Classic & Vintage - Incredible Lotus with Dura Ace Ax Group

Did anyone here end up with that beautiful Lotus that sold last night? I'm at work and can;t post an ebay link, but if you bought it, you know the one I mean. I'm beginning to second guess myself for not being willing to go over $600 on it as it's one of the nicest and most interesting Japanese bikes I've had the pleasure of seeing.

I saw it, but it was out of my league. Beautiful bike though!

http://cgi.ebay.com/52cm-Lotus-Super-Pro-1982-w-full-Dura-Ace-AX-gruppo-/220647194595?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

Aren't those bars alone worth $300 or so?

Not an AX headset, BTW, it's EX.

Did you see this one? Not as forward as the one you cite but interesting as it suggests an Italian link to Lotus:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280538926330&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

As that link will expire, I'll try to copy it over. It is a Lotus 'Competition' c. 1984, very different from the one in the 1981 catalog available on the web. This one is Columbus SL, Campy dropouts, Campy Record group. Seller has listed it on eBay twice, apparently without success...but then few people raise their priced on an item that has failed to sell.

http://i.ebayimg.com/19/%21ByoikUwCWk%7E$%28KGrHqF,%21iMEw5heruEBBMSljBWmlQ%7E%7E_35.JPG
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Lotus Competition bicycle, Oxide Green



>>1984 Lotus Competition bicycle, Oxide Green, 58 cm, Complete Campagnolo Record groupo including the seat post and rear drop-outs. Frame is Columbus SL double butted Chromoly steel, 18 lb. total weight, Saddle: Trico Sport, Cinelli 44 cm bars and stem, Rims/tires: Araya Red/ brand new Continental Giro gum-wall tubulars. I measured the top tube inaccurately and reported it incorrectly previously. The top tube is 58 cm from the center of the head tube to the center of the seat tube. If anyone viewing this knows how to get in contact with Professor Ernst Star of Hofstra / Temple Universities, I would appreciate the tip. <<

I honestly thought the Dura Ace AX group was far more interesting...I have lots of Campy bikes and NR/SR. I didn't know the bars went for that much, but I suspected that some of those parts must be, or might become, valuable if I was unfamiliar with them. I'm kicking myself.

Those Lotus dimensions seem a bit odd to me. Anyone else?
seat tube: 52 cm (ctc)
top tube: 55 cm (ctc)

I was wondering about that and thought there two possible reasons...

1. he didn't measure correctly
2. getting the person more spread down was part of the "aero" theme.

163913

Here's a small picture from the auction that I referenced locally so I hope that means it'll hang around

Not my cup of tea. I think thats fair market value if not a little high.

a nice bike certainly, but dont beat yourself up about it.
I agree with Jim that its a fair price, the DA AX and 600 ax groups are more common than a lot of stuff from the time, that frameset justifies the auction price though.

Ah, I immediately thought "wow, that looks very similar to a Tsunoda aero", and while reading the auction description it was indeed Tange aero, made by Tsunoda..

http://speedbicycles.ch/showBike.php?enr=182&PHPSESSID=51837ffeee905d1a62fc01efa3aa62f4

Wish I had a DA AX bike, those glory days of weird aerodynamics and new inventions..

Not my cup of tea. I think thats fair market value if not a little high.

+1 And with an auction, you never know how high the successful bidder bid. The bike went for $670. I would not be surprised that the winner may have bid $800 or more. So had you bid around $750, you probably still would not have won the auction.

Its a really special and unique Lotus. I am not sure how to put a value on it. Someone, somewhere would probably pay $1000 or more for the bike. But that buyer would be hard to find.

Regardless, both of these bikes are outside my budget for flips or keepers. I am too thrifty to put that much on the line for a bike.

The second Lotus is for sale by an ebay'r with a feedback score of "1". That's right, one transaction. At least it was a bike. I would not spend this kind of money unless I could do a local pickup with that seller, and even then, it is outside my budget anyway.

Lovely bike and I don't think that it was out of line with that closing bid. I have a pair of those bars, and if anyone has a stem that matches, I'd love to buy it. A little Lotus tale for your trouble:

Way way back in the day, we had a weekly time trial series here in Idaho (do again, too, but that's a different story). One day, a sailor, head down, rode his Lotus Pro (the same bike as was just sold) into the back of a disc being pulled behind a tractor. He guessed that he was going about 25 mph (top cog) at the time. He landed on the bar over the discs, and was still pretty seriously injured. The bike went into the discs and was the most completely destroyed wreck that I have ever seen. What remained looked like it had been shredded (and I guess it had...).

The moral of this story is, of course, don't ride with your head down.