2009 Lotus 2-Eleven

This 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven is something very special. With just 2,340 miles on the odometer and only two previous keepers, ‘FJ16 KGY’ has been in the seller’s care since late 2020.

Finished in Aspen White Metallic (B113), the Certificate of Provenance from Lotus shows it is number 22 out of a production run of 37 normally-aspirated 2-Elevens and the 13th of 21 in this colour and more importantly 1 of only 356 built in all derivatives.

Originally destined, as one of 15 built by Lotus Motorsport, to be raced in the Lotus Cup Japan, it might have been exported to Japan as a racing car but it is nonetheless still fully road legal. 

Factory fitted optional equipment included a Torsen limited-slip differential, twin oil coolers, an aero-pack rear wing, and a standard front splitter but it has been extensively modified since then and now boasts a rolling road-proven 320bhp and 210lb.ft. of torque. 

It returned to the UK with just 18 miles on the odometer and the previous owner bought it from Hexagon Classics in May 2017, using it occasionally on the road. Obviously a favourite of his, he lavished enormous sums to turn it into the fire-breathing monster you see here. 

Which suited the seller very well. You see, he was looking for a competition car to share with his business partner and this 2-Eleven fitted the bill perfectly because all the modifications he would have done had already been carried out. 

And paid for; whether we’re talking about restorations or modifications, as we all know, it’s always better to let someone else do the heavy lifting…

It’s been used for hillclimbing since 2021, and the seller reports that it is “very competitive” even when put against heavily modified, track-only cars and has achieved a number of class wins.

Still showing just 2,340 miles on the odometer, this is one of the best-prepared, dual-purpose Lotus 2-Elevens in the UK today and would be ideal for either the road or track – or both. 

What can we say about the exterior? With no doors, roof or windscreen to describe, all we’re left with is the fact the panels fit very well and are free of scars, cracks, and other damage. 

The Aspen White Metallic paintwork looks terrific and the removable red and blue stripes break up the car’s lines a little, a sleight of hand the front and rear towing eyes contribute to.

The combination of the standard front splitter and massive optional rear wing give the Lotus a purposeful look while retaining all of its original practicality; this is a car you can still negotiate sleeping policemen in, albeit with caution.The splitter currently fitted is the aero pack splitter. The car also comes with the standard road splitter which is easily interchangeable.  

The padded roll cage means you aren’t going to hurt your head climbing in and out of it in the supermarket car-park (and you will use it for that sort of thing, won’t you?) while still giving the protection you need when you’re competing in a car as fast as this.

The seven-spoke alloy wheels are fitted with a matching set of Toyo Proxes R888 tyres, all of which have good tread. With asymmetric rubber – 195/50R16 tyres on the front and 225/45R17 on the rear - the wheels themselves are in very good order.

The lamp lenses and badges are in good shape, and the full-size numberplates means there will be no arguments over their size with the local constabulary or the MoT tester. The front number plate is of reduced size to increase air flow through the radiator on track. The car comes with a full size number plate for the road/MOT.

A vestigial front aero screen provides better wind protection than you might imagine but the bulk of the Lotus’ high-speed work will usually be undertaken wearing a helmet.

As a proper racing car you’d expect it to pick up the odd mark and it has. But not many, that’s for sure:

• There are some to the top of the cockpit where the driver’s feet sometimes catch it when hopping in and out.
• There is a chip in the PPF on one wheelarch.
• And, there is a black mark on the sill where the seller picked up some tyre debris while racing at Harewood Hill.

The seller would like to point out that all the marks you see are to the Paint Protection Film only and none have damaged the paintwork underneath.

Describing the interior is a doddle because there’s even less inside the 2-Eleven than there is outside.

The cockpit is dominated by that lovely carbon/GRP Tillett B6 Screamer racing seat. Unpadded and yet still comfortable, the heavily bolstered design is joined by a full race harness from Schroth to hold the driver firmly in place. 

There’s no passenger seat and the nearside of the cabin is covered by an Aspen White tonneau cover, turning it into a single seater to save weight. However, should you wish, you could unbolt the tonneau and fit the spare seat and harness that come with the car. (Whether anyone would be brave enough to volunteer to be a passenger is a different matter.)

The steering wheel is from Momo. Easily detachable, it’s joined as a major control by one of the nicest-looking gearchanges we’ve ever seen. Fully exposed, all the better to appreciate its engineering, it is topped by a simple alloy gear knob. Datum Motorsport fitted it in May of this year, and the mechanism alone set the owner back a four-figure sum…

An equally gorgeous handbrake, which was fitted at the same time as the gearchange, lies behind it and three minimalist pedals are tucked away under the dashboard.

Of the latter, CAR magazines says: “The pedals are a little further apart than in a Seven, so heel ‘n’ toeing is a little harder, but still easily achievable”, something that might also make the 2-Eleven easier for taller drivers to drive.

The passenger footwell contains the tank for the OMP fire suppression system, while the driver’s door contains the switch for it. The same location plays home to a control panel for the traction control, starter and lights.

The digital dashboard is as legible and easily assimilated as you’d hope to find in a car whose sole purpose is to lap a race circuit or climb a hill at insane speeds.

There is also a connecting cable for the plumbed-in CTEK battery maintenance charger. 

Lotus Motorsport knows its stuff and the 2-Eleven was a very well-equipped and specified car when it was first built and Lotus has confirmed it left the factory with the following optional extras:

• Torsen limited-slip differential
• twin oil coolers
• aero-pack rear wing
• standard front splitter.

But, it’s even better now.

The standard ‘Accusump’ system has been removed and replaced with a baffled sump. Datum Motorsport did the work back in July 2017, charging just over a grand for the privilege. 

It then installed a Rotex supercharger kit in October of the same year at a cost of £9,493. This hefty sum included new fuel injectors, an uprated fuel pump, and a K&N air filter. Of course, it also uprated the engine mounts, oil pump, and radiator too, and took the opportunity to fit a quick-release steering wheel.

The Rotex supercharger is more robust, more resilient, and more effective than the factory supercharger Lotus fitted. We don’t have performance figures to hand but we estimate the 0-62mph time is now comfortably under four seconds, the top speed is north of 150mph, and the mid-range acceleration mind-blowing.

An AIM MX2E dashboard with custom switches joined the party in November 2020 at a cost of just over £2,000. It’s probably fair to say the chaps at Datum Motorsport earned a decent Christmas bonus that year.

The seller’s first job when he bought the car was to send it to Paul Matty Sports Cars. It added a Tillet seat in March 2021 along with a Schroth harness, a plumbed-in fire extinguisher, a timing strut, an MSA-approved towing eye, Carbone Lorraine brake pads, and a four-into-one tubular exhaust manifold and de-cat pipe. All for £7,283.

The adjustable Ohlins dampers not only work as they should but the history file even still includes the instructions on how to adjust them for compression and rebound and a crib sheet with some suggested settings.

The service history record is as follows:

• 27.07.2017 and 228 miles – oil service by Datum Motorsport
• 09.11.2020 and 1,848 miles – oil service by Datum Motorsport
• 24.03.2021 and 1,870 miles – service by Paul Matty Sports Cars including fresh engine and gearbox oil and new sparkplugs
• 14.05.2021 and (unknown) miles – service by Paul Matty Sports Cars
• 07.02.2022 and 2,189 miles – engine and gearbox oil service by Paul Matty Sports Cars
• 07.05.2023 and 2,233 miles – service by Datum Motorsport including fettling the gearshift

The engine bay is very nicely presented, as is the underside.

NB: The Lotus comes with the following spares, so you’d better take a van with you when you go to collect it:

• The original Lotus Recaro driver’s seat and brackets
• The original gearchange, cover, and handbrake lever
• Four spare and brand-new tyres on four immaculate correct wheels.
• A Schroth harness
• An indoor car cover
• Front road splitter

You therefore have everything you’d need to fit a passenger seat, thus turning it into a two-seater, one of the few roles it hasn’t carried out. Yet.

The Lotus’s MoT certificate is valid until May 2024 and, bar some slight naughtiness with the numberplate, it’s achieved an advisory-free pass every single time it’s been tested. 

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and the Lotus comes with two ignition keys plus another for the electrical cut-off switch. 

For all its track-day heroics, the 2-Eleven is a more usable car than you might think. As Autocar put it:

“And unlike some track specials, the 2-Eleven is really very usable on the road too. Lotus's factory is surrounded by brilliant B-roads and the 2-Eleven is just as fabulous on these as it is on the circuit.

“As in most performance cars - especially those with 338bhp per tonne - you can't get close to the 2-Eleven's limits most of the time, but even stroking it along at 60 or 70 per cent is a joy. The steering's still wonderful and the engine's flexible. It even rides quite well.”

And this is a very good example of the breed. 

Beautifully maintained and upgraded with all the bits you’d probably choose to fit yourself, we think our guide price of between £40,000 and £50,000 represents spectacular value for money and it would be hard to see how you could go any faster for so little.

A proven front-runner, it’s all you need to get out there and start winning.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located with the vendor in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire. Viewings are strictly by appointment.  To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.