Celebrity-owned Elans go Under Hammer

A collection of seven Lotus Elans went under the hammer at the Reiss Race Retro event, which had famous former owners such as Diana Rigg and Peter Sellers.

The cars were sold by Silverstone Auctions and the most valuable example was the original blue 1966 S3 DHC used by Diana Rigg in The Avengers, before being gifted the car after filming wrapped up. It sold for £164,250 including fees.

“The history files are sometimes more important to have than the cars themselves,” said Silverstone Consigner, Arwell Richards. “They come along once in a lifetime for me as a classic car specialist. They have an emotional connection from not only when they (the buyers) were younger, but also from a collecting standpoint as well.”

A white 1966 S3-SE Roadster also brought in £74,250 and was owned by Peter Sellers who famously poked his head out of the tonneau cover in a photograph. Another example, a blue 1969 S4 FHC, brought in £65,250. That car was gifted by Colin Chapman to Jochen Rindt after his win at the 1970 German Grand Prix.

The other cars were owned by the likes of racer, Rob Walker, the father of the Elan, Ron Hickman, and Cosworth co-founder, Keith Duckworth. It’s unlikely that a collection quite like this will ever come up for grabs again.