Lotus Elan (M100): CIWYC
The Elise Sprint is coming - but if money's tight, why not take advantage of one of its most accessible forebears?
Now, this being Catch It While You Can, and it being a new Lotus Elise in the offing, it'd be no surprise if we were to take a look back at the original Elise, to tell you all about how you should buy one now just before the prices start to bimble their way skywards, having been sitting stationary for some time. (You probably should, by the way.)
The thing is, that's just what they'd be expecting us to do. So instead, we're going to tell you about a different Elise predecessor, and one you should also catch while you can. Not because prices are set to go up anytime soon, you understand. More because it looks like a bit of a bargain.
The more observant among you (by which we mean 'anyone with eyes') will already have worked out that we're talking about the Lotus Elan. And not the original Elan, either, but the wedgy, slightly plasticky, very front-wheel-drive M100 version, and equipped with your choice of a 1.6-litre Isuzu petrol engine, or the same engine with an IHI turbocharger strapped on.
The vast majority were equipped with the latter powerplant, good for 165hp, with 0-60mph coming up in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 137mph. All of which made it suitably brisk for the early 1990s. But there is, of course, an elephant in the room. And we should deal with it before we go any further.
Yes, we know it's front-wheel drive. Yes, we know it looks like it shouldn't be. But the thing is, drive an M100 for half an hour and the chances are you won't mind too much. For Lotus, the decision to make the new Elan was never about packaging or efficiency, such as it was for other manufacturers. Instead, it was about stability and predictability; an attempt to build a car that was not only great fun, but also accessible, and easy to drive quickly.
In a way, that was its downfall, for buyers didn't want an expensive British roadster with Vauxhall bits that couldn't step its tail out like an old Elan could. Instead, they wanted a cheap, faux-British roadster with Mazda bits that could. Which was why the MX-5 came along and stole the Elan's thunder.
Nevertheless, the Elan was still immense fun and, let's not forget, far quicker than any standard Mk1 MX-5 could ever hope to be. And today, you can still pick up a very decent Elan for under £10,000 - we found this example of the more desirable S2 with just 58,000 miles on the clock going for £9,000, for example.
Ah yes, you're saying, but what about that early Elise? Well, frankly, until around six months ago, we'd have nodded sagely and told you to go and buy one of those instead, after all. But with Elise prices well and truly on the rise, like-for-like, you'll probably get more Elan for your money now.
What's more, the Elan can boast a layer of usability the Elise can't - for example, a roof that's permanently attached to the car. Such luxury gives it the edge, if not in terms of ability, then in terms of accessibility. And if you can see past any anti-front-wheel-drive bias you might have, that combined with its entry-level price makes it one of the most tempting ways into Lotus ownership there is.
[The Azure Blue Elan in pics here is currently for sale in the PH classifieds here]
Don't get any of the non-turbos, though they are very much in the minority. There are loads of 100k-plus examples going, so the engine is strong but some might prefer it pepping up. This has been a Cinderella Lotus for some time, seems like attitudes are changing.
Kia made these for a while too
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
I had the same problems with a 1986 Ford Escort - left me a broken man with everything that was wrong with it. However the 2nd car I was running at the time was faultless - yes a Lotus from the 1970s.
Mine was in the 1st 20 off the production line so an early model to say the least.
Reliability is very good. The car is quick on any B road & can more than hold it's own with supposedly much faster cars. They are also very easy to drive quick & totally useable. The design is a little awkward from some angles but from front on it's really good & timeless.
Seriously underrated.
I had the same problems with a 1986 Ford Escort - left me a broken man with everything that was wrong with it. However the 2nd car I was running at the time was faultless - yes a Lotus from the 1970s.
Surely the pop-up headlights alone make the Elan pretty desirable! I'd love one as a daily driver, to replace my Z3. It would look good next to my S1 Elise fast road/track car ...
The real mystery, as alluded to in the article above, has to be why the Elise S1 isn't already stratospheric price wise. They were made for about 3 years in low volume. Loads now rest with Colin Chapman in his celestial garage, loads more have been subject to more modifications than a Kardashian. The brand has more kudos than many and the Elise offers a driving experience vastly different to Ford RS cars, old BMW's or a myriad of other cars which have seen their values rocket over the past 5 years.
Even cars with sub 10k miles aren't advertised for much over £20k. Good cars still routinely for sale at around £15k. That has to be cheap all things considered.
http://www.vehicledynamicsinternational.com/indust...
Having said that, there's another local who picked one up last year, and when we last spoke, has had no issues.
I remember when the M100 arrived on the scene (I don't like calling it the Elan), it was being hailed as the best handling front-wheel drive car you could buy. As someone else said, it was being developed at a time when the market for cars that were 'fun' to drive was moving towards FWD, and the nostalgia for the traditional British sports car had not yet been sparked by the MX-5. It made sense for Lotus to 'get with the program', and show that their suspension expertise could be applied to FWD as well as RWD. Unfortunately for Lotus, it turned out that what the market was waiting for was a traditional British sports car made by the Japanese.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff