Pink Panther actor Peter Sellers' Lotus goes to auction with an estimate of £120,000
Almost as good as The Silver Hornet
A 1966 Lotus Elan formerly owned by the actor Peter Sellers is due to go under the hammer later this week with a top estimate of £120,000.
Sellers, a renowned petrolhead and star of films such as Dr Strangelove and The Pink Panther series, took delivery of the S3-SE Elan at his Haymarket home in July 1966, during the period when he was married to the Swedish actress Britt Ekland, his second of four wives.
The Lotus is fresh from a lengthy restoration and has been owned by its present owner, former Cosworth engineer and Lotus collector, Deryck Norville, since he bought the car in 2015 for £50,000.
Peter Sellers was notoriously fickle when it came to cars, with his fellow Goon Show comic Spike Milligan describing them as Sellers’ “metal underwear”, so often did he change them.
By the time he was 39, Sellers is believed to have owned around 80 vehicles, with a particular penchant for British cars having over the years owned Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, MGs, Rovers, Aston Martins, Minis, Jaguars and Jowetts.
Sellers is also known to have owned a Buick, several Ferraris and a couple of Mercedes models, but, in stark contrast to many of his cars, some of which he sent back or sold after just one day, he held on to the Lotus for three years.
During its time in Deryck Norville’s ownership, Sellers’ Lotus formed part of the well-known (in Lotus circles) Piddington collection of famous Elans alongside cars owned by racing driver Jochen Rindt and engineer Keith Duckworth (the “worth” in Cosworth).
Six other cars from the Piddington collection are also headed to Silverstone’s Race Retro auction at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on Saturday (February 25) including one gifted to the actor Diana Rigg after filming wrapped on the sixties TV show, The Avengers.
Rindt’s Elan, also going on sale, was presented to him by Lotus founder Colin Chapman after Rindt won the 1970 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. The German-born driver would die in the next round of the championship at Monza just weeks later.
The Sellers Lotus is, according to Silverstone Auctions, fit for either display or road use and comes with the original tool kit and a collection of newspaper clippings concerning Sellers and Ekland.
“If ever you have wanted to purchase a Lotus Elan, there will never again be an opportunity like this one,” said Rob Hubbard, Silverstone’s sales director.
“Each one comes with a provenance that adds to its interest. This Piddington Collection is one for the true Lotus aficionado.”
It isn’t just notable Lotuses going under the hammer at Stoneleigh Park though — a blue 1993 Lancia Delta Integrale rally replica last owned by Mr Bean actor (and, like Sellers, celebrity car aficionado) Rowan Atkinson is also due to cross the block.
Atkinson bought the Delta HF Integrale Evo II in 2021 with just 54,000 miles on the clock and only added an extra 2,000 or so during his tenure with it.
The actor is reported to have spent £8,000 on major servicing in the two years he owned the Lancia as well as £1,800 on a respray.
A far cry indeed from a ratty green Mini.
Related articles
- After reading about Peter Sellers’ Lotus going up for sale, you might like to read how much the Ferris Bueller Ferrari sold for at auction
- Or check out Jeremy Clarkson’s review of the Lotus Emira
- You may also be interested to read that an Audi Quattro sold for a record price of £163,125 at auction
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