60 years since the Lotus Elan was launched

This is what they were offering 60 years ago today:

https://www.veikl.com/d/Lotus-Elan-1500-Brochure-1...

Had VAT not stepped in to price such kits out of the market, how might it have developed? Would Lotus have continued it in the vein of the Evante, https://www.classicandsportscar.com/features/vegan... or gone for a more raw experience, like Jay Leno's homage https://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/31/jay-leno-goes-... ?

My young lad (tender age of 29yr old ) and post divorce, inherited a Meccano set of rebuilt and painted parts from my garage included a rather feisty dyno'd 148 BHP engine; the result, if I say so myself is somewhat stunning.

Well..Cars and women heh? who'd ever thought of that...

Credit where it's due, he put it all back together with the help of a highly recommended, Ash and Tony, at www.asheritage.com.; and the results speak for themselves.





I'm not afraid to modify and indeed positively encourage, albeit keeping within the character of the car. e.g. 5 speed and Coopercraft on an E Type is good in my books and so "my Mikey" has fitted the electric headlamp conversion aka MX5 pop up and I also modded the chassis crossmember to allow easy gearbox/engine removal- plus innumerable other mods, as per usual Elan.

My first rebuild was by Vegantune in the '80's. If I remember correctly they were in the North London, Finchley area and "Nobby" built my engine. I don't know if they were the original guys or they bought the name but nonetheless, really nice blokes and I remember seeing a couple of those Evante's in the workshop,

I've had a number of really quick cars in my time but the Elan is so pure, almost surreal. The fluidity cross country is amazing and occasionally when you get into "the zone" it becomes part of you unlike anything else. I'm older, somewhat fatter, less capable and more considerate of my fragility to my wife, or rather the potential to collect a Darwin Award, that I temper my right foot in my Jag but occasionally when I drop back into the Elan...sigh..

Funny finale at this late hour...Mikey said that the engine was very "lumpy" albeit "f***g quick once it gets going". Yes, say's I, it was long time ago, nearly 20yrs, it was built by an ex Jordan engine engineer and fair cost me a bob or two"..."oh yes! Mum (my ex) said it cost you £3.5k, she didn't know anything about engines but figured it was worth chasing you for in the settlement!"...

Would love an Elan, and a Sprint DHC is on the Lottery List - not sure what colour, but do like...



Which reminds me, there's a bloke a few streets away from me that races Elans and has built a couple to R26 spec - must stop by for a chat again soon...

Oof, that’s a bit lovely - what’s the colour called?

Said this before but - imagine if the Elise had gone the same way as the 7.

Ring up Caterham, get this delivered as your 'stage 1' kit ready on install your choice of 4cylinder engines and gearbox out of any number of FWD hatched found easily in every scrapyard.

Mine after I spent two years restoring/rebuilding it. Elan +2S 130/4


It was one of the 'regulation beaters' which was registered in 1973 but not actually made until 1974...

I would love to know where it is now.

Not forgetting the slightly younger sibling - one of the two “Elanbulances” :

Very indeed

I sold my black S4SE Elan to a guy called Noel Francis. He planned to convert it into a rally car but I don’t think it ever happened and the car disappeared off the DVLA radar a couple of years later.

At the time Mr Francis’ slightly unlikely chosen rally weapon was this :

Is there, or has there been, a better 2 seater sports car than an Elan?