Under 2-Liter Sports Racer – 2014 Market & Price Guide

Two-liter sports racing cars have always had a place to compete within the ever-changing regulations of international motorsports; the World Sports Car Championship from 1953-1961, the Speedworld Challenge from 1962-1963, the International Championship of   Makes from 1964-1971 and the World Championship of Makes from 1972-1981. There was even a European Championships of Makes for cars up to two liters from 1970-1975. This allowed manufacturers to showcase their design and engineering excellence by producing a limited number of purpose-built racing cars to compete at the world’s greatest racing venues. There was great racing in the under two-liter class. On the right circuit, these nimble cars could often get the best of their larger competitors. A World Championship of Makes with race circuits such as Silverstone, Nürburgring, Le Mans, Monza, Daytona and Sebring resulted in an era of motor sports that may never happen again. Today, these historic cars are highly sought after by collectors, not just for the admiration of their technology, but also to participate in reenactments of these famous racing events.

Cooper Monaco

By 1960, the Cooper Car Company of Surrey, England, was well known for building successful single-seater and sports racing cars. This included winning the Grand Prix World Championship in 1959 and 1960 with the T51 and T53 Grand Prix cars. These designs were the basis for the “Monaco” sports racing car. It was essentially a widened single-seater, featuring a sturdy tube frame design powered by 1.5-, 2.0-, or 2.5-liter Coventry Climax engines mated to a Jack Knight-modified Citroën-Ersa 4-speed transaxle.  Suspension in front was by double wishbones and coil spring damper units, while the rear had a transverse leaf spring with single lower wishbone, until 1961, when coil springs were mounted. These cars were quite successful, driven by the likes of Jack Brabham and Roy Salvadori. Today, in the 1960 and older historic race group, they are front runners.

1956 Lotus Eleven

Colin Chapman started Lotus cars in humble surroundings on Tottenham Lane in North London. However, the designs that rolled out of that little shop were quite remarkable. Chapman was a design genius and with the assistance of a talented group of individuals that included aerodynamicist Frank Costin, Lotus cars set a standard of building innovative, lightweight, aerodynamic sports racing cars. The Lotus Eleven was a new design drawn from scratch. It used a tubular space frame with stressed aluminum panels. Power came from a Coventry Climax FWA 4-cylinder engine, which was mated to a 4-speed BMC gearbox. It was covered in a stunning Frank Costin-designed, all-aluminum, aerodynamic body.

Lotus cars were scientifically designed, as Chapman’s philosophy was to engineer a lightweight, well-balanced, efficient car where every component’s function was thought out. The Lotus Eleven won its class at Le Mans and Sebring and set a world-class speed record. Today, these sports racing cars are very popular with collectors who race them in the pre-1960 race group.

Criteria Used For Assessing Valuations for this Guide:

• Degree of Originality
• Overall Condition, Restoration
• Technology, Design, Coachbuilder
• Production Numbers/Rarity
• Competition History
• Ownership History, Documentation
• Modern Event Eligibility

Regional Variances

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT. Most of the time, we are able to document known sales or closed escrows, as they say in real estate. When this is not possible, a logical estimate of the car’s value is given, based on its sales history and relationship to cars of its type.

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT.