Lightweight: ’70 Lotus Elan Plus 2
There aren’t that many choices if you want an alternative to a vintage Triumph or MGB. You could consider a Jensen-Healey but maybe you ought to re-think that. Maybe you should push outside of the box and look for a well-priced Lotus? The tiny Lotus Elan, remains a benchmark for handling. With its pop-up headlights, curved windshield, and roll-up windows, it was a symbol of Swinging London, immortalized in The Avengers television series. The Elan was built with a backbone frame and a fiberglass body, and had four-wheel independent suspension. Its Ford 1600-cc four-cylinder engine developed 105 hp and featured Lotus’s own twin-cam head, like the Lotus Cortina. Weighing only 1,420 pounds, early cars could do 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds, with the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds at 87 mph. Today’s featured car is a 2+2 but the rear seat is best for luggage or your medium-sized dog. Not sure what the product planners were thinking when they came up with this idea. But they exist and can be had for not a lot of money. You need to find one restored properly or in good, solid, original condition. The ’70 Elan we have is said to be pretty straight and in good running order. We like the blue exterior color and general appearance of the exterior. the interior of an Elan limits the size of the occupants to sub-200 pounders less than 5’10” tall. That is just a general rule and not a mandate from the factory. Everything is said to be in good operating condition although the seller says 4th gear is a little noisy. But this car can be had for the price of TR-6 or MGB. At the next British car meet, you will certainly attract more attention than the legions of Triumphs and MGs. And you might really enjoy getting there in this lightweight, nimble-handling sports coupe. Click here for the eBay listing.