Lot details
Registration No: W274JNB
Chassis No: SCCGA1114YHC69710

- Reportedly accompanied by £75,000 worth of parts' receipts and 'probably one of the best in the world'

- Original engine enlarged to 2-litres and c.250bhp and numerous lightweight parts

- A highly developed race car that remains road legal with a MOT certificate valid until September 2019

'The 340R takes the Elise and runs with it. Day to day it's as useable as a pogo stick. You can't travel with luggage - buy a toothbrush when you arrive - and if it's raining you have to tog up like a trawlerman . . . Since all those things were taken into account, there must have been other things that were pretty special about it by way of compensation. If you ever get the chance to turn its steering wheel or press its pedals, you'll know nothing else has to be said by way of justification' (CAR magazine, Performance Car of the Year test, November 2000).

Piloting a 340R can be addictive. Even in standard guise Lotus ensured that the engine's sound insulating casing and catalytic converter could be comparatively easily removed boosting power from 177bhp to c.195bhp. However, Hethel also offered a 'track pack' and the ability to relentlessly improve the 340R's performance a tenth at a time. With a limited production run of 340 cars, the two-seater became instantly collectable. Even so there were those who derived more pleasure from developing / driving their 340R than coddling it.

Reportedly accompanied by £75,000 worth of parts' receipts, 'W274 JNB' has had its original engine enlarged to 2-litres (c.250bhp). Further boasting an ultra close-ratio gearbox with quick shift and two sets of internals plus 3-way suspension and a dual brake system with front / rear balance control, it is said to be 'a truly incredible road or race car' and 'probably one of the best in the world'. Fitted with minimalist Reverie seats and numerous other carbonfibre parts, the 340R also comes with a spare lightweight body, MSA/FIA roll hoop and petty bar plus spare Technomagnesio rims (worth c.£7,000 today). Showing some 20,000 miles to its odometer, this very special Lotus is offered for sale an MOT certificate valid until September 2019.