Lotus Elan
1973 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,890
Average Auction Sale: $40,024
Median Auction Sale: $35,896
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,890
Average Auction Sale: $40,024
Median Auction Sale: $35,896
Chassis Profiles
1972 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,890 - $6,850
Average Auction Sale: $45,682
Median Auction Sale: $44,275
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,890 - $6,850
Average Auction Sale: $45,682
Median Auction Sale: $44,275
Chassis Profiles
1971 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,895
Average Auction Sale: $35,392
Median Auction Sale: $36,618
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,895
Average Auction Sale: $35,392
Median Auction Sale: $36,618
Chassis Profiles
1970 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,800 - $5,990
Average Auction Sale: $23,572
Median Auction Sale: $20,900
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,800 - $5,990
Average Auction Sale: $23,572
Median Auction Sale: $20,900
Chassis Profiles
1969 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,800 - $6,000
Average Auction Sale: $24,297
Median Auction Sale: $24,348
Recall information
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,800 - $6,000
Average Auction Sale: $24,297
Median Auction Sale: $24,348
Recall information
Chassis Profiles
1967 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,550 - $4,600
Average Auction Sale: $24,301
Median Auction Sale: $23,655
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,550 - $4,600
Average Auction Sale: $24,301
Median Auction Sale: $23,655
Chassis Profiles
1966 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $37,329
Median Auction Sale: $29,390
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $37,329
Median Auction Sale: $29,390
Chassis Profiles
1965 Lotus Elan S2
Original Price: $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $32,300
Median Auction Sale: $29,146
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $32,300
Median Auction Sale: $29,146
Chassis Profiles
1964 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,100 - $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $55,472
Median Auction Sale: $41,251
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,100 - $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $55,472
Median Auction Sale: $41,251
Chassis Profiles
1963 Lotus Elan
Original Price: $4,190 - $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $61,958
Median Auction Sale: $61,958
Chassis Profiles
Original Price: $4,190 - $4,200
Average Auction Sale: $61,958
Median Auction Sale: $61,958
Chassis Profiles
Lotus endowed the Elan with an advanced body construction. Its aerodynamically-shaped fiberglass shell was draped over a rigid steel backbone chassis. Before production began, Lotus wanted to build Elans using a fiberglass monocoque, an exceptionally modern building style that had been used on the incredible Lotus Elite (1957-1963). When Lotus began initial tests of the Elan, though, they used a separate chassis for manufacturing ease.
This separate chassis proved to suit the car so well during early testing that Lotus changed it plans and decided to build the Elan with its more traditional steel chassis instead of the proposed unitary construction. The Elan was likely the best handling car ever to be built with a separate chassis, and during its time it out-handled the overwhelming majority of unit-bodied cars. It continued the Lotus reputation for building the best handling sports cars in the world.
Housed within the Elan's fiberglass shell was a thoroughly modern take on traditional sports car mechanicals. Beneath the low hood line sat a bristling engine. In its final and most capable form, the Lotus twin-cam four displaced a mere 1,558cc. Its power output, though, was at an incredible 126bhp. Wringing over 80bhp per liter out of a naturally aspirated power plant is no easy task today, and the fact that Lotus was able to do so several decades ago stands as time-tested proof of the company's ingenuity.
That thoroughly impressive engine was used in the 1970-1973 Elan Sprint, the highest performing incarnation of the long-lived Elan. The Sprint's weight, as on other Elans, was incredibly slim. At barely 1,500lbs, the Sprint offered a power-to-weight ratio rivaling contemporary Ferraris.
After reviewing all these impressive features, it's easy to recognize the Elan as the grandfather of the modern sports car. Evidence of this claim can be seen every time a Mazda Miata drives by. The Miata, the first of a new generation of sports cars, borrowed heavily from the Lotus Elan's design. Both cars used peppy twin-cam fours of similar displacement, both had simple, uncluttered interiors to declare their simple, uncluttered messages, and both had a light weight and an endearing character.
Perhaps the most obvious connection between the two, though, was the Miata's stylistic homage to the 2-seater Elan. The Miata borrowed the well-integrated bumpers, sleek and simple lines, and great proportions of the Lotus. New cars like the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, in borrowing from the Miata before them, have all brought the excellent features of the Elan into today's automotive spotlight through transitive presence. Looking back, it's clear that the Elan's design and engineering were absolutely timeless.
Sources Used:
Wilson, Quentin. The Ultimate Classic Car Book. First. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1995.
Cheetham, Craig. Hot Cars of the '60s. San Diego : Thunder Bay Press, 2004. By Evan Acuña