and 1984.
A kind and generous family man, John Dawson-Damer was a successful rally navigator, a prudent motorsports administrator and staunch supporter of historic motorsport. He was unsurprisingly a much loved member of the historic racing scene who 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 superb collection of cars at events both in Australia and overseas until his tragic death at an English motorsports event in the year 2000.
The Dawson-Damer family has continued the good work of John Dawson-Damer in the past 8 years by demonstrating and racing the cars at historic race meetings at Oran Park and Eastern Creek.
The cars cover a broad spectrum of innovative Lotus design ranging from an ultra-lightweight front-engined Lotus 16 Formula 2 car that was driven in period by Lotus works driver Alan Stacey to a fire breathing mid-engined, Cosworth DFV powered, ‘Ground Effects’ Lotus 79 that was purchased in an exchange deal by John Dawson-Damer directly from the Lotus factory once Mario Andretti had moved on to more modern machinery. Andretti was the 1978 Formula 1 world champion and one of the most successful American racing drivers in the history of Motorsport.
The list of drivers who piloted the cars in the collection reads like a who’s who of motorsport including Stirling Moss, Masten Gregory, Alan Stacey, Jo Bonnier, Jim Clark, Mario Andretti, Jochen Rindt and Carlos Reutemann.
The highlight of the collection is undoubtedly the ex-Jim Clark/Richard Attwood 1963 Formula 1 world championship winning 1962/63 Lotus 25 estimated to fetch AUD $1,100,000 – 1,800,000. This car was a ground breaking design by Colin Chapman (founder of Lotus) and simply dominated the 1963 Formula 1 World Championship with Clark behind the wheel winning 7 out of the 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 and we feel extremely honoured that the Dawson-Damer family have entrusted the sale of the collection to Bonhams & Goodman” says Robert Glover, National Head of Collectors’ Motor Cars at Bonhams & Goodman ‘Racing cars of this pedigree rarely come on to the open market and in normal circumstances their acquisition can be extremely difficult even when the financial resources of the biggest collectors are available…. owners simply will not part with them. We expect the sale of this collection to spark huge interest in the historic motor racing and collecting fraternity both nationally and internationally’
The cars in the sale are:
The ex-Alan Stacey, Bob King
1959 Lotus 16 Formula 2 Racing Single-Seater
Estimate: $320,000 – 480,000 AUD

The ex-Stirling Moss, Masten Gregory, Jo Bonnier, Lucien Bianchi
1961 Lotus 18 Formula 1 Racing Single-Seater
Estmate: $260,000 – 400,000 AUD

The ex-Jim Clark, Richard Attwood, 1963 Formula 1 World Championship winning
1962 Lotus 25 Formula 1 Racing Single-Seater
Estimate: $1,100,000 - $1,800,000 AUD

The ex-Jim Clark,
1965 Lotus 39 Tasman Series Racing Single-Seater
Estimate: $320,000 – 480,000 AUD

The ex-Mario Andretti, Jochen Rindt, John Miles
1969 Lotus 63 Formula One Racing Single-Seater
Estimate: $175,000 – 265,000 AUD

The ex-Mario Andretti, Carlos Reutemann
1978/79 Lotus 79 Formula One Racing Single-Seater
Estimate: $480,000 – 620,000 AUD

[Tim the Grey]

Surely the 79 has to be a winner of the '78 world championship???
Or is it a Martini one?

If it's JPS, then I consider it one the most beautiful cars ever made... I thought that at the time, and have never changed my mind!

So where do I find $500K AUS?

[henk4]

I hope some of those cars will come back to Europe, although the Aussie fans may not like that idea...

[Wouter Melissen]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

Surely the 79 has to be a winner of the '78 world championship???
Or is it a Martini one?

If it's JPS, then I consider it one the most beautiful cars ever made... I thought that at the time, and have never changed my mind!

So where do I find $500K AUS?

All four were JPS cars and later repainted to Martini colours for the 1979 season. I guess it made sense to return them to their most successful (and best looking) livery after their active racing career.

[Tim the Grey]

Thanks Wouter, that's what I remember, though I thought they made a new 79 in 1979, to replace a write off, while Colin was thinking up the dead end of the Lotus 80.

So anyway, howcome a World Championship winning Lotus 79 is worth half of a 25???
Go figure, as they say.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

So anyway, howcome a World Championship winning Lotus 79 is worth half of a 25???
Go figure, as they say.

because Clark drove it? Because it was the first monocoque F1?

[Wouter Melissen]

Originally Posted by Tim the Grey

Thanks Wouter, that's what I remember, though I thought they made a new 79 in 1979, to replace a write off, while Colin was thinking up the dead end of the Lotus 80.

You are absolutely right and this is that car, so it might be in the Martini livery.

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by henk4

I hope some of those cars will come back to Europe, although the Aussie fans may not like that idea...

you guys have enough classic stuff as it is..let us have our trinkets
although no doubt some will make the journey back.

[Tim the Grey]

Ah ha!

I bid 10p and a bit of used chewing gum stuck to my shoe, then...