1965 Lotus Elan S2 Coupe

The Lotus Elan Roadster was introduced at the Earls Court Motor Show in October of 1962. They continued Chapman's principles of combining lightweight aerodynamic coachwork with brakes, suspension and transmission from a race car.

To meet demand for the new Elan, Chapman moved to a new factory. Full production did not start until May of 1963. In November of 1964, further updates and improvements were introduced, resulting in the designation 'Series 2'. Championship badges were fitted to the lower part of the front fenders and an 'S2' chrome script was placed on the trunk lid. Along with numerous detail styling changes, the Elan S2 received a chrome flip top fuel cap to replace the former screw on one. The interior now featured a full width veneer dash with a lockable glove box, chrome window lifts and levers, and chrome surrounds for the instruments, the pedal cluster was also revised.

Chapman continued to make improvements to the Elan during its production lifespan. Beginning with chassis 4109, the Elans that followed were given revised brake and master cylinders, new front brake calipers with larger pistons and revised rear brake discs, as well as differential and inboard/outboard drive shafts. Eighteen cars later in the series it received new rear light clusters.

The Lotus Elan proved to be a commercial success for Lotus, with slightly fewer than 9,000 examples produced by the time production came to a close in 1973, of which just 1,250 were S2 models.

This particular example is an original Norther American Market/U.S. delivered car. In 1980, it migrated to Canada wearing its original brown paint scheme. A comprehensive restoration soon began. The work was slow, taking two decades before the restored rolling chassis and painted body in Lotus yellow were re-united. Sadly, the owner passed away before the work was completed. In the early 2010s, the Elan project and all the spares passed into the car of Tom Munro of Victoria, Vancouver Island, who finished the project in 2015.

This car is powered by a 1558cc dual overhead cam four-cylinder engine fitted with 2 Weber carburetors offering 105 horsepower. There is a 4-speed manual transmission, independent suspension, and disc brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2016