Here’s a car plenty of us remember but don’t see much of anymore: the 1991 Lotus Elan M100. This modern classic roadster epitomized the lightweight recipe Colin Chapman made a priority on the earliest Lotus road cars, but with a few different ingredients mixed in. The seller’s car wears one of the more desirable shades of paint if you’re looking for an Elan worth collecting, and while it isn’t perfect, it does look like an excellent candidate for a weekend corner carver. The seller has assigned a fairly high opening bid on this 90s Lotus, asking for a first bite of $10,700 here on eBay with no takers yet.
The M100 Elan wasn’t a monster hit with enthusiast owners. The shared mechanicals with Isuzu was an unusual choice, and even with Lotus working its magic with the front-wheel-drive chassis, the car didn’t stoke the coals of the gearhead’s heart. I don’t know if this lack of desirability is deserved, as there are numerous instances of owners singing the praises of the Elan’s tossable chassis and rev-happy turbocharged four-banger. And let’s remember, the Elan of the recent past has always been a bit of a hybrid, using engines from Toyota for the most recent mid-engined offering. This one looks great in its yellow paint and black roof, and both the bodywork and the wheels appear to be in excellent shape.
The seller’s car is originally from Hawaii (that must have been a fun ownership experience) and now resides near Vancouver. The seats have been replaced with buckets from a BMW Z3, which work surprisingly well. The original seats are included but will require upholstery work. The steering wheel is hardly all that exotic, but that’s the breaks with early airbag wheels. The seller notes some minor concerns inside, with inoperable air conditioning being one of them and the top leaking when the car is being washed with a hose on high-blast; it sounds like it’s less of an issue in the occasional rain shower. No oil leaks are noted.
While the Isuzu badging may seem cheap on a British sports car, may I provide you with an anecdote: I have a 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS, a short wheelbase truck rescued from a junkyard. The truck hadn’t run in 15 years or more but recently fired up with fresh fuel system components and a new gas tank. Not only that, it runs quite nicely. So while it may not be exactly as Colin Chapman intended, a reliable drivetrain in a lightweight chassis that loves to hustle is hardly a bad combination, and if you’re like me, you may be looking to pick up an Elan in the future before values trickle upwards.
Yellow looks good on this car. I’m not a big fan on its looks but I have heard these run and handle really well. They may be going up in value but the higher mileage will definitely hurt resale. I still wish Isuzu never pulled from the US market. I liked their product.
It’s not really my thing but that is a nice 1991 Mercury Capri.
At first glance I thought it looked like a Geo Storm.
Very fast for their day. 0 – 60 in 6.3 vs. a Miata at 9+. 167 HP with 200 on tap using a chip. Great bang for the buck but there are lower mileage examples out there. Opening bid is reasonable.
I think Lotus’ big mistake was calling it an “Elan”. The original Elan is an iconic car and held in very high esteem by car fans..and a front wheel drive version is not going to sit well with them. I have been told these really are very nice cars and I wouldnt mind having one..but it needed another “E” name….suggestions??
Egad.
I remember my dealership sending me to Izuzu School for 2 days. One of the students asked the teacher why these 4 cylinder engines sounded so rattley! The teacher looked very offended and stated “it’s a very soffisticated valvetrain!”
I think the biggest issue with these was the name. Calling it “Elan” made comparison to the original inevitable, and although the M100 Elan was one of the most tossable front wheel drive cars in production at the time, it was no 1960s Elan. The association with Isuzu didn’t help, either. After all, what did a manufacturer known primarily for trucks know about performance cars? At least, that was the perception, regardless of the reality.
These are badly underrated car’s with fantastic handling. I am on No4. Before knocking it, go out and try one. Prices in the UK are flying Northwards as well. 4 years ago, you could have bought a pretty good one for around 4k GDP, that same car today is now nearer 9k if you can find one.
Amen! Had 2 of these and loved them. Drove the 1st one 168k and never an issue. Both tended to leak in heavy rain, but not badly. This one is very close to me, maybe I should take a look.
I like this, 88k miles, maybe a photo with the top down.
The worst Lotus ever made! Colin must be rolling in his grave if he’s not in Brazil.
These have aged quite well to my eyes. I can absolutely see myself owning one at some point in the future.
Agree with all the positive aboves..its just sometimes I’m confused by naming/marketing of cars. Wouldn’t Porsche have been better just calling the 914 a P car worldwide not VW/Porsche everywhere but the US. You’ve got the “Enzo says we cant call it a Ferrari” Dino..and then the FIAT Dino which is as much a Ferrari as its “Enzo” says mid engine cousin. Then you go to the ridiclous”Chrysler TC by MaseratI”…and the electric 4 door “Mustang”!!!. As said this car should have been named another “E”moniker but not “Elan”.I like Lotus Estero..named after a pretty beach in Baja.
Always heard good on handling with these cars
A yellow topless is great for me but i have never liked a sporty front wheel drive car
Front wheel drive is for winter driving for those who haven’t experienced awd !
Yolo