The Lotus Elan was introduced in 1962 as a 1500cc, 2-seat roadster. The engine was quickly enlarged however, to 1600cc after a very short production run of the initial model. The Elan was quite technically advanced for its time - DOHC 4-cylinder engine; four-wheel disc brakes; rack and pinion steering and independent suspension all round – fitted into a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. As such, it was the first Lotus road car to use this construction method but still embodied the ‘minimum weight‘ design philosophy which Lotus chief, Colin Chapman, felt so important. Allied to the pretty looking fibreglass body, these constituents combined to make a commercially successful car, being popular with the motoring public and a competitive car on track.

This winning design evolved quite quickly with improvements and enhancements added to the mix. The early models became known as ‘Series 1’ vehicles with the introduction of Series 2 cars in 1964. The range expanded with the development of a coupe version, included in the Series 3 models, with slightly more powerful and luxurious SE - Special Equipment – variants offered. A Series 4 range followed in 1968 and the final variant – named the Elan Sprint rather than Series 5 - in October 1970. Production ran on until 1973 and, whilst an exact figure is not known, experts believe the production number will be around the 10,000 mark.

The Elan offered here has a February 1970 build date (evidenced by the chassis number) – making it a Series 4 car originally. We have nothing of its early history beyond its first registration for the road in August 1971. At the end of the 1980s, it went to a new owner who completely rebuilt the car - upgrading it to the final Sprint model specification - in 1990/91. We have an MOT record from July 1991, which shows the car having covered 73,918 miles. This owner kept the vehicle for around 20 years, during which time the Elan was entered in Concours d’Elegance events and featured in a Thoroughbred & Classic Cars magazine roadtest article in July 2006.

Post 2010, the car passed through the hands of a number of owners, each taking care and effort to maintain the Elans condition – as evidenced by a thick file of invoices. In 2019, the car passed to the current, Jersey-based owner, with the last (2018 issued) MOT showing 87,222 miles recorded. It has similarly been very well maintained whilst in the island, with a further detailed record of service and other works carried out. With light use, the mileage now stands at a little short of 91,000 miles.