Page 1 of 1 Colin Chapman's Lotus always excelled when it came to handling, of which the smaller engined cars benefitted most. Small sports cars were making a big return in the early sixtees and Lotus jumped on the bandwagon with the 23. Under the two-seater body it was similar in design to the very successful Lotus 22 Formula 2 racer.
Engines available for the 23 ranged from around 1 litre to 1.6 litre. The 1 litre Cosworth engined 23s racked up many class wins whereas the most powerful versions were regularly in contention for the overall victory, usually beating more powerful cars on the grid. Fine handling, a lightweight construction and a very efficient design made the 23 one of the most successful sports cars of the 1960s.
This example is seen here at the 2002 Spa Historic Six Hours race. It finished fifth overall and first in class in the six hours endurance race. Page 1 of 1