A life spent in a warm and dry climate means that this 1970 Lotus Elan S4 is a rust-free survivor. It is an essentially clean and tidy car that could easily be driven and enjoyed immediately. It does have one or two issues, so take a look and see if you think that you could tackle these so that you can be ready to enjoy this classic Brit once the warmer weather arrives. If you get to the end of this article and decide that it sounds like a tempting proposition to you, then you will find the Lotus located in Murrieta, California, and listed for sale here on eBay. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $8,095, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
The owner says that the Elan started its life wearing blue paint, which I would assume means Lagoon Blue. It has received a repaint at some point in Lotus Yellow, which is an interesting choice. The paint is generally presentable, although the owner does note some spider webs beginning in the paint. With any sort of luck, this will only be the paint cracking, and not a sign of fatigue beginning to appear in the fiberglass. There is some inconsistency of color across the Elan, but hopefully, this is only as a result of UV exposure. The chassis is said to be solid and clean, and that is a bonus. This is one area of the Elan that can cause some real problems, especially around the body mounts, and the suspension turrets. The glass all look good, as does the exterior trim. One aspect of the exterior that does look tired is the wheels. These would most definitely benefit from a refresh. One area of concern is the actuation of the pop-up headlights. The owner believes that the vacuum mechanism is faulty, but this could be symptomatic of a larger problem. By the time the S4 was released, this actuator had a ‘fail-safe” built into it, meaning that if the vacuum was lost, then the headlights would remain in the up position. These ones are closed, and the owner also identifies the fact that the headlights don’t illuminate, while the wipers and turn signals don’t function. He suggests that the issue might be something as simple as a common earth, but I would probably be checking on that with a professional. The headlight electrical system for an Elan is quite complex and is something that shouldn’t be tackled by the faint-hearted.
Powering the Elan is the 1,558cc Lotus twin-cam 4-cylinder engine, backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. With independent suspension at all four corners, the Elan was praised as being one of the finest handling cars on the market when new. One issue that many owners experienced was that the rubber donuts that were part of the rear driveshafts could be troublesome. That isn’t an issue with this Lotus, because these have been replaced with CV joints, which is a common upgrade. Looking back at the engine, it received a rebuild by a previous owner, and this work appears to have been detailed in hand-written records. In fact, these records date all the way back to when the car was new. It appears that the car runs and drives well, but it does apparently have a few oil leaks. This is a common issue and is something that will need to be checked. At times, these can be minor and easy to fix. However, sometimes they can also be significant, and rectifying them can be an expensive proposition.
The Elan’s interior presents quite nicely, with no major issues or problems. While we don’t get a clear picture, the seats and other upholstery is said to be clean, and free of any rips or tears. The carpet is also said to be in good condition. What does jump out is the fact that there are a couple of additional gauges fitted to the dash in the recess where the radio would normally live. These are probably not a bad idea, but I’m sure that the installation could be made to look a bit tidier. The laminate on the dash is beginning to crack and lift, so this might provide the motivation to fix this issue. The dash could be restored, but a new dash fascia in the timber finish of your choice can be sourced for around $350. So replacing this would be the perfect time to fix the gauges.
I have always had a liking for the Elan because I have come to learn just how entertaining they are to drive. This one shows a lot of promise, especially given the fact that it has managed to avoid being plagued by rust problems. It also raises a question or two in the areas of electrical issues and fluid leaks. Fixing these issues could prove to be easy, but they could also be a potential nightmare. In many ways, this Elan is a tempting proposition, but are you tempted enough to consider bidding?
Nice looking car. The need to do stuff mentioned needs to be in line after getting rid of the Super Trap on the end of the exhaust system. No better way to negate the power than those and the Cherry Bomb glass packs. They rate at the bottom of the test list for efficiency. Lot of good systems out there to compliment a really good engine.
It’s a good thing when people recognize the Lotus Elan and choose not to grossly modify them. Grew up with a close friend who’s father collected these and restored them to exact specification. Not even teenager’s yet as we helped out…Drudgery at times, as we always wanted to go ride bikes and goof off instead of stay around and mount car engines, etc… 40 years later, we’re all still friends. Never imagined years back that these cars would be so special.
Very rare breed, do it the right way please !!!
Doubt this was Lagoon Blue. That was a color Lotus didn’t use until the early 70s, but not as early as this car was built.
I recall that Elans don’t have a full steel frame. More of a fibreglas structure with subframes attached at the front for the engine and front suspension and the rear for the rear suspension. Checking those attachment points might be important.
And how permanent is a fibreglas structure? We know they don’t rust, but do they deteriorate or delaminate?
The subframe is a big ‘I’ structure — a large steel square box section running the length of the body with (4) ‘stub’ branches out at each corner for the suspension.
I have owned numerous FG cars (including a ’62 Elite) and boats over the years, enough to know that when you have spider web crack showing that they are not in the paint, but in the gelcoat. These have to be ground out and repaired, sometimes needing additional cloth applied if they go into the cloth/mat.
Reminds me of a comment some young person said at a local show. “look at that! The British are copying the Miata!
Thank you Barn Finds! After selling a couple of cars here, and after several attempted purchases, I finally got one. This delightful little Elan will be making its way from CA to LA and a new home with me. Great service you’re performing for the car hobby.
Cheers,
Rick