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Lotus Elan

Manufacturer	Lotus Cars
Production	1962–1973
Model years	S1 1962-1964S2 1964–196626R 1964-1965S3 1966–1968S4 1968–1971Sprint 1971–1973
Assembly	Hethel, England
Body style	2-door coupe2-door Roadster
Layout	Front Engine/Rear Drive
Engine	Lotus 1,558cc Straight-4
Wheelbase	2,134 mm (84 in)
Length	3,683 mm (145 in)
Width	1,422 mm (56 in)
Height	1,156 mm (46 in)
Curb weight	688 kg (1,517 lb)

See also category: Plus2

The Lotus Elan is a true sports car. A sports car is about being light, having finesse, and a focus on handling rather than speed. A true sports car is about the driver to feel like he is in control of what is going on. This is a Lotus Elan.

Contents

• 1 History
  • 1.1 Design Evolution
  • 1.2 Series 1 (1963-1964)
  • 1.3 Series 2 (1964-1966)
  • 1.4 Series 3 (1966-1968)
  • 1.5 Series 4 (1968-1971)
  • 1.6 Sprint (1971-1973)
• 2 Racing
  • 2.1 26R
• 3 Special Models
  • 3.1 Shapecraft
  • 3.2 IWR Elan Coupe
  • 3.3 Hexagon Estate Sprint
• 4 Awards
• 5 Production
• 6 Famous Elans

History

The Lotus Elan was introduced in 1962 at The Lotus Elan was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,500 lb (680 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy. Initial versions of the Elan were also available as a kit to be assembled by the customer. The Elan was technologically advanced with a twin-cam 1558 cc engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 4-wheel independent suspension. The Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine was based on Ford's Pre-Cross-flow 4-cylinder 1500 cc engine, with a Lotus-inspired Cosworth alloy twin-cam head.

The Lotus Elan's rarity, beautiful lines, impressive performance and practicality are the main factors for the rising interest on these cars among collectors.

The Lotus Elan ceased production in 1973.

In 2004, Sports Car International named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

The Lotus Elan is commonly credited as being the design inspiration for the highly successful Mazda MX-5. Two Lotus Elans were intimately evaluated by Mazda in the process of designing the MX-5.

Design Evolution

Series 1 (1963-1964)

Main article: Lotus Elan S1

Paragraph about the S1.

Series 2 (1964-1966)

Main article: Lotus Elan S2

Paragraph about the S2.

Series 3 (1966-1968)

Main article: Lotus Elan S3

Paragraph about the S3.

Series 4 (1968-1971)

Main article: Lotus Elan S4

Paragraph about the S4.

Sprint (1971-1973)

Paragraph about the Sprint.

Racing

26R

Main article: Lotus Elan 26R

Special Models

Shapecraft

IWR Elan Coupe

Hexagon Estate Sprint

Awards

In 2004, Sports Car International named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

Production

Famous Elans

The Avengers