- Seller: David H (Contact)
- Location: Frederick, Maryland
- Mileage: 00000 Shown
- Chassis #: 5778
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 1.6-Liter Lotus Twin Cam – Rebuilt
- Transmission: 5-Speed Manual – Rebuilt
Lotus founder Colin Chapman famously pursued performance by adding lightness, and few road cars embodied that philosophy more completely than the Elan. Unfortunately, restoring one can become a complicated exercise involving fiberglass work, chassis restoration, drivetrain rebuilding, and hunting for model-specific pieces. This 1967 Lotus Elan Pre-Airflow Coupe may offer a shortcut because much of that difficult and expensive work has already been completed. Located in Frederick, Maryland, it is offered exclusively through Barn Finds for $15,000 or best offer.
This Elan was disassembled for a complete restoration, with the previous owner reportedly intending to turn it into a hill-climb car. Rather than a quick cosmetic freshening, the project was taken down far enough to address several areas that can consume the most time and money during an Elan restoration.
The chassis has been restored and finished in the correct red paint. The photos show it separately from the body, making it easy to see the work already done on the car’s foundation. Front suspension pieces have also been powder-coated, as have the knock-off wheels, which now wear new tires.
The fiberglass body has received considerable attention as well. It was stripped, re-gel-coated, and covered with multiple coats of high-build primer. The photos show the shell in primer with the major exterior panels present, giving the next owner the opportunity to handle final preparation and choose the finished color rather than stripping away someone else’s questionable paintwork.
Then there is the drivetrain. The car comes with a rebuilt 1.6-liter Lotus twin-cam engine. According to the seller, a respected Northeast engine builder rebuilt the engine, then ran it on a test stand. That alone is a significant head start compared with buying a project with a seized or completely unknown engine. Backing the twin-cam is what the seller describes as a rare 5-speed transmission, rebuilt by the same shop. The engine and transmission are shown together in the gallery and could make this project especially attractive to someone who wants an Elan intended to be driven rather than simply displayed.
The induction system offers another interesting twist. A new Mikuni HSR smoothbore carburetor kit is included to replace the original Strombergs. Whether the next owner installs the Mikunis or chooses a different direction, the new components represent another expense already absorbed by the current owner.
The car’s competition-oriented past is also evident. A Safety Devices roll cage has been installed, but the seller notes that it is relatively unobtrusive because portions run inside the rocker areas. For someone considering vintage competition, hill climbs, or simply a more serious road-going build, that may be a welcome feature.
The project appears to include a considerable collection of parts. The photos show suspension components, differentials and rear uprights, bumpers, dashboard pieces, interior panels, door glass, and other components laid out separately. All of the glass is said to be in good condition. It isn’t entirely complete, however. The seller specifically notes that the fuel tank and seats are missing, so the next owner will need to source those items during assembly. Buyers should also inventory the loose components carefully to determine exactly what will still be required before the car comes back together.
One paperwork detail should also be understood before purchase. The seller says the car was previously tagged in Vermont and currently has no title, although the submission separately lists its title status as clean. The seller adds that a Montana title can be obtained if necessary. Interested buyers should confirm the exact documentation accompanying the car and determine what their home state will require.
A completely assembled Elan would obviously be easier to buy, but it would also eliminate much of the opportunity found here. The next owner isn’t paying for somebody else’s paint-color choice or discovering hidden chassis problems after bringing the car home. Instead, the major pieces are visible, the chassis has already been restored, the fiberglass work has been started properly, and both the twin-cam and 5-speed have reportedly been professionally rebuilt. That makes the seller’s description of this as something better than starting with a basket case fairly easy to understand.
At $15,000 or best offer, the question isn’t whether there is still work to do. There certainly is. The more interesting question is how much it would cost to buy a rough Elan project today and then duplicate the chassis, body, drivetrain, suspension, wheels, and parts work already done on this one. For someone who has always wanted to build an Elan exactly the way they want it, this project may offer a rare chance to start somewhere in the middle rather than all the way back at square one.
Where is the must be good at building model cars and puzzles line (kidding). I know many don’t mind building one tore down if they are labeled and categorized but this will need a hardware store with a big selection of bolts. The new owner will also need a titanium credit card for replacement parts.
Good luck with sale.
Is that comment based on experience? Because mine is. I restored an s3 that came to me in a very similar state and managed to procure a very reasonably priced full set of replacement bolts and all other parts that were needed for quite reasonable prices. Lotus owners are well served by enthusiast parts suppliers. Lot of labour though.
True story, this is not for everyone, but I do have all the hardware and I have a complete front suspension with everything (beyond what is for the car) so finding the rest of the hardware will not be that difficult. The parts that require a titanium credit card are the engine and restoring a body and chassis, and that is good to go. Realistically, you need a gas tank, seats, door seals and window seals, carpet, hardware for bolting the chassis together and a body to chassis bolt kit. Paint the body and you will have a fully restored Elan for much less than starting with the typical unrestored Elan.
Will we ever see a Lotus ad: Runs and drives, needs nothing!!
if you have one of those (and i do), you keep it! (-; My personal car has been in the family since 1970.
60s Lotus road going cars are slightly more civilized race cars let out on the street. Most are thrashed, the cars beg you to do that, and there is a price to be paid. You don’t get station wagon reliability from a highly strung car, nor should you expect to.
On the upside, they are not very complicated, but somewhat fragile, always delightful beasts. As said, they do require maintenance, but so do my MG and bugeye (agreed somewhat more on the Lotus, but not terribly so).
I wish i could post my Elan that i have just finished building. Might inspire someone to take on this one.
Not meaning to sound preachy at all, just trying to point out that Lotus cars are not like touring- type sports cars.
Cheers to all!
Would have loved to have found something like this on any of the “saved”cars we restored over the years. Even the 5 Bugeye Sprite race cars were almost junk when we bought them. Our present build had been crushed front to back and given to a high school shop class. Haven’t seen that much body filler in one place in my life. If the Elan had showed up in this condition I’d have jumped all over it.
I’ve seen Bob’s bugeye race car, it’s impressive.
I think its to much money (15k ) for a car in this state ,there is a few years of work to put it all back together.
Wow! I had a 69 Elan Coupe and I know it was rare. A 67 coupe is the rarest of the rare! I have to agree with the LPS comment above. It is a bit too much for one of these in this state. I know these cars and I would not tackle this rebuild ( at my age 73) and I know the cars!. Maybe in an earlier time when these cars were more appreciated than they are today I would have considered it as a project. My 65 S2 was my favorite car of all time. It may not have have been the most reliable but it never left me stranded in the mid 70’s. I did make money on it , though. Bought it in 74 for $1100 and sold it in 76 for $3300! That was big back then!
The difference between this car and one that is complete but unrestored is that you know what you are getting. Yes, it is completely disassembled so you will be doing some searching for hardware, but you can jump right in and assemble the restored chassis, with the restored suspension parts. Install the rebuilt engine and transmission and the best of the two rear differentials. Now you have a full rolling chassis ready to go. Send the body to the painter of your choice, in a week you have a fully painted body ready to drop on the chassis. Now you can build the car into how you want it, but you are way ahead of the game. Compare that to a $14K non-running complete car like the two recently listed here. You take several weeks to disassemble it, pay 10K to rebuild the motor, 6K to replace the chassis, $$$$$ on getting the crazed body regel coated and painted, and still have to do all the other work on the car to get it read to drive. Now tell me this is not worth $15K.
On line Classic Motor Sports magazine has a full up from boxes Elan reincarnation story that also features shops here and the UK that provide parts and information.
I bought a ’67 Coupe in London in about 1986. I think $1,500. I picked the coupe because the window frames are always up on the Roadster. I had a vinyl top with sunroof installed IT Was light green. They steam cleaned it before shipping and it turned out the original color was RED. Shipped it to JFK for $150 (I was an airline employe), drove it through New Engrand and Canada. I kept it in Wisconsin for a few years. Where I had it painted Red!
A wonderful car! Great car to drive, I was always sorry I sold it!
What I noticed with this car is that it has Solex carbs. My ’67 had Webers which I thought all 67s had? This looks like a lot of work!
Sometimes it seems like Lotus is a religion instead of a car…
I’d love to have this if I had the resources to work on it.
GLWTS
fwiw the engine has the stromberg carb head which is not as desirable for performance. the 67 cars did not come with that head. it appeared in 1968 and later due to emissions. the Weber head would be correct for 1967
having said that, the car is very desirable, but beware that there is still quite a bit to invest. i really like the coupes.
TonyWa
1969 Lotus elan S4SE
1969 Lotus Europa
1960 AH Bugeye
The car is not numbers matching, it is a 1967, but the engine is a big valve from an S4. That is why it has the Stromberg head. But I have added the European cross over pipe and a new set of Mikuni carbs, so it should be pretty sweet with a few more HP than the original engine. It also has the 5 speed transmission, which was only available on the last of the Elans.