M-series/Taimar vs Lotus Elan

[Nefarious]

Seeing as my Cerbera has turned out to be annoyingly reliable , my thoughts have been turning recently to doing a restoration project.

I want something properly old i.e. pre-1980, but also something that'll actually be a great drive when it's finished (rather than just a "pretty" old car). Authenticity will not by high up the priority list, so it shouldn't be something that commands silly prices and demands that you keep everything 100% original(e.g. E-types).

Things with plastic/GRP bodywork are also appealing because I'm not that interested in spending days and days repairing metal body panels which have turned into doilly-lace.

So, early thoughts are a Lotus Elan, or a TVR M-series/Taimar.

There'd be a fair amount of modernisation going on in the build process - probably with a Zetec engine for the Elan, or an Cossie V6 for the TVR, decent modern brakes and coilovers, whichever option I went for.

Anyone care to offer thoughts on which is likely to be the better drive at the end of the process?

[Nefarious]

Cheers for the comments.

Could you explain why the M is superior to the Taimar, and why you think the cossie is a backwards step?