Lotus Elan

Manufacturer	Lotus Cars
Production	1962–1973
Model years	S1 1962-1964 S2 1964–1966 26R 1964-1965 S3 1966–1968 S4 1968–1971 Sprint 1971–1973
Assembly	Hethel, England
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door Roadster
Layout	Front Engine/Rear Drive
Engine	Lotus 1,558cc Straight-4
Wheelbase	2,134 mm (84 in)
Length	3,683 mm (145 in)
Width	1,422 mm (56 in)
Height	1,156 mm (46 in)
Curb weight	688 kg (1,517 lb)

See also category: Plus2

The Lotus Elan is a true sports car. A sports car is about being light, having finesse, and a focus on handling rather than speed. A true sports car is about the driver to feel like he is in control of what is going on. This is a Lotus Elan.

History

The Lotus Elan was introduced in 1962 at The Lotus Elan was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,500 lb (680 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy. Initial versions of the Elan were also available as a kit to be assembled by the customer. The Elan was technologically advanced with a twin-cam 1558 cc engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 4-wheel independent suspension. The Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine was based on Ford's Pre-Cross-flow 4-cylinder 1500 cc engine, with a Lotus-inspired Cosworth alloy twin-cam head.

The Lotus Elan's rarity, beautiful lines, impressive performance and practicality are the main factors for the rising interest on these cars among collectors.

The Lotus Elan ceased production in 1973.

In 2004, Sports Car International named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

The Lotus Elan is commonly credited as being the design inspiration for the highly successful Mazda MX-5. Two Lotus Elans were intimately evaluated by Mazda in the process of designing the MX-5.

Series 1 (1963-1964)

Main article: Lotus Elan S1

Paragraph about the S1.

Series 2 (1964-1966)

Main article: Lotus Elan S2

Paragraph about the S2.

Series 3 (1966-1968)

Main article: Lotus Elan S3

Paragraph about the S3.

Series 4 (1968-1971)

Main article: Lotus Elan S4

Paragraph about the S4.

Sprint (1971-1973)

Main article: Lotus Elan Sprint

Paragraph about the Sprint.

Racing

26R

Main article: Lotus Elan 26R

Awards

In 2004, Sports Car International named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

Production

Date	Type 26	Type 36	Type 45	Types 36 & 45	Comments
January 1963	26/0001				Elan 1500 Introduced
May 1963	26/0023				Elan 1600 or S1 Introduced.
May 1963	26/0026				Hardtop is optional
January 1964	26/0330
November 1964	26/3900				S1 final chassis number
	26/3901				S2 Introduced
January 1965	26/4325
September 1965		36/4510			S3 FHC (Coupe) Introduced
January 1966	26/5207	36/5201
	26/5282				S2 SE Introduced
June 1966	26/5798				S2 SE final chassis number
	26/5810				S2 DHC final chassis number
			45/5701		S3 DHC SE Introduced
			45/5702		S3 DHC Introduced
July 1966		36/5977			S3 FHC SE Introduced
January 1967		36/6679	45/6678		Non-SE Models
		36/6680	45/6683		SE Models
August 1967		36/7327	45/7328		Non-SE Models
		36/7331	45/7329		SE Models
March 1968		36/7896	45/7895		S4 Models Introduced
December 1969		36/9824	45/9823
January 1970				70.xx.yy.0001z	xx - Month of Production yy - Batch Number z - Car Type Identity: A - S4 FHC UK Market B - S4 FHC Export C - S4 DHC UK Market D - S4 DHC Export E - S4 SE FHC UK Market F - S4 SE FHC Export G - S4 SE DHC UK Market H - S4 SE DHC Export J - S4 FHC Federal (USA) K - S4 DHC Federal (USA)
January 1971				71.xx.0001z	See January 1970 explanation
February 1971				71.02	Sprint Introduced
January 1972				72.xx.0001z	See January 1970 explanation
August 1973				73.08......	Sprint ceased Production

Famous Elans

The Avengers