A LOTUS Elan Plus 2 previously owned by the late Lotus founder Colin Chapman has joined the line-up of seven other Elans from the Piddington Collection which will be auctioned on February 25.

The sale by Silverstone Auctions at the Race Retro Show being held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, is expected to attract wide interest.

The Chapman car - a 6,920-mile Elan Plus 2S 130/5 - is estimated to sell forbetween £60,000 and £70,000.

Chapman was regarded as a brilliant English design engineer, inventor and builder who created the Lotus Sports Car Company in 1952.

His cars became synonymous with light weight and fine handling. He said: "Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."

Tragically Chapman suffered a fatal heart attack in 1982, aged 54.

Between 1962 and 1978 under his guidance Team Lotus won seven Formula One Constructors titles, six Drivers' Championships as well as the Indianapolis 500 in the US.

Simon Langsdale, of Silverstone Auctions, said: "This very special example of the Plus 2 130/5 was manufactured by Lotus Cars in September 1972 and allocated to the Sales Department on October 9, 1972 for the personal use of ACBC, Colin Chapman.

"We imagine that the team assembling this particular Plus 2 would probably have spent a little longer getting everything absolutely right knowing that 'the boss' was going to be driving it in a few days.

"It was finished in Tawny with a Silver Roof and an Oatmeal Vinyl interior,this being only the second example painted in this particularly attractive shade.

"The car was used by Colin until it had done around 6,600 miles at which point he would have been allocated a newer model as you might expect and JAH 567L was popped into the Lotus Museum where it was to reside for many years before the decision was taken to dispose of a few of the earlier cars."

The Colin Chapman car joins a celebrated Lotus line-up at the sale.

The Piddington Lotus Collection was put together by Deryck Norville, a former Cosworth engineer, and many of his cars have celebrity connections which are sure to excite any Lotus enthusiast.

The cars include vehicles once owned by actor Peter Sellers and racing driver Jochen Rindt.

Silverstone Auctions says the Piddington Lotus Elans will be joined in the sale by a further 16 Lotus models.