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1990 Lotus Esprit X180R Type 105
“Eleanor”Constructed in the first quarter of 1990, Eleanor was the second of two type 105 factory race cars built to compete in the SCCA World Challenge series. Shipped to the United States in May of 1990, Eleanor made her competition debut at the second race of the season in Texas. Raced as the #16 car for Doc Bundy and the PureSports team, Eleanor was piloted to poles and race wins and at Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta and fastest lap at Des Moines. Doc finished the 1990 season 2nd in the points championship in the debut season of the X180R program. Eleanor then made a trip back across the pond to be displayed at the Birmingham Auto show and have some post season engineering analysis to finalize the build for the future type 106 cars.1991 saw the return of Eleanor to the race track in the IMSA Supercar series as part of a now 5 car factory effort. Lotus originally constructed 3 new type 106 X180Rs for 1991 with the 2 type 105 cars having been retired. Retirement was short lived, as the newly formed LotuSport team needed reinforcements to hold off a major manufacturer battle with the Brumos Porsche team. The pair of type 105s were pulled out of mothballs, updated with type 106 chassis and suspension upgrades, and readied for battle. Eleanor was prepared as a “customer car” to be used for team sponsors to drive. From 1991-1994, Eleanor, now renumbered 12, saw many drivers and varied levels of success. Drivers ranged from team sponsors Bo Lemler and Steve Hanson to road racing veterans like Paul Newman, Scott Lagasse, and Andy Pilgrim finishing 2nd at Miami. After LotuSport shut down in 1995, Eleanor was sold to Steve Hansen who in turn leased her out to the Move-It Motorsports team in 1999. Move-It raced Eleanor in the inaugural Speedvision GT series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of a 3 Esprit team. From 2000-2002, Eleanor sat dormant until being rescued and restored by current owners Yesteryear Motorsports/LotuSport Racing. Eleanor has seen great success over the past 10 years as a dominant force in SVRA vintage racing. Drivers Ken Fitzgerald, Burt Levy, Doc Bundy, and David Murry have piloted Eleanor to wins at VIR, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta, and New Jersey Motorsports Park. British Racing Group is honored to be offering this very special car for purchase. Well maintained and with a recently rebuilt engine, Eleanor is ready to be campaigned or utilized for show. Driver training and track-side support packages are available and can be tailored to the specific needs of the new owner. Offers of $130,000 USD are being entertained. This is a very rare opportunity to own a piece of Lotus Racing History. Please contact us by email at sales@britishracinggroup.com or toll free in the US at (855) BRG-5000 or woroldwide at +01 (215) 915-9109. Please ask for British Racing Group President and Founding Partner, Robert Konick, when inquiring. The car is currently located in Maryland USA with worldwide shipping available.View the full article
