Editing Elan Models (section)

=Lotus Elan - 1962-1975=

The original Lotus Elan was devised as a replacement for the popular, but complex and expensive to build Lotus Elite, and was introduced in 1962.<br><br>
Out went the Elite's fibreglass chassis and Coventry Climax engine, replaced by a steel backbone design and Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine. Unlike the Elite it was available as a roadster, with the coupé introduced three years later in 1965.<br><br>
In 1967 Lotus introduced the Elan +2, a lengthened version of the Elan Coupé which as the name suggested added a pair of rear seats<br><br>
The Elan proved to be a huge success for Lotus, selling around 17,000 cars over its 15 year life.<br><br>
The TV show [http://www.yourdiscovery.com/web/wheeler-dealers/wheeler-dealers-cars/lotus-elan/ Wheeler Dealer featured a 1968 Lotus Elan S4] which they restored, fixing common problems such as faulty pop up headlights, vague steering, worn and poor paintwork.<br><br>
The original Elan is seen as one of the main inspirations for the Mazda MX-5, which launched the same year as Lotus's own M100 Elan.