It isn't too often that a rare 1967 Lotus 51 Formula appears for sale on eBay. According to the description, the Formula Ford series was launched in 1967 and was meant to be an entry level series for amateur racers to prove themselves at manageable costs. If drivers were good enough, they could move up to Formula 2 and Formula 3 competitions. For their part, Lotus built the Type 51 for the 1967-68 seasons.

The cars had a multi-tubular space-frame chassis with a double wishbone suspension and coil spring/damper units in the front and lower wishbones and coil/damper units in the rear. The Type 51 did very well in this competition and helped to increase the car's demand. This particular car has been restored and raced at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It's had three prior owners, with the original owner having worked for the Lotus factory. The engine has also recently been rebuilt but hasn't been raced yet.

From what we can see, the car's body is in fantastic condition with only a few paint cracks. It had an asking price of $28,500, but the reserve was not met, so it may be up for auction again shortly. Photos courtesy of chicagocarauction1