It’s been a big year for the Lotus 72 race car. Not only was it the 50th anniversary of Emerson Fittipaldi’s F1 world championship, but Lotus launched a very special version of the Evija all-electric hypercar to celebrate. It’s called the Evija Fittipaldi, and another F1 legend and Evija customer – Jenson Button – recently drove it round the iconic Hethel test track.
With the 20 Grand Prix victories, the Type 72 was the outstanding F1 car of its era, and arguably the most significant and successful race car design ever. Only 10 were ever built, and the surviving eight were at Hethel as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations last month. It was chassis #5 of the 10 – known as 72/5 – which Fittipaldi drove numerous times during the 1972 season, when he secured the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles for himself and Team Lotus respectively.
So what better way to complete the celebrations than deliver a Lotus Certificate of Provenance presentation box to Clive Chapman, son of the co-founders of Lotus, Colin and Hazel Chapman, for chassis 72/5. Clive is Managing Director of Classic Team Lotus, and chassis 72/5 is a hugely important part of the collection.
Clive commented: “The Lotus Cars Certificate of Provenance for road cars is an impressive initiative. I am sure Lotus owners worldwide appreciate the opportunity to acquire such an attractive presentation relating to their treasured vehicle. It is very kind of Lotus Cars to have created this one-off certificate for such a special racing car from the Classic Team Lotus Collection.”
More than 2,100 Certificate of Provenance presentation boxes have been created and distributed since August 2020, and to all corners of the globe. Each presentation box includes the same selection of beautifully designed Lotus collectables; an aluminium plaque engraved with the owner’s name and information about their car from the Certificate of Provenance; a leather Lotus keyring; a carbon fibre bookmark featuring the brand’s nine most significant motorsport laurels; a presentation tin of four badges; and a Lotus ink pen.
There are five versions, including the standard box (£170), then versions which are dedicated to owners of the Lotus Elise, Exige or Evora (£175). The top of the range is a stunning limited edition Black and Gold box; costing £185, only a handful of the 300 created are remaining. The presentation box and collectables are finished in the instantly recognisable colour scheme of the iconic Lotus motorsport livery.
Many packs have been bought as gifts for Lotus-owning loved ones, while others have been ordered by the owner themselves. Along with the collectables, each presentation box contains the actual Certificate of Provenance. Printed on premium paper, this provides a summary of the car’s details including the VIN, paint colour and specification. It also notes the date on which the car completed its production at the Hethel factory and was passed to the Lotus sales team.
With it is the Build Specification Letter. Drafted using detailed vehicle information from the Lotus archive, this document provides more in-depth information about the car, including its engine, transmission, standard features and optional extras. Also, where is data available, it provides a snapshot into how rare the car is, searching the same model year and market to see how many were made in the same colour/trim.
The final document is a personalised letter to the customer signed by Matt Windle, Group Vice-President and Managing Director, Lotus Cars, thanking them for their purchase and updating them on the transformation which is taking place at Lotus. The three documents are presented in a simple black envelope placed inside the presentation box.
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the Lotus owner in your family? Order a Certificate of Provenance via https://shop.thelotusforums.com/products/lotus-certificate-of-provenance
