I was recently watching one of my favorite TV shows, Wheeler Dealers. In this particular episode, the guys bought and fixed up a Lotus Elan. I have always admired these cars, but had no idea just how well these little cars were designed until I watched Edd rebuild the front suspension. I would love to have one of these, but there just aren’t many on this side of the pond. According to the seller of this one, there were only around 80 left hand drive Elans built for all the LHD markets. This example is looking tired, but the seller claims it is structurally sound and complete. As you can see, it even has the rare hardtop! There were actually two Elans in this collection, but the other has already sold to a buyer in Europe. If you’ve always wanted an Elan with the wheel on the correct side, this might be a rare opportunity to buy one, but you better act fast. Find it here on eBay in Delray Beach, Florida with a BIN of $17,500 and bidding just over $11k. Special thanks to Robert R for this tip!
That seller is full of it. 80 lhd lotus elans?!?!
http://elanregistry.org/stats.php
Shows nearly 300 (Inc +2) just in the US and that’s just the one which are added to the registry.
Price seems ok but very much buyer beware with that seller.
P.S. The other car was an Europa not elan. It’s engine is shown in the last picture.
Seller doesn’t know what he’s talking about, far more than 80 lhd were built in any of the years of production. Not a 1968, I owned 8067, a 1969, and this car is 8843. Tail lights are S4, 1969 and later. Big Valve cam cover, may just be a cover, but that engine was not installed until 1971. Stromberg carbs also indicate a 1969 or later model. Flared wheel arches and door handles indicate later model as well as some interior details. It’s a mess, buyer beware
Yes these handle, but before buying one better read Peter Egan’s story on his and wife Barbara’s long driving trip in their Elan from Wisconsin to way down South. Hint: there were a few build quality / reliability ‘issues’. A true, hilarious story—–if it wasn’t your car.
Truly a neat little car to own. However, if seller considers this vehicle “just needs cosmetic restoration”, I can’t help but wonder what a full restoration would be like. Ton of work here…
The seller is……..well……………..people shouldn’t smoke crack.
I figured there was some reason for the appearance of having been a bologna factory salesman before switching to cars…
I really like the little “spinner” on the front wheel. Those were rare, too.
When I had a T/C Europa, I was told that the original oxymoron was “Perfect Lotus”.
Looks like it’s still on the market. The seller has it on craigslist for $15k: http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/cto/5279314142.html