1964 Lotus Elan S3 S/E

Please note the correct year for the car is 1968 and the correct power output is 130bhp

Over time it would appear that modern sports cars seem to have lost touch with the original formula. A sports car is about being light, having finesse, and a focus on handling rather than all out speed, making the driver feel like they are in charge of every single input. The Elan was somewhat of a sports car masterpiece, and Colin Chapman rightfully deserves the praise he received for curating such a fantastic sports car. “To say that driving the Elan is immense fun is almost an understatement. It is a car which keeps young men young and makes old men younger...”

The Elan was an instant success when launched in 1962 with well documented celebrity owners such as Jim Clark, Emma Peel and Peter Sellers. Using Colin Chapman’s minimum weight design, tipping the scales at just 640kg by being the first road-going Lotus to utilise the now synonymous combination of a steel backbone chassis coupled to a separate fiberglass body. Colin Chapman proudly announced in the launch literature that "We wanted to build you a fun car”. Power is delivered from the legendary Lotus 1,558cc Twin Cam engine through a 4-speed gearbox to the rear wheels, whilst cutting-edge features such as all-round disc brakes, fully independent suspension, and rack and pinion steering provided agility and handling that was second-to-none.

The Elan has enjoyed significant success in motorsport since the day it was launched as is evident in the large numbers still taking part in historic racing. The ‘Special Equipment' version differs by having servo-assisted brakes, an SE engine developing 118bhp instead of 105bhp, safety belts, a leather covered steering wheel, knock-on wheels with chrome embellishers, carpeted boot interior and Special Equipment badges.

This outstanding 'Special Equipment' example is an original UK, right-hand drive variant, delivered new to Hammonds & Oakwood Ltd in Kent and has benefited from extensive restoration work that was completed in 2017. The premise of the restoration was to create a drivable, fast road, Lotus Elan that appears almost indistinguishable from a standard road car yet was gently enhanced. This started with the installation of a 26R-Type chassis, fitted with adjustable shock absorbers and uprated 4-pot front brake callipers. Mechanically the car features a mildly tuned Twin Cam engine putting out 130bhp thanks to its CPL2, big valves and balancing, mated to a Lotus close-ratio gearbox. All this power is effortlessly delivered to the rear wheels with help of a Quaife 3.7 limited-slip differential and solid drive shafts. The front brakes have been uprated to 4-pot callipers with EBC pads all-round and the car is fitted with a 26R-spec steering wheel and alloy fuel tank.

Within the history file there is the all-important Letter of Provenance from Lotus and a DVLA-supplied history of ownership including a scan of the original buff logbook. There are two further files, one documenting the parts involved in the rebuild including part numbers and prices, and another containing information and instructions exclusively provided by Tony Thompson Racing to assist with the rebuild.

This little Elan truly epitomises the Lotus marketing slogan so famously set out by Colin Chapman; "Handles like nothing else can... the Lotus Elan". Neat, tidy and almost demure, this 150bhp SE is 'hiding its light under a bushell.'