Category:Lotus Elan
Introduction
This page is purely for some basic information on the Lotus Elan.
For those interested in the original Elan LotusElan.net contains a wealth of useful knowledge.
If you're looking for information on the Elan M100 then Lotus Elan Central and their WikiLEC are strongly recommended.
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.
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.
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
The Elan proved to be a huge success for Lotus, selling around 17,000 cars over its 15 year life.
The TV show 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.
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 Elan M100.