Lotus does not build many cars like the Lotus 59: a Open wheel with 1598 cc Cosworth FVA, built from 1969 to 1970 in the decade that gave the world the pony car and the mid-engined supercar. Its designer of record is Dave Baldwin.
Where it came from
The Lotus 59 is a racing car built by Lotus Components Ltd. for the 1969 and 1970 seasons of Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula Ford and Formula B.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 1598 cc Cosworth FVA; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 390 KG. The gearbox is a 59B: Hewland FT200 / 59: Hewland Mk.6. The wheelbase is 92.5 inches. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Lotus's history is not in doubt: the Lotus 41 came before it; the Lotus 69 followed it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Range Rover Range Rover, the Chevrolet Impala, the Peugeot 504. Nearby in the Lotus catalogue sit the Lotus 100T and the Lotus 101.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Lotus 59 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.