Lotus buy back Colin Chapman’s Lotus Esprit and use it to launch Lotus Certificate of Provenance programme

Lotus has bought back the last company car owned by founder Colin Chapman, and used it to launch the Lotus Certificate of Provenance programme.

Back in May, we revealed that Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s last company car, a 1981 Lotus Esprit, was up for sale with a specialist dealer, with a rather chunky asking price of £100k, doubtless because of the ownership history.

It wasn’t the biggest story of the month, but it was well read and, perhaps, by someone at Lotus too, because Lotus went out and bought back the Esprit which they had originally sold shortly after Chapman’s death in 1982.

Lotus are now going to give Chapman’s Esprit a ‘sympathetic’ restoration and use it as the starting point for a new Lotus Certificate of Provenance programme.

The new Lotus Certificate of Provenance programme is designed to give kudos to Lotus Cars of any era, with a printed Certificate of Provenance which shows VIN, paint colour and spec and the date the car’s production was completed.

There’s also a Build Specification Letter detailing the car’s build from Lotus archives, including engine, transmission, standard features and options, as well as a letter signed by Lotus boss Phil Popham.

It’s all presented in a presentation box together with a selection of Lotus collectables, an aluminium plaque with car details and various other trinkets.

If you want a Lotus Certificate of Provenance it’ll cost you £170 plus p&p.