Winning Amount: £ 14,050.00
User ID: M********e
“Now I am confident, both as an engineer and as a family man that in the new ‘LOTUS ELAN+2’ we have one of the finest cars available for the discerning motorist who demands safety, performance, styling and comfort in a motor car which reflects his own taste and ideas.”, A. C. B. Chapman BSc Chairman, The Lotus Group of Companies. Lotus Cars Ltd Elan +2 Sales Brochure.
As Lotus strove to move their range upmarket and their balance sheet out of the red, the Plus 2 version of the Elan became the backbone of that strategy; it extended the Elan ownership demographic by another perhaps ten years with a hopefully associated increase in their customers’ disposable income, theoretically allowing them to indulge themselves with an inherently more expensive product, in turn boosting Lotus’ margins. Though conceived way back in 1963, the grown up (and out) Elan for grownups did not reach production until August 1967 with Lotus busy keeping up with demand for and developing the two-seater version, launching the Europa, relocating to Norfolk and winning a couple of Formula One World Championships as well as cleaning up in pretty much every other form of motor sport including the previously US-only Indy 500. Obviously it made sense to retain the link to the hugely successful smaller version though there was an added bonus in terms of development and production costs to be had from utilising as many common parts as possible; it is just that on the +2, those parts were further apart. Though there was a family resemblance, the +2 appeared sleeker (wind tunnel tests proved this was not an illusion) and more sophisticated which was in keeping with its upmarket pitch and allowed Lotus to charge a premium for a product that probably didn’t cost dramatically more to produce - see above.
Replaced by the even more bells and whistles +2S after less than two years in production, the +2 is the rarest of Elan variants, early Type 26 models aside.
Registered 14th March 1969, not much is known of the Elan’s first eight years of life though an enquiry to the ever-helpful Lotus Factory Archivist would doubtless reveal a plethora of original build details, supplying dealer information and so on. What is known is that on 7th December 1977 it was acquired by a Mr Roger Swyer of New Milton, Hampshire and almost exactly four years later it passed on to Mr Terence Fountain just down the road in Southampton. He kept the car for over thirty years, with the Elan dry stored for the last twenty of them, before an Oldham based Lotus enthusiast dealer acquired it as a very tired but sound and complete restoration project which was taken on at the end of 2011 by a Mr Eric Brook.
The new owner then set about restoring the Lotus, retaining its sound chassis and attending to its body, paint, brightwork, trim and mechanical components as required. Completed in 2014, about a thousand miles were covered over the next couple of years but with it very much about the restoration journey rather than the destination, the Elan arrived back with our dealer friend in 2016 where it was quickly snapped up by its last private owner (just its fourth in forty years) where it has resided since. Used regularly but sparingly, some two thousand five hundred miles have been added to the restoration. MOT tested every summer, the Lotus has never failed and the couple of advisories for slight play in the steering rack and a trunnion were dealt with by fitting reconditioned and new components respectively (invoices on file). As far as servicing goes the word diligent would be something of an understatement; in less than two thousand five hundred miles the Elan has had no fewer than seven engine oil changes, two gearbox oil changes, one change of differential oil and four changes of antifreeze. The rigorous nature of this maintenance is emphasised by the use of the best quality materials; Duckhams and Castrol oils, Millers antifreeze with ‘Extra Cool’ coolant enhancer added. The engine and gearbox oil were changed in April this year and the coolant a couple of months later. Clearly the maintenance element of the ownership experience was just as important and enjoyable to the owner as was the driving but with usage tailing off to just a couple of hundred miles per year, the Elan has once again returned to the same enthusiast dealer.
Despite the lack of concerns with regard to corrosion, fiberglass cars often have their own set of bodywork issues, namely crazing and poorly repaired damage and it is encouraging to note that this +2 has no evidence of either. It is straight and ripple-free with no sign at all of the tell-tale ‘spiders web’ effect in the paint that betrays deeper seated issues with the body. Bearing in mind we are not talking about an Audi, the panel fit is generally very good with pretty even gaps and good shut lines though being hyper-critical, the headlight pods may be tipped a little too far forward leaving them very slight low at their leading edge. Tell-tales on +2s are the ridges on the tops of the front wings which are often blunted or lost altogether during careless pre-paint rubbing down or even by the application of too much paint; in this case it is great to see they are still factory-sharp.
Speaking of paint, the finish is very good with a decent shine and depth to it. There are no drips or runs and it is even with no significant ‘orange peel’. Though there is just a tiny bit of micro-blistering on the bonnet, it is so slight we couldn’t get it to show up in photos, though you might just be able to pick out the hairline blemish on the nearside rear corner of the bonnet in the photo gallery (though it does look like just a picture of some red paint). Aesthetically, to our eyes the black over red is a great combination and Lotus themselves appreciated a contrast roof on a coupe utilising it from the Type 14 Elite through to the +2S 130.
Much of the chrome-work is new including the rear bumper, boot hinges, fuel filler cap and correct ‘Tex’ door mirrors and their condition reflects this (sorry, it has been a long week). One gets so used to ‘pot metal’ light bases being pitted to some degree that it is nice to see both front and rear units, along with their lenses, in excellent condition on this Elan. The front bumper and door handles are in good order if not quite as sharp as the new components referred to above. Being an early car, the boot is released from inside the cockpit so there is no exterior boot handle. Though the rear fog-lights might look a little ungainly, they are without doubt a sensible addition to such a small and low car. Attention to detail is manifested in the fitting of correct front and rear number plates and desirable but hard to find sprung wire windscreen wipers.
The wheels seem to be in good condition with just one having a couple of light dinks to the very edge of its rim but we suspect these could be taken out reasonably easily. The same wheel has a small area of flaking paint too; please see the photo gallery. The tyres are good quality 165/80 R 13s Uniroyal RainExperts which are virtually unused.
Though it may not sit all that well with purists, the interior is, in our view, superb. Take for example, the seats. Though clearly Elan based they have been given a little more padding and then trimmed in black leather with red stitching and they are every bit as comfortable as they look. The Lotus logos ‘embossed’ onto their back rests are a nice touch. Leather has also been applied to the dashboard top and centre console with stylish fluting throughout. The dashboard has been beautifully refinished and it houses a full set of Smiths instruments (aside from the Lucas ammeter but maybe that’s the way Lotus did things). Thankfully the Elan is old enough to still have toggle switches with rockers just for the electric windows. A period Radiomobile long and medium wave radio is fitted and a hazard warning light switch has been neatly installed in conduit on underside of steering column where it is both discreate and accessible. The coveted Chapman signature steering wheel is present while a new headlining has been fitted and though there are a couple of small wrinkles, they are above the driver so you probably wouldn’t notice them! The new cockpit carpets are protected by over-mats while the boot is nicely finished in bound carpet over new boards and Eastwood sound deadening material. A safety and security cut off switch has been fitted while the spare wheel, jack and spinner hammer are present. If you have any reservations regarding the interior you might well be won over by the smell of the leather alone; one could almost be sitting in an Aston Martin and the sumptuous cockpit is just a lovely place to be.
Under the bonnet everything is well presented from the red cam cover to the rebuilt servo while the join between body colour paint and satin black is perfectly executed. Original factory fit Harry Moss supplied Maserati Air Horns shout 1960s while a Kenlowe fan with adjustable thermostat, a Powerlite Dynalite, high torque starter motor and a braided clutch line speak to practical usage in the 2020s.
Underneath cosmetically things are not quite as strong with perhaps a little overuse of silver Smoothrite though at least everything is well protected and all the greasing points show evidence of recent attention. There are some mechanical highlights of note: Goodrich braided brake lines throughout, adjustable spring seat rear struts, Spydercars fabricated rear uprights and adjustable toe lower wishbones, Tony Thompson sliding spline driveshafts and a stainless steel exhaust system.
The rebuilt engine fires easily though the choke had to remain in operation for a few minutes – autumn must be on the way. Once warmed through it ran smoothly with no appreciable smoke or nasty noises and it idled at a steady 800 RPM. The electronic oil pressure gauge was a little sluggish taking a few seconds for the needle to get up to the mid-point on the dial so a new sender might be in order. Our slightly limited test drive confirmed traditional Elan strengths such as lovely steering feel, a well-oiled rifle bolt gearchange and powerful brakes even if we couldn’t form an opinion regarding the presence of any lift-off oversteer.
Not one but two history files are present. A recent one put together by the last private owner contains details of his extensive servicing schedule and a full MOT test record dating back to 2014, along with a number of invoices from the likes of Burton Power, S.J.Sportscars Ltd. Frosts, Rimmer Brothers, Tony Thompson, Paul Matty, Mick Miller and Kelvedon Lotus Ltd. The current V5C confirming the Lotus’ Historic Vehicle status is also included.
A second, more substantial file covers the Elan’s restoration with a few bills relating to an engine rebuild pre-dating even that. As they say, too numerous to mention but some highlights are:
Paul Matty - New spinners, TTR driveshafts, rear bumper, fast road clutch, set of discs, fuel pump and sender, exhaust system.
Sue Miller - Headlining, rear screen rubber and retaining strip, boot boards, brake and clutch master cylinders, high torque starter.
Gower and Lee - Carburettor needles etc.
MEV - New brake callipers.
Spydercars - Rear strut housings, Spax adjustable shock absorbers, billet outboard driveshafts etc.
Speedy cables – Overhaul of all gauges.
Chapman and Cliff - Veneer and lacquer dashboard.
AccuSpark - Ignition kit, distributor and sports coil.
Chris Foulds Motors - Debugging and setting up of engine.
Other invoices relate to the rebuilding of the cylinder head, fully rewiring the car, the leather trim, rebuilding the brake servo, re-coring the heater, braided hoses and a new radiator.
There is also a certificate for a Tracker fitted in 2014 and a £27,500 Insurance Valuation Certificate from Club Lotus dated 2015.
Early +2s are rapidly gaining in popularity as the purest and lightest of the ‘Family Elan’ breed. Their clean lines seem to benefit from the lack of add-ons such as fog lights, boot handles, ‘We’ve won a lot of races’ badges and so on. It is also worth remembering that in its day, the +2 cost some 35% more than the two-seater Elan whereas today the situation is dramatically reversed with the value of the family man’s car something like half to two thirds of the two seater’s which only reinforces just what cracking value +2s represent. With this example having had a labour of love restoration a few thousand miles ago and just one fastidious owner since, we can’t help but feel the estimate is hugely attractive.
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