Not every Lotus Elan was meant to live a quiet life on the street. Some were built, modified, and maintained for one purpose only: going fast on a road course. This 1969 Lotus Elan, currently listed on eBay, clearly falls into that second category. Described by the seller as a well-maintained vintage racer, this is a purpose-built car that has lived its life in the paddock rather than the parking lot.
The car has been maintained by Fawcett Family Racing, a name familiar to longtime Lotus and vintage racing circles. It comes with VARA and CVAR logbooks, reinforcing its history as an active competition car rather than a static display piece. Under the skin, the drivetrain reflects years of thoughtful development aimed at reliability and performance within vintage racing rules.
At the heart of the Elan is an Ivey-built short block by Jay Ivey, known for his Formula Ford engine work. The engine uses a forged crank, H-beam rods, forged pistons, ARP hardware, and a windage tray. While the original Lotus displacement was 1558cc, this engine is built around a 1600cc stroker crank while retaining a stock-height Lotus block, bringing displacement to 1683cc. Cosworth L2 cams are fitted, along with a Weber-equipped cylinder head, headers, and a lightened flywheel. Ignition duties are handled by a Pertronix distributor, keeping things simple and dependable.
The chassis and suspension setup reflects a car that was built to be driven hard. Adjustable coilovers are fitted along with a ¾-inch front anti-roll bar, and CV-joint half shafts replace the original components. Braking is handled by EBC Red Stuff pads, and cooling upgrades include a Griffin aluminum radiator and a quick-change water pump. A full roll cage with anti-intrusion front bars and integrated jack points underscores the car’s serious racing intent.
Recent preparation work was done specifically for this sale. The master cylinder was sleeved and rebuilt by White Post Restorations, and the carburetors were rebuilt, including the return springs. New items added include a fuel filter, fire extinguisher, seatbelts, and battery, suggesting the seller wants the next owner to focus on track time rather than deferred maintenance.
Cosmetically, the yellow paint is described as being in great shape overall, though not perfect, with visible star cracks under the paint on the boot lid—honest wear consistent with a car that’s actually been used as intended.
One important note: despite eBay’s required selection, this car does not have a title. It is being sold as a race car only.
For someone looking to get into vintage racing with a properly sorted Lotus Elan, this appears to be a well-developed, well-documented example that’s ready to return to the track.
This would be a blast to drive if you can fit in the seat. Looks like it will sell.
I owned one Elan S+2 130 and to me, it is one of the best styled cars ever made! It was bigger and more refined (but not too much) than the standard Elan of its day. I especially loved the original multi-gauge, aircraft-styled , dashboard which this one no longer sports. Of all the cars I have owned in my life ( I’m in my 70s), the early Elans are the ones I still wish I had! Fun cars, however you did need to have a good mechanical sense to own one and keep it roadable, affordably!! I sold mine to my brother, who eventually sold it overseas. That car now resides in Australia!!
I was thinking the same thing Joey. Lots of development and $ put into this track car already. Perfect for a seasoned driver who knows these well.
I had heard Colin Chapman (designer/builder of Lotus cars) drove an Elan +2 well after the newer mid-engined cars were out, liked and preferred it over the newer versions. I have one and understand why, it is just so beautiful AND so well-balanced. Over all of the cars I have had and still have, it is still about the most well-suited for a driver to feel-one-with the road and driving situations faced. The driving position is perfect, the gear lever placement, dash and gauge lay-out is superb, and road handling unlike most others. Mine is also a weber-headed engine, in stock format.
I imagine this car is stunning to operate on the track, is capable of being one of the best handling cars in long-sweeping corners, right up there with well set-up XKE’s, as the wheel-base, chassis length and width, A-arm size and suspension design is so perfect.
I have raced a lot, never raced an Elan +2, only drove my car ‘spritely’ around RA and Blackhawk tracks, … and Talladega, holding a smoothe drift at 120 mph. What a sensation, nearly hands-free drifting at that speed, at that track angle! That was memorable !
Nice race car. Wonder where Mazada got the idea for the Miata?
Just a minor point of clarification – this is a +2 Elan, different from the Elan (a bit longer, back seats, different body lines, etc), but these are very nice cars and I’m sure this one is potent on the track. It has the good stuff.
Unusual to see a +2 as a race car (weighs more than normal Elan but runs in the same class) but if you are starting out or not yet obsessed with winning, this could be a perfect vehicle. The car´s history shows sensible development and investment, it is likely to be a very benign car to race and right now (auction at $15000) is a bargain. If it were an Alfa Bertone, price would be higher and car would probably be slower, for example.
Agree with other posters that there is a lot to like about the +2 Elan as a road car. The extra space is a decent trade off for performance loss over the 2 seater and they offer better value. You pay less for more and that is a rare and good thing!
And the +2 is just so darn pretty!
Sold $15k, 2 bids, one bidder.