Lotus Elan 26R Coupé No. 00 Racing 1964 Matrix Scale Models 1:43

The Lotus Elan 26R sits at the intersection of 1960s British engineering ingenuity and competitive GT racing. Designated Type 26R by Lotus, this factory-approved competition variant was developed from 1963 onwards and quickly established itself as a class frontrunner. Matrix Scale Models renders the No. 00 car from 1964 in resin at 1:43, a scale that rewards close study and suits curated displays without dominating a cabinet shelf.

Type 26R: Lotus's Factory Competition Tool

Derived directly from the Type 26 road-going Elan, the 26R was Lotus's homologation-based GT racer. It retained the pressed-steel backbone chassis and fibreglass body of the road car but received a stiffer chassis, wider wheel arches, wider track, an oil cooler, and a close-ratio gearbox. Power came from the Lotus-Ford Twin Cam 1558 cc inline-four, producing approximately 115–130 bhp in full race preparation — enough to outpace Triumph Spitfires and MG Midgets that shared the GT class grid through 1963–1968.

Green, Yellow, and the Race Number That Stands Apart

The green and yellow livery on No. 00 is entirely consistent with British club and GT racing practice of the period — a British Racing Green base accented with yellow striping. Race number 00 was occasionally used in period motorsport for non-championship or demonstration entries, making this particular car a distinctive subject. The 1964 season represented an early peak for the 26R, before the arrival of the Porsche 911 and Alfa GTA altered the competitive balance in GT class racing across Europe and North America.

A Hand-Built Resin Model from Matrix Scale Models

Matrix Scale Models specialises in hand-built resin 1:43 replicas of historically significant and rarely modelled subjects. Their process yields a level of surface and livery accuracy that mass-produced diecast models at this scale seldom achieve. The Elan 26R Coupé is exactly the kind of short-run, specialist subject that sits at the core of Matrix's catalogue — a car with a genuine motorsport story, reproduced in a format that appeals to serious collectors focused on British motorsport heritage of the 1960s.

In the Display Cabinet

This model pairs naturally with other 1960s Lotus racing subjects at 1:43 — the Lotus Europa Type 47 GT racer or the Lotus Cortina Mk1 (Type 28) make strong companions. Collectors building a British GT theme of the 1960s will also find the Triumph Spitfire GT4, the 26R's closest class rival, a logical addition. Matrix's own range of 1960s British GT subjects provides further pairing options within a coherent single-maker display.