I sold a Maserati Mistral to a prior customer in New Hampshire. A condition for the sale of the Maserati was that I would have to take a Lotus Elan as a part trade since he had limited garage space. I was not looking for a Lotus Elan but never had one …. so why not.
This 1970 Elan S4 Special Edition is in nice driver condition. The car was originally sold in Toronto and spent most of if life in that city. In the 1990’s a restoration was started by the boyfriend of a lady that owned the car. It got a new galvanized chassis, new interior, engine was redone and between 80 to 90% of the work was completed. Things did not go well between the boyfriend and the lady; he was gone, and the car sat unfinished in her garage for almost 20 years.
In August 2011 the Elan was purchased by a gentleman from Montreal who completed the restoration. He drove the car approximately 4,000 miles and sold it on December 2016 to the gentleman in New Hampshire. He barely drove it as he found the Elan a bit too small for him.
I acquired the car on November 2019 as part of the trade. I’ve done very little to the car except replace a defective headlight switch, changed the oil and radiator coolant, and a few odds and ends. It is a Special Equipment model which I’ve read it means it has a higher compression engine. A recent engine test reveals that the engine indeed has a high compression of between 175 and 180 psi on each cylinder. The results of the compression test are available by following the Dropbox link below. The engine has dual Weber carbs which may have been part of the Special Equipment package, or perhaps since it was sold in Canada. I believe USA cars had Strombergs…. I much prefer the Webers.
The interior is in very good condition. The soft top needs to be stretched a little (it was cold when I took the photos) and some of the seams re-stitched. It includes a tonneau cover which is what I would use instead of the soft top as it is much easier to use. A classic looking radio with Bluetooth, USD and SD card has been installed.
Fiberglass body is in very good condition with only a small crack near one of the pop up headlights (see photos). The paint is ok for a driver but could have a better shine. Perhaps a professional detailer can bring the shine out.
A reprint of the owner’s manual is included and an original factory workshop manual. Also included is a photo album of the restoration.
