1971 Lotus Elan Sprint DHC

"LWR 40K' is perhaps the ultimate iteration of the Lotus Elan Sprint, being the drop head coupe finished in the iconic 'Gold Leaf Team Lotus' Formula One team racing colours of the late 60s and 70s, which together with its 126bhp 'Big Valve' Lotus Ford twin cam engine and superlative handling, has established the car as one of the finest British sports cars of all time.

When purchased in 2006 by our vendor, this car had been stored for around ten years, having previously been the former keepers' daily driver for around 15 years. Once home, the car was found to be in completely original condition and had not suffered the ignominy of being customised as so many old British sports cars do before assuming 'classic status'. Upon closer examination, there was also evidence that the engine had been performance tuned, as the engine block and head were painted blue and carried an ID tag from 'Twin Cam Techniques', a well-respected Lotus specialist at the time.

Upon purchase, although the car was complete and in original condition, the length of time in storage dictated that a full 'nut and bolt' restoration would be required. Documents supplied with the car confirmed that a genuine galvanised Lotus replacement chassis had been fitted in May 1983 and that this was in remarkably good condition. For prudence, it was surface cleaned and then re-finished with two coats of 'Rust Bullet', an extremely high quality rust prevention surface treatment, developed in the USA and used by the NASA space programme.

The gearbox and differential were sent to Paul Matty Sportscars, the respected Lotus specialists, to be checked over. The company rebuilt both units with documentary evidence provided, the prop-shaft was cleaned and rebuilt and they also supplied and fitted new final drive 'rubber doughnuts'.

All components of the front and rear suspension were dismantled, thoroughly cleaned and inspected. All bearings and bushes were replaced and new Spax adjustable dampers were fitted, with the fronts also being fitted with special springs and Spyder tubular front wishbones. Both front and rear brake callipers were dismantled, deep cleaned and rebuilt with new seals, discs and pads, as was the inboard parking brake for the rears.

The engine was stripped down and found to be in very good condition, with probably only a few miles covered since the previous rebuild. The cylinder bores were honed and new rings fitted to the pistons, the crank was polished and new main and big end bearings fitted, the cylinder head was converted to run on unleaded fuel, new valves fitted and the head face surface ground. A new water pump was fitted, and the carburettors cleaned and rebuilt to a fine condition. The assembly work was carried out by JS Motorsport, well known in classic racing circles for the quality and performance of their competition Lotus Twin Cam engines. JSM then ran the engine on their dyno and obtained a read out of 134bhp.

All elements of the electrical system were inspected, and as this is a crucial area on these cars, a completely new wiring loom was fitted along with the replacement of all relays, connectors and fuses. A new alternator and starter motor were also fitted and special attention paid to the insulation of the electrical system.

The body preparation and paint on this car is truly impressive thanks in no small part to the work of Option One of Bromsgrove, whose work is generally recognised in Lotus circles to be of unparalleled quality. The existing paint was removed and the shell taken back to its gel coat. Pleasingly, the body was found to be in very good condition with no indication of previous accident damage. After the seven stage prep and paint process in Bromsgrove, the result is a glass-like finish in the most evocative Gold Leaf Team Lotus colours. Although there is not much chrome on an Elan Sprint, what there is provides an important finishing touch so all bright work was professionally restored and re-chromed where possible, or replaced with new items like the door handles and boot lock.

Finally, to the interior where the original seat frames were sand blasted and powder coated before being sent to be re-trimmed with all new internal cushioning and finished with "new old stock" genuine Lotus seat covers. The door cards were also re-fabricated with new, correct specification black vinyl facings to match. New carpets were fitted throughout. The original 'Colin Chapman signature' steering wheel was sent away for restoration and rebuilt to a very high standard. All instruments were cleaned, checked and restored to original specification and a burr elm dashboard fitted for that finishing touch. In the event of wet weather, a brand new hood was also made and professionally fitted by the Don Trimming Company, Birmingham.

Whilst physically the Elan Sprint is demure and manageable in size terms, a massive amount of care and effort have been lavished on this little Lotus, and the result is a feat of skilful engineering and technical know-how beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, and our vendor and those that assisted him should be very proud indeed of what they have created and the standard to which they have worked. It truly is a remarkable car, and we wholly commend it to you...