Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

My husband passed away somewhat recently and I'm in the process of trying to clearing things out. I have a white 1970 Elan coupe that is partially dismantled that I need to determine a fair and reasonable asking price. I have someone who has expressed an interest in purchasing it.

I am sorry for your loss.

Do you have any photographs of the car that you can post here, or perhaps e-mail to me? Otherwise it's just a guess on the car's value.

Where abouts are you in the States?

I suggest you contact the Lotus Club
Alan

Sorry for your loss.

As Phil suggested, sharing your location in the US may raise someone local who would be willing to look at the car and pieces and either give guidance or help inform your thread so other forum members can advise. You will get better advice from the forum if you can have someone who has some familiarity with these cars eyeball it to help add comments to photos (and to advise what photos would be helpful), to help determine what may be original/whether "matching numbers", etc. Lots of good folks on here that would likely help if nearby. Any history would also be helpful (when was it last on the road? how long have you owned it? etc.)

I am in southeastern NC - if you happen to be anywhere close to this part of the US I'd be willing to help.

Interesting wheels using the original Nader nuts too! Never seen those before. The car appears very complete, but you can see a tire coming out from under the tarp across the engine bay, so we can assume the "partially disassembled" means the engine is out and/or apart.

My sincere condolences on your loss. I believe that those are J.A.Pearce Magna Wheels. These are the original, earliest aftermarket magnesium wheels recently back in production, I think. I have a bolt on set on my S1. The originals from the early sixties are rather rare. Since no one has posted any numbers yet I will take a wild stab at a value number. It is very difficult without more pictures, and understanding if the car is running, driving, needs work, and how much work it needs. It looks to me like a 1970 Elan S4 (non-sprint) Coupe, likely on Stromberg carbs. I would suggest $15,000 for a non-running car that rolls, $25,000 for a driving car that could be used daily and maybe needs a little detail work here and there, and $30,000 if its near perfect and could be driven home across the country. The Hagerty guide lists $15,000 for condition 4, $27,000 for a condition 3 (good) car, $33,000 for condition 2 (excellent), and $43,000 for condition 1 (perfect concours condition) Hagerty doesn't distinguish between S4 and S4 Sprint. The Sprint carries a premium. It is hard to tell from the photos, what is disassembled and why. If the engine has been taken apart then it is below a "driver" and the value is likely in the $15,000 to $20,000 range Feel free to correct me, people, if you think my WAG is out of line. If the owner wishes to discuss this, please send me a private message I will respond with my phone number.

Yes, the engine is out and on an engine stand. He purchased the car in 2007. The odometer has 20,210
miles on it. I don't believe it was running at the time. He has CV joints that he was going to replace the doughnuts. I have all parts, plus tons more - would take me years to list everything. He used to sell auto parts. I am in Virginia.

knockoffnut where are you getting Hagerty at $15K for Fair #4 condition??? I've checked Hagerty today and the value is $12,500 and that is for a running driving example. I see this as an extremely original condition car in overall excellent cosmetic shape, however let's not fool ourselves or anyone else for that matter, that this car needs a complete going over "soft" restoration. If one wants to keep the original patina, all the mechanicals will still need sorting through.
I wish the owner good luck with the sale and condolences to the family for their loss.
my wife constantly reminds me when i'm gone, she is going to open up the garage door and let people take away whatever they want.
DON'T GET ANY IDEAS!!!!

Ms Pierce,

Please excuse our pessimistic friend and his values. Your husband's Elan looks like a well cared for S4, probably a '69 to '71. With the low light situation in your photos, I'm not sure I can see JA Pierce Magna wheels, but from what I can see, there is good paint and a clean interior and nice straight dash. We have several members of this forum in Virginia who could help with ascertaining the condition of the car. For all we know, the engine could have been removed to correct a simple oil leak or it could have been for a total engine rebuild. We need more info to help you get a fair valuation. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Oh, what is the blue car parts I see in some of the photos behind the Elan. Just curious at the pressent, but also would like to know what spares you husband had amassed. I'd also be happy to accept a PM from you and I also pass through western Va twice a year and I'd be happy to stop and offer assistance in Identifying stuff. I don't need another Elan. I already have 3 and no place to store even what I already have.

Roger

it's a TR3 and her car and not for sale.
just FYI
signed "Mr. Pessimistic"

I'm also sorry about your loss.

I have a 1969 Elan S4 that I'm currently trying to restore. I've had it since 1971, it still needs body work and refreshing. Upon looking at your husband's Elan, it motivated me to inquire about the possible purchase of your elan rather than try to fix my own. If any of the parts are available , especially the CV Conversion, I would like to buy the lot if you don't sell to the current interested party and possibly your Elan. More pics and description would be appreciated.

Many Thanks, Brad

Please email me @ bradleydea at yahoo dot com

[quote="tedtaylor"]knockoffnut where are you getting Hagerty at $15K for Fair #4 condition??? I've checked Hagerty today and the value is $12,500

Ummm, I am getting $15,600 for a 1970 Elan S4 Coupe non Sprint in Condition 4 from the Hagerty website... My browser auto defaults to Hagerty.ca which says in the fine print that values are listed in USD, but when I over-type to hagerty.com it flips the value down to $12,500, so I guess the website is actually converting to $CDN even though it says it is showing USD.

(damn, I guess that probably means I paid too much for my last 4 Elans... )

Regardless, the details of the condition (paint, interior, miles, spares included) will have a strong effect on the value of the car, and I stand by my estimate. I was attempting to provide some reference points to provide the lady with some fair, balanced information, as per her request. Looking at the pictures it does seem to be a good car looking overall and the low mileage seems to confirm that, so even though it is a project, it looks very interesting to me. The Magnas are certainly worth a few bucks, too. A buddy of mine here is considering buying an Elan project and I think he might be a possible buyer for this S4 Coupe.

By the way, just for grins I looked up what Hagerty (dot com) shows for the value of a 1962 S1 Elan in Concours condition.... $42,000, and I think that there would be a very long queue of forum members forming to buy that car at that price, so in my mind Hagerty is only a reference datapoint.

Good morning Mrs Pierce,

A view from the other side of the pond and with no axe to grind. Rick's Elan looks great to me from the pictures you have posted and if I were State side, would buy it in a nano second, and that is quick ! These cars are highly desireable, specially in that condition, and you might be very pleasantly surprised as to how much it might fetch.

As you can see, it has stirred much debate as to value, but to achieve the best price you would need to put it on the open market and let the market deside. I am sure you will have heard of Bring a Trailer and Ebay, and in my opinion, they would be the best choice of where to sell.

Please please please do not sell to the trade. These are enthusiasts cars, and are today kept on the road by people who are passionate about them and the marque, and to sell to people who are just out to make a profit would be a travesty, and I am sure Rick would want his pride and joy to be looked after by a true enthusiast.

You take care of yourself, God bless.

Leslie x

Thank you so much Leslie for writing me. You are a voice of reasoning in this group. I used to help Rick work on the cars, so I while I was limited mechanically to being his assistant. I was not the uninterested wife. I know more about working on these cars than what some of the people think I know. I'm starting to think - that I'm not going to sell the car and see what I can and cannot do myself. After sitting in it and looking closer - it is in pretty pristine condition.

Thank you again!
Cleva