Tuesday 9th October 2018

Lotus Elan S2: Spotted

Restored by Ken Myers 10 years ago and with only 4k miles since, this Medici Blue S2 already has us in the mood for summer

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"I drive my Lotus Elan for pleasure - not because I have to," said world champion, Jim Clark. So the famous poster slogan goes. Clark, then a driver for Colin Chapman's racing team, might be smiling as he sits on the Carmen Red bonnet of 997 NUR in the photo, but it probably wasn't too long before he was grimacing at a his Series 1's next problem. "That never-reliable motor car, the Elan, has broken down again and is at the factory," he wrote in a letter to Team Lotus manager Andrew Ferguson during his custodianship.

No, the Elan has never been celebrated as a marvel of reliable motoring. In its earliest S1 format (like Clark's car), it was notoriously unreliable and perfectly befit of the well-known acronym: lots of trouble, usually serious. Not only that, the Elan's soft-top didn't stand up well to heavy rain - so much so that a fixed head coupe version was produced with a bonded-on hard top to appeal to customers not so keen on water ingress. Running an Elan, even the better developed later generations, required constant TLC.

But it was worth it, because the Elan felt light years ahead of its time. The ingredients were compelling enough. It was built on a seperate steel chassis, used an ultra lightweight fibreglass body and was powered by a twin-cam 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with a syncho'd four-speed manual gearbox. Chapman's company then merged these controls with a tactility that provided its driver with the means for 'pleasurable' - to use Clark's description - driving. Jump in an Elan even today and you'll quickly find that the weighting and responsiveness of the controls are still nigh on perfect.

It's all about feel and communication, of course. The gear lever throw is short and assertive and the throttle instantaneously impactful on engine revs. The brake pedal jostles feedback into your foot while the steering wheel - aside from a small amount of numbness around centre - is brimmed with information. There's no power assistance, but the wheel is light to turn because you're influencing tiny 145-section tyres on 13-inch steel wheels. Grip is therefore not particularly high, but with just 680kg to shift, the rubber is more than up to the job. And with so much feedback on tap, you're always a step ahead of what's happening.

The peak of Elan performance came with the Sprint, of course, and this is reflected in pricing. Sprints on the classifieds regularly cost more than £40,000. Prices for regular Elans can start from just over half that, unless you opt for one of a growing number of fully restored examples. Take the S2 in striking Medici Blue that we've spotted today, for example. This car was stripped and then rebuilt by highly respected Elan specialist Ken Myers 10 years ago, but it has only covered 4,800 miles since, all of which have been in the dry. As such, it looks to be one of the finest examples available, and we don't say that just because of its gorgeous paint job; among its history files are various concours award wins. It's a stunning example, awaiting only a lucky buyer and, we'd venture, the warmer weather of 2019.

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LOTUS ELAN S2
Engine: 1,558cc four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 105@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 108@4,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1965
Recorded miles: 4,800 (after restoration)
Price new: N/A

Click here for the original advert.

[Kolbenkopp]

This is pretty much sports car apotheosis IMO. But for ~ 50k GBP (!) one could build something better starting with more modern tech / safety / usability. Imagine what could be done to a G184 MX5 ND with an extra 25k of tweaking budget...

[Kolbenkopp]

Simon Owen said:

Yes we could have chosen a Boxter but we wanted something smaller & lighter with more modest grip levels, a new Elan could tick all our boxes and I think would sell reasonably well, perhaps even work with Mazda to tick the NA box !!! Ha yes I know dream on ...

We share a dream there, but we both know it's not going to happen . At least not from Lotus. And to be fair to the original -- it was high tech and expensive in period. Not a competitor for say a Spitfire or MGB, but aiming more at a 911 in price and performance. Such cars also exist today, from BAC or Ariel or Caterham.

Luckily, Mazda still keep refining their Elan inspired car. Will be interesting to see what BBR can achieve with the new G184 engine. Starting point is now pretty much Elan Sprint power/weight ratio... And lots of aftermarket options to sharpen the handling. Only thing that is never going to be equalled is the steering feel :-/.