The classic Lotus Elan just begs you to take it on the road where it belongs. Elan’s driver really takes delight in his ability to quickly traverse a series of challenging curves, best done of course in the wee hours of midsummer morning with the top down, it’s the kind of car on the Gentle on and off To remove seemingly small increments of steering lock with your fingertips, gently brush the brake pedal and squeeze the accelerator and clutch with your toes. Driving an elan requires a delicacy similar to flying a light aircraft.
Race through rugged Alpine country and hear the creak and screech of the dual-cam exhaust note bouncing off rock wall cuts at 6,500 rpm in mid-gears – it’s an aural mechanical symphony. The brief moments when you ask for disc brakes as you head into a curve and then tiptoe in second gear to the apex of the next curve, such is the joy of an ultra-ratio four-speed manual gearbox. closed with which the elan is equipped.
With a 3.5 to 1 ratio difference, there is 50 mph in the first and just under 70 mph in the second … zero to 100 mph in less than 30 seconds is always an exhilarating feeling in a classic sports car from Lotus. Surprisingly, the elan has the ability to do it all so fast that you often find yourself nearly running over a slow driver on a mundane tin roof with a huge speed differential.
The elan is proof that you don’t need cubic centimeters for an exhilarating performance; Quite the opposite is true, the performance offered by this small but very willing 1600cc twin-chamber engine when paired with the ultra-narrow ratio gearbox is almost unbelievable. It has much more performance than is expected from just four cylinders.
Anyone who is not familiar with the pleasure of driving an Elan, or who has never had the pleasure of driving an Elan, would be alarmed, but a Lotus Elan (most are now over 40 years old) has impeccable handling capabilities, braking and acceleration that was once hailed as incredibly outstanding. .. even today, a well cared for and maintained elan is still a brilliant sports car to own and drive, leaving many modern cars in its wake, such is its racing heritage.
Arguably, the classic elan is truly underrated as an exciting and extremely rewarding high-performance classic sports car, you just need to ask any long-term Elan owner, many of whom have purchased various examples to rebuild, maintain and enjoy.
There is a flourishing and thriving global aftermarket parts industry catering to the Elan owner who wants to maintain, rebuild and restore the elan to better than new condition, the classic lotus Elan is sure to be a highly sought after classic sports car for a long time to come. come, and if you’ve ever dreamed of owning an elan, you need to act quickly to secure yours soon, as values are sure to skyrocket anytime soon.
While the Lotus Elan is an incredibly rewarding car to own and drive, they are not without their shortcomings, if you don’t understand the mechanics of the dual cam engine, based on the 1600cc Ford block and topped with a complex dual cam cylinder of alloy. head, or you don’t have a well-equipped shop where fiberglass body repairs, rebuilds, or repairs can be done, think carefully, because for all your pleasure, the elan may not be for you.
But if you are lucky enough to have significant financial resources, this will provide you with an alternative to outsourcing service and rebuilds. There are numerous lotus specialists in many countries ready to serve and maintain your elan at reasonable cost, their valuable knowledge and experience has been hard-earned through many years of involvement with the classic lotus elan brand.
One of the main nemesis of the elan is that of the rear drivetrain, since the inception of the elan, the rubber mass nuts were used as flexible drive couplings on the rear intermediate shafts, they gave endless problems with breaks once several thousand miles and age had taken effect.
The modern answer to this problem is to install a well-designed, robust CV driveshaft conversion. There is an exceptional Australian designed and built driveshaft conversion that attracts many Elan owners around the world for the bulletproof design and build quality provided. This CV driveshaft system will provide years and years of trouble-free Elan powertrain, and the best part is that the system can be easily installed by the average Elan owner without the need for special tools. Many owners comment on the new driving sensation they experience with their excitement after installing the elantrikbits CV solid driveshaft system.
