The largest private collection of Lotus cars in Europe is being put up for auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 29 June. Car enthusiast Olav Glasius' collection is made up of 24 vehicles, and Bonhams has been tasked to sell them all. Currently the collection resides in Olav's 16th century home's basement outside Amsterdam, with some models housed in a nearby purpose-built garage and others stored in a warehouse in England.

Amongst the 61-year-old retired textile industrialist's collection is a trio of highly sought-after Lotus models consisting of a 1956 Le Mans 24-Hours Lotus Eleven, a 1960 Type 18, and a rare 1962 Lotus 19 powered by a Buick V8, the three of which should fetch around $1million. Three unique concepts feature in the collection, namely the M200, Project M250 and Lotus Etna Berlinetta, while the oldest car going under the hammer is a 1954 Mk VI. However it's his prized Mk VIII that Glasius says he will find hardest to part with. "I think it's the most beautiful; the first of the streamlined Lotuses.

"It's a masterpiece, with huge fins at the rear like on a Batmobile," he said. "They made six or seven, and this is the only original one in the world. It took me years to rebuild it." Other models in the catalogue include a Mk IX, Type 23, Type 27, Type 47, Type 91, Elite, Elan, Elan +2, Esprit Turbo, Elite 2.2, Eclat 2.2 and a Sunbeam Talbot. He's also thrown in a period Lotus transit van for good measure. Lotus collectors and classic car fans have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get hold of some rare and exciting Lotus vehicles, which can be viewed in full via the link. Bonhams expects the entire collection to exceed £1.5 million.