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1967 Lotus Elan

The Lotus Elan, the brainchild of Lotus design and development engineer Ron Hickman, was launched in October of 1962 at the Earls Court Motor Show and was available as a complete car or a kit at reduced price. The all independent suspension was comprised of unequal-length wishbones at the front, with a wide-based lower wishbone and modified Chapman Strut (as used in the Lotus Grand Prix cars) was fitted at the rear. The rack-and-pinion steering was sourced from the Triumph Vitesse, and there four-wheel Girling disc brakes. It was the first lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis (a.k.a. the 'Chapman Bracket') with a fiberglass body. Niceties included four-wheel disc brakes, pop-up headlights and integral bumpers. Weighing 1,500 lbs, the Elan personified Colin Chapman's minimum weigh design philosophy. The engine was a highly modified 1,498cc (later 1558cc) Ford Cortina unit with Lotus's own twin-camshaft cylinder head, and both the differential and gearbox were sourced from Ford.

The original Elan 1500 was introduced as a roadster, and after a very short production run of 22 cars the engine was enlarged and the car was re-designated the Elan 1600. An optional hardtop became available.

In 1964, the Elan 1600 was replaced by the Elan S2, and in 1965 the Type 36 fixed-head coupe became available for the first time, and a year later the drophead coupe Type 26 was replaced by the Type 45. Both the Type 36 and 45 were initially offered in S3 form, followed in 1968 in S4 form, and finally in 1970 as the Elan Sprint.

By the time production ceased in 1973, nearly 9,000 examples of the Elan had been produced, providing an immense commercial success for Lotus.

1967 Lotus Elan photo
Roadster
The S3 arrived during September of 1965 and was in production for two-and-a-half years. The S4 arrived in early spring 1968, with slightly flared wheel openings to accommodate the larger (155x13) tires. In the back were new tail lamps and the hood sported a power bulge. The Elans destined to remain in Europe eventually switched from twin-choke Weber carburetors to Dell'orto units. To comply with increasing safety and emissions standards in the United States, the U.S. versions switched to twin Zenith-Stromberg carburetors.

The 1967 Lotus Elan was available as both a coupe and roadster bodystyles. Pricing in the U.S. began at $4,550 for the roadster and $4,600 for the coupe. Power was from an inline, dual-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine displacing 1558cc and offering just over 100 horsepower.


by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020

Related Reading : Lotus Elan History

Recalling Sixties spy-fi show The Avengers, the first thing men of a certain age remember is Mrs Peels black leather cat suit. But the characters object of desire was her cute-as-a-button Lotus Elan. The Elan was launched in October 1962 at the British Motorshow, just as the Sixties started swinging. Jaguar had launched the E-Type the previous year, and AC had the Cobra and Ferrari the GTO. Big,....
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Related Reading : Lotus Elan History

The Lotus Elan was the first modern roadster. That may sound like quite a claim, especially considering that novel cars like the MGB were also around for 1962. The Elan, though, had something no other cars of its time had, or rather it had a combination of traits that none of its contemporaries could match. The Elan was purposeful and cohesive. While a car like the MGB used advanced unitary construction,....
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1967 Lotus Elan Vehicle Profiles

1967 Lotus Elan vehicle information
Roadster

Chassis #: 265771

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Price Comparison

1967 Elan
$4,600-$25,580
1967 Lotus Elan Price Range: $4,550 - $4,600

Compare: Lower | Higher | Similar

Other 1967 Lotus Models

Elan

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
$4,190 - $4,200
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
4 cyl., 97.52 CID., 195.00hp
$4,100 - $4,200
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
$4,200 - $4,200
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 97.27 CID., 115.00hp
$4,200 - $4,200
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 118.00hp
$4,550 - $4,600
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 118.00hp
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 118.00hp
$4,800 - $6,000
84.00 in., 96.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 118.00hp
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 118.00hp
$4,800 - $5,990
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
$4,895 - $4,895
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
$4,890 - $6,850
84.00 in.
4 cyl., 95.08 CID., 105.00hp
4 cyl., 95.10 CID., 126.00hp
$4,890 - $4,890

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