This 1971 Lotus Elan Plus 2 is a rare S130 model, which left the factory with an upgraded big-valve twin-cam four-cylinder engine. It’s also a right-hand drive British market vehicle that the now-deceased owner imported some time ago, as it has been sitting in a Florida garage for 30 years. The owner passed away and the house is for sale, with the Lotus still residing inside. The seller sounds quite motivated, and the Lotus is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,500 with the option to grab it for a lower price if someone is able to close the deal sooner than later. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Massimiliano for the tip.
While the 2+2 body isn’t the purest expression of the Elan’s design, I’ve always been impressed by how little Lotus altered the Elan’s appearance while still incorporating two extra seats. The seller doesn’t offer many details about the Lotus, instead of encouraging serious buyers to get in touch. According to the listing, it has been evaluated by a professional appraisal service to confirm the car’s authenticity, an unusual step when you come across listings for a rushed garage clean-out like this. While the S130 upgrade didn’t add a ton of additional power, it does make for a more desirable example regardless of how significant you find the additional 10-or-so b.h.p.
From what I’ve read, the improvements went beyond just the larger valves and also incorporated upgraded cams and higher compression, all of which combined to make the S130 a very respectable performer. The engine has been removed but is included with the car, and unfortunately, it looks to have been stored with the head off. Overall, the Lotus is in a sorry state of repair, as you can see the dash is also quite tattered in addition to the obviously flawed paintwork. The engine does not appear complete in the one photo that’s provided, and there’s no word on whether any spares are included with the sale (or if the next owner can rummage through the garage for them.)
The seats and console look surprisingly good, so perhaps the dashboard is the outlier in the cabin. The Lotus appears to have Webasto-style sunroof, and given these fail at a high rate once a car reaches vintage status, it’s a good thing it’s been garage-stored. What I’m most curious about is as an imported example if the bump in power is even more noticeable due to less restrictive emissions equipment that is usually a hallmark of gray market cars. Our resident Lotus experts will have to confirm for me whether that’s a possibility, along with if the seller’s asking price is in line with the condition as presented here.
Bloody hell .. what did this wanker do curate it with salt daily and let it bake?
Clean the dirt off-and crust please and wipe down the interior to not scare folks off..
It would probably look worse if you could see it better.
It may have been inside a while but also looks like its been outside longer. I can imagine what the engine looks like with the head off. Underside also. Looker over good, need a good expert inspection. Good luck. Shame to see a lotus in this sad shape.
Cheers
GPC
Save the money and heartache and buy an Opel GT.
As a long term Lotus owner this is far better than it looks. Engine parts are available and not that expensive. The dash that looks so bad is really just the varnish coming off due to expansion and contraction due to moisture. I think the fiberglass will be about a two day fix by an expert and a one week fix by a couple of semi-trained amateurs.
Of more concern should be the frame. In Florida near the coast you get salt spray in the air and that could have badly damaged the frame. New frames are available but are not cheap. Strangely they are not that difficult to install. These cars have a separate body and frame and with most of the interior out the body just lifts off with two or three people.
The glass is a problem but it is available as is all the trim surrounding it. Switching the drive over to Left Hand Drive is also not that difficult to do nor that expensive, it is however time consuming. One big key is the condition of the seats. They are in near new condition. I bet even the carpet can be saved or if not will make excellent patterns for replacement. I think it is priced about double what it should be as there is so much work to do but these are great fun to drive and faster than you might think.
Which models had the frame fibreglassed in ? or was that TVR
That was the early version of the Lotus Europa. The S-2 had a fully separate frame and body. You can also tell the early Europa’s by the fact that they had plexi side windows that slid up and down.
Hi Skloon,
The Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra light two-seater coupé produced from 1958 to 1963. The Elite’s most distinctive feature was its highly innovative fibreglass monocoque construction, in which a stressed-skin GRP unibody replaced the previously separate chassis and body components.
The Europa used a lightweight, folded & welded “minimalist” boxed-steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass moulded body, a combination that was first used by Lotus founder Colin Chapman in the Lotus Elan launched in 1962. Earliest versions of the Europa had the body fully bonded to the chassis for maximum structural stiffness, however, this was soon changed to a bolted-on body to allow normal chassis and body repairs to be made.
I absolutely LOVE my 71 Elan +2/S130 (though I admit it’s been tweaked a bit beyond factory specs). It’s sad to see one this far gone. I would just about guarantee the sheet metal backbone frame here is all but gone: they rusted away under the best of conditions. The body, of course is just a clean and repaint. All new electrics and a full rebuild of the engine. Market value when done $20-25K, so a matter of love, not money. The possible value here is the transmission, IFF it’s the later 5-speed – that alone is worth the asking $, because the added overdrive ratio makes the Elan a viable car on the highway at sustained speeds over 60 MPH.
20 pic & not 1 good (full side, 3/4 frnt/rear, full frnt, rear, underneath, etc).
Yes, looks worse when seen better ! (aaahahahaaaa, new 1 on me)
I HATE FBMrkt Pl. ! its horrible…