Lotus Elan

Fast Facts

• Best model: Sprint
• Worst model: Any ratty example
• Budget buy: Plus 2
• OK for unleaded?: Probably not
• Will it fit in the garage? (mm): L x W 14’ x 5’ 3.5” (2S)
• Spares situation: Excellent
• DIY ease?: OK but engine access is tight
• Club support: Excellent
• Appreciating asset?: Yes, much underrated
• Good buy or good-bye?: A good one will be a friend for life

SE means useful pep increase

Most cars wore styled steel wheels - don’t go over-wide

Interior looked plusher than it really was but still fi ts like a glove

Elan’s shape altered little over the years, fl ared arches of S4 most signifi cant

Twin Cam unit is a delight if set up properly

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Has the Elan at last shed its image of being beautiful but a bitch to own – or is this Lotus still a split-personality classic?

There’s no sitting on the fence here, you either love or hate the Lotus Elan. Usually the former emotion relates to those who ache to own one, while far too much of the latter, negative emotion comes from unhappy, jilted owners who speak from bitter memories. Yes, we know all about the famous LOTUS acronym, indeed the Elan helped invent it, but today, after decades of experience and modern materials, the Elan can to be as reliable as it is desirable, which is why values have started to soar recently. If you want to adopt this Lotus position, then do it soon! Here’s how to make sure it’s not a painful one…

History

The Elite may have made history for Lotus, but it was the Elan that made money. After the complexity of the all-fi breglass former, the latter relied upon a simple but extremely rigid X-frame backbone chassis, with all-round independent wishbone suspension, featuring those famous ‘Chapman struts’, topped by a cute fi breglass body (penned by Ron Hickman, who went on to design the brilliant Black & Decker Workmate and make his fortune). After the cost and complexity of the Coventry Climax engine, Chapman looked to a simpler, cheaper alternative and found it by making a twincam cylinder head for the new Ford Kent engine. This got its power down via a Corsair/Classicbased transmission and Anglia axle assemblies, plus all-round disc brakes (Lotus rear/Triumph Vitesse front) with rack-and-pinion steering, taken from the Triumph. A parts-bin special the Elan may have been, but the make up was still sophisticated, plus it hit the showrooms at £1499 – a tidy sum back in 1962, but tellingly a fat 500 quid cheaper than the loss-making Elite. When fi rst shown at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show, the Elan featured a 1499cc Fordbased engine, but it didn’t take long for the classic 1558cc block to take its place – a unit that was to power the car until its demise just over a decade later. Initial reception could hardly have been more enthusiastic, but a few refi nements were needed so, in November 1964, the Series 2 Elan was launched, with larger front brake callipers, fullwidth wooden dashboard (which gave additional rigidity to the shell as well as providing a touch of luxury) and single-piece rear light clusters. In September of the following year, the Series 3 coupé arrived, complete with standard electric windows. A closer-ratio gearbox was also made available, while other tweaks included a longer boot lid (to cure leaks, an Elan bugbear!) and a boot-mounted battery. In January 1966 the Special Equipment model became available, packing 115bhp and marshalled by the close-ratio gearbox and now servo-assisted brakes. The Series 3 convertible appeared in June 1966, with the same amendments as the fi xedhead coupé. Then, a year later, the Plus 2 went on sale, albeit as fi xedhead only. Unloved for years, but now finding favour and deservedly so, this derivative is an Elan with a considerably longer, wider body plus a foot extra added wheelbase for tolerable 2+2 family accommodation. Some reckon it featured even better dynamics. The SE tune engine restored the performance of this much heavier derivative (2086lb against 1290lbs), which it’s said was fi rst suggested by Chapman as far back as 1963. This swankier 2+2 could even have been powered by the sweet Daimler 2.5 V8 if a proposal had gone ahead!

During the early days of the Plus 2’s design, there was a mooted merger of Lotus with Jaguar, as William Lyons saw Colin Chapman as the heir apparent. The Lotus boss had already been wooed by the lightweight Daimler V8 engine that Jaguar now owned but nothing came of the ‘alliance’. The Plus 2’s superb shape was dictated by the use of the old Ford Classic Capri windscreen and an Anglia front bumper. While it all worked out okay in the end, Chapman was always lukewarm about the Plus 2 and yet reception to the Plus 2 couldn’t have been more different to that of the pregnant-looking E-type of that era. Whereas the Jag received a tepid press, the scribes raved about the Lotus. Motor, in particular, hailed it a benchmark of a car back in ’67, which, “Dictated a reappraisal of some of the standards by which we must judge and access all future cars” it remarked. Praise indeed! The flared-arched S4 of March 1968 had supposedly 50 revisions over the S3, to bring it in line with the Plus 2, although one mod Lotus should have not bothered with was the fi tting of emission-friendly, sealed Stromberg carbs, which blighted many cars (but not Plus 2s). So much so, that, by November 1969, fl atspotfree Webers again ruled the engine bay, much to the relief of owners and dealers alike. The Plus 2 was killed off in August 1968, but the Plus 2S remained on sale. February 1971ushered in the Elan Sprint, with a 126bhp bigvalve headed engine, stronger transmission and two-tone paintwork. The same engine was transplanted into the Elan +2S to make the 130 model, identifi ed by a silver roof. This car would be fi tted with a fi ve-speed gearbox taken from the Austin Maxi, no less, from October 1972, badged Plus 2S 130/5. In August 1973 the Elan S4 was killed off, but the Plus 2S 130 survived until 1974, when the Elite was introduced.

Driving

Unless you’re Sir Jackie Stewart who hated his racer, the Elan lives up to its name and has poise, agility and much more zest than you’d think possible for a nigh on 50 year old. It was probably the fi rst sports car that had to be driven with fi ngertips rather than by the scruff of the neck: “The Elan does not so much under steer or over-steer as just steer – you turn the wheel and around the corner she goes” said one road test at the time. Sir Jackie described the Elan as one of the worst car’s he had ever driven, back in the1960s, although that was an early racer before the improved 26R shell was developed. Motor judged the Plus 2 as one of those rare cars which sets a new benchmark future cars have to match. Even today, although it’s the two-seater Elans which get all the glory, whisper it, but some specialists reckon the larger, wider track Plus 2 handles even better, and is the greater car. Early Elans are a bit frenzied when cruising, thanks to their lowly gearing; later cars gainedhigher ratios, although a variety of axles were always made optional, so it depends upon what’s been fi tted (and retro fi tted). The Elan was blindingly quick in its day and, even now, hardly disappoints. Autocar clocked a Plus 2S 130/5 at 121mph dead, after it sprinted to 60 in 7.7 seconds (the smaller lighter Elan Sprint is even quicker). Even a standard model is still GTi fast (Motor recorded a 0-60mph dash in 8.1 seconds for the SE Coupe back in 1968). But what makes the Elan so zippy is not just its power-to-weight ratio but, like the Mini Cooper, its diminutive dimensions ensure that there’s much more ‘road room’ to play with. Where Elan doesn’t score highly is its refi nement. Agreed, the handling is sublime, but those infamous Rotafl ex driveshaft couplings are prone to wind up and cause an embarrassing kangarooing if the driver is less than smooth with the clutch and throttle (later more modern driveshafts, that are easily fi tted, cure this to be fair). The Lotus was never a smooth car for its price when new and can be noisy, especially with the hood up. The engines are always vocal, if frugal; some owners speak of 30mpg if the Twin Cam engine is properly set up. A well sorted standard Elan is a joy, but there’s a wealth of modern upgrades around to make one even better. You can even make a ’new’ Elan using reliable, affordable Ford Mondeo power, a proper fi ve-speed gearbox and an even superior suspension set up. Awesome, if not original. And the original was considered very good in its day: “Superlatives are best avoided in road tests: they are too arbitrary and subjective and have a nasty habit of being made to look foolish by the passage of time. Nevertheless we are tempted to describe the Lotus Elan as the best all round sports car – bar none available today.” That was Motor speaking back in 1968 and the words still ring true

Prices

Be quick, since top Elans are selling for serious money and even half-respectable examples thatare hardly showroom fresh will command £8000 minimum. Really nice cars will top £15,000 and 20K is becoming commonplace for top Sprints. It’s the earliest S1 and S2 which are worth the most, mainly for their popularity in historic racing classes. In general, open cars command a premium of a couple of grand against the FHC (although the latter are liked for motorsport). The Plus2 still lags behind the Elan although the gap is closing. A good car is worth around £7000 and the top ones easily double this. Restos still sell for around for £2000 but any Elan is not a cheap car to properly rebuild.

Three Of A Kind

Mazda MX-5

It’s well known the Mazda MX-5 was little more than a clone of the Elan in style and substance, but with modern day durability and user friendliness. What’s wrong in that? A good MX-5 is a delight; not exactly quick even in 1.8-litre form but handles well and are so dependable. Accessible for under £2000 but, older, well used ones can let the side down, so buy with care.

Lancia Fulvia

This is the sort of car Chapman would have approved of and in fact he was considering using the sharp and swift V4 engine in the Plus 2. Launched a year before the Lotus, the Fulvia ran for ten years, and it’s a beautifully engineered coupe that was streets ahead of its rivals. Today they are good value, but mosthave rusted away and restos are dear. HF cars are pure gems!

Lotus Elan M100

Don’t tell everybody, but this long-awaited successor to the original is at least as good as the original, but more refi ned – and not to say reliable! If you can look past the fairly ugly styling of the dumpy M100 you’ll discover brilliant (front-wheel drive) handling, rapid turbo power and a build quality not seen before from Lotus. And they are spectacular value still. Just try one!