Press Elan S3 Coupe

[Brian Walton]

The H&H auction came and went last week and the final SOLD price on the Light Blue Press Elan Coupe was given. 22,000GB pounds seem a very fair price for somebody to pay for a top to toe restoration. I think the owner has spent a lot more on getting the vehicle up to scratch (some 35,000 Euro/pounds) and that does not take into account the original price of the car.

So now a top Elan is worth what two Elise are worth?


Brian

[Old English White]

:roll: ... A fair price for an exceptionnel car but ...
Very hard to forget the heritage of its story when driving ...
Definitly not my taste even at a fair price !
Christian.

[garyeanderson]

Is this the Elan with the chrome plated fiberglass bumpers and if it was were they included with it for that price?

Gary

[Brian Walton]

Yes this is the chrome bumper model. But regardless of what model it is it is still a fair price for a top to toe. If you manage to obtain a basket case for say 6k it doesn't take long at 45 quid an an hour to eat through the rest to hit 22k if t is a farmed out restoration.

Apart from the bumpers I think the press car was standard. Also in the auction was JPS Esprit 001 at 1800miles! That went for 18k.

Brian

[Elanintheforest]

And don't forget the Lotus Cortina Mk 1 for ?15,000...a stunning looking car, complete with original A frame rear suspension.
I agree that the S3 is worth all of the ?23,000 and more. Back in the late 80s ordinary restored Elans and Plus 2s were making that sort of money! I seem to remember that this S3 was used by Graham Arnold for a while, but also that it lost it's chrome bumpers many years ago.
An important Elan that must rank amongst Jim Clark's S3 and Graham Hill's S3 in significance. In fact, with 26 R prices hovering around ?80k, usually for a car that doesn't have it's original shell, engine, gearbox, chassis or suspension, it seems cheap!
Mark

[twincamman]

tell you what---- buy my 26r for 60000 euros turn it over for 80000 euros and make yourself some dough ------these cars are NOT worth what you think ---- ed

[Elanintheforest]

A 26R sold at Paul Mattys in the UK only a few weeks ago...I think it went for ?72,000...or close on 100,000 euros! It did have it's original chassis plate though

[twincamman]

mine has a component plate or a small strip of it with just the serial number all the oil requirements are gone ---cut off it appears ed

[Elanintheforest]

Ed...I was speaking with a guy in the week who has worked with Lotus road and race cars for 30 years or so. He mentioned that many of the non-road cars and the Team Lotus cars produced in the 60's used the same Vin plate as the Elans...except they used to cut off the 'oil requirements' bit with a pair of tin snips. I hadn't mentioned that your plate was like this....the conversation was not related to your plate at all. That'll get you hunting through the archives....your car just keeps going up in value, eh?!
Mark

[twincamman]

Thank you for thinking of me -- that is an interesting point -----I really think the price of the cars sometimes overshadows the purity of the interest in the cars --I started the project because the car was derelict and deserved a better fate than being parted out or rotting into oblivion or being scraped--and as it was from the early days when I first started racing as I later found out --[-F V guys were at the bottom of the pecking order you see]-some of the history was supplied by a casc unofficial historian -it was that horrible blue [ apologies to all blue car owners --its personal choice] -it certainly is a joy to drive and I sometimes just enjoy the shape of the body while sitting in the garage--[ that causes my wife some concern] but thats much cheaper than a Mistress and 1/2 of my house ed

[twincamman]

There were some things that had to be done for street use --like adding turn signals where the air scoops for the front disks were--and adding a whole dash and speedo --finding a motor and drive shaft --the alloy bell housing was junk from sitting in water so I used a steel one- and I couldn't live with the flimsy huge steering wheel so I added 10 INCH LEATHER ONE -- but most of the car is as it was -I saved and used the diff cooler and scoop on the bottom of the car and kept the electric diff pump and fuel pump -the roll bar is not legal for vintage but it works for the street and shows some of the pedigree of the car and I wont add a fuel cell or cut the car for a cage --I don't think 500 bucks for an alloy bell housing is worth it --if I want to save 6 pounds I will go to the gym ----and I added another set of brake light turn signal rear lights for safety at the request of the safety inspector mechanic -the addition of a dash operated electric fan was needed for THE saftey of the motor in traffic and an oil cooler for everyday driving--but I flatly refused to add another windshield wiper --a full battery and alternator added about 90 pOunds for a weight of about 1590 lbs - but I like the car and I'M sure the PO who made and raced VEES would have approved --rest his soul --- -ed

[Elanintheforest]

The S3 coupe auctioned a couple of weeks ago for ?22,000 was at the Donnington Lotus show this weekend being sold by a dealer. Now ?28,000. Still, he must have put a lot of work into it to earn that ?6000 hike
Mark

[twincamman]

I thought it was a race - --what goes on there ????IS IT A FLEA MARKET > I hope the dealer has to eat that blue elan ---it aint about the money ----ED

[Elanintheforest]

The Lotus show is just a static display...some trade stands, lot of Lotii in the car park, horrible burgers, freezing cold. Some very interesting and rare cars.
Donnington is a circuit, but not used for this day. Club Lotus have Castle Coombe for a bit of valve bending and fibreglass modification...that's in May / June I think.
Mark

[M100]

Yes this is the chrome bumper model

Does it still have the chrome bumpers?