1964 Lotus

The Elan was introduced in 1962 and was years ahead of any other British Sports car. The Elan was the successor of the financially disastrous Elite. One of the features that made the Elite so unprofitable was its monocoque bodyshell. Colin Chapman, the legendary innovator behind the Lotus marque, needed to find a replacement. The solution was the Elan’s backbone chassis, which would become a Lotus hallmark for many years.

The backbone chassis was made of 18 gauge steel with localized 16 gauge stiffening and weighed a mere 75 pounds. Cross members and turrets at the front cradled the engine, gearbox, steering and suspension. The rear housed the final drive and suspension. The body was designed by Ron Hickman and was moulded in two main fiberglass sections, the floorpan/arches and upper body, which were then bonded together. Additional steel strengthening for the door jams and windshield pillars made it sufficiently rigid so as not to rely on the chassis for all its strength. The clean aerodynamic lines suggested the need for pop up headlights and these were activated by a vacuum system ingeniously utilizing the chassis as an air chamber.

The Elan quickly gained a reputation as an ultra responsive, balanced and quick car, and in its first year it attracted over 2000 customers. Its success almost certainly saved Lotus from an early demise. Its popularity was due to the fact that the Elan was beyond compare to anything else on the market at the time, especially in its price range. For sheer cornering power, acceleration and driver involvement it was in a class of its own.

The Mathews family has been Lotus racers and enthusiasts for many years, and the Elan has always been one of their favorites. There are currently two beautiful examples of the Elan in their collection. Both are the racing versions of the S1. The two S1 cars are full spec, stripped out lightweight race cars that can only be told apart y the gold bumpers on the #9 car.