Lotus Elan 1965

[Le TVR]

A friend has a 1965 Elan roadster sitting in her garage in England that hasn't moved since it was stored there 25-30 years ago. So best described as 'barn find condition'.
As far as I know it is a S2 1600 twin cam.

Is there anything in particular that would establish what a reasonable sale value might be?

I have heard of lotuselan.net, is there anywhere else that might be useful?

Thanks in advance

[woots787]

Ring up Paul matty sportscars and have a chat.

[lotus-types]

It would depend on the condition but they do fetch good prices even for a basket case, the more original/unmolested the higher value, I would certainly be interested in looking at (if it were local to me
PM me if interested.

[Le TVR]

Thanks. I don't think there is any great rush. They are trying to establish some kind of ballpark first.

[V8 FOU]

If it is really ucky and the chassis is rotten /engine seized about £5K
Better than above with no major work around £8K poss more

[lotus-types]

Le TVR said:

I don't think there is any great rush.

OK....keep me in mind....I sort of collect these things.

[POORCARDEALER]

Good time to get shut, I have restored many over the years, the prices now I think are high, possibly peaked, a complete car that needs fully restoring will do 6-10k.....7 years ago a mint Sprint would do 10k

[Kickstart]

Why not put it in an auction - barnfinds can do incredibly well - Silverstone auctions are having a sale at the Silverstone classic for example.

I would have thought your friend's car would be ideal for auction as it is a 1965 so eligible for turning into an FIA racing car

Good luck

[Maulden7]

"If it is really ucky and the chassis is rotten /engine seized about £5K
Better than above with no major work around £8K poss more"

I have owned a 65 S2 Elan for 25 years, & keep an eye on values etc.

You need to bear in mind that S1/2 models are the only Elans eligible for serious historic racing - both in the UK & worldwide. Basket cases are VERY sought after for rebuilding as 26R replicas & the above figures are some way below what you would expect to sell for.

Genuine good 26R's sell for well over £100k, & well built replicas for perhaps £60/70k, so you can see why an "unmolested" basket case would make good money.

The auction suggestion is a good one imo.

[MiseryStreak]

£5-8K would be my vague estimate also. Could be a fair bit more if the interior is good. They never go for less than £5k for the reasons stated. If it's on the original chassis and stored in a normal i.e. damp garage then chances are it will be beyond repair. But it's one of those few cars where you can replace the whole chassis and keep the VIN as the chassis is legally classed a sub-frame. If it's got the original Colin Chapman signature steering wheel in reasonable condition that can fetch up to £1,000 on its own.

Definitely go on LotusElan.net and put pictures up, the wealth of knowledge and helpfulness/friendliness of the members is simply staggering!