Make:
Lotus
Model:
Elan
Year:
1967
Mileage:
6097
Miles
Condition:
Used
Country:
United States
Region:
California
City:
Los Angeles , CA
Zip:
90028
1967 Lotus Elan SE classic British Racing Green
Lotus has long been revered for its ability to create lightweight, highly-engaging, impossibly fun sports cars. The marque dominated on track with a mindset focused on reducing weight as much as possible, allowing smaller displacement engines to outperform heavyweight competition. The company's first production car, the Lotus Elite, was a highly advanced 2-seater coupe with a fiberglass monocoque construction. Unfortunately, the bespoke and highly specialized nature of its construction led to high production costs, and Lotus lost money on each Elite sold. The solution came in 1962 as the Lotus Elan. The new roadster used a similar fiberglass body now supported by a steel backbone frame. This both increased structural rigidity while reducing manufacturing costs. Lotus moved away from the previous Coventry Climax-sourced engine in favor of a modified Ford Kent engine with a specialized Lotus DOHC head. This engine, named the Lotus Twin Cam, would remain Lotus' primary powerplant for over a decade. The Elan was initially powered by a 1,498cc DOHC I4 Twin Cam engine and touted an impressive build sheet including four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and fully independent suspension. The engine was enlarged to 1,558cc the following year, but the excellent handling characteristics left little room for improvement.
Lotus has long been revered for its ability to create lightweight, highly-engaging, impossibly fun sports cars. The marque dominated on track with a mindset focused on reducing weight as much as possible, allowing smaller displacement engines to outperform heavyweight competition. The company's first production car, the Lotus Elite, was a highly advanced 2-seater coupe with a fiberglass monocoque construction. Unfortunately, the bespoke and highly specialized nature of its construction led to high production costs, and Lotus lost money on each Elite sold. The solution came in 1962 as the Lotus Elan. The new roadster used a similar fiberglass body now supported by a steel backbone frame. This both increased structural rigidity while reducing manufacturing costs. Lotus moved away from the previous Coventry Climax-sourced engine in favor of a modified Ford Kent engine with a specialized Lotus DOHC head. This engine, named the Lotus Twin Cam, would remain Lotus' primary powerplant for over a decade. The Elan was initially powered by a 1,498cc DOHC I4 Twin Cam engine and touted an impressive build sheet including four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and fully independent suspension. The engine was enlarged to 1,558cc the following year, but the excellent handling characteristics left little room for improvement.
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