1967 LOTUS ELAN S3 SE FHC – 99,959 MILES SHOWING

One of the best road cars to be produced by Colin Chapman’s famous Lotus factory in the UK and this example is very similar to the Elan owned by the late and great Formula One champion, Jim Clark.

Surprisingly small by today’s standards, this little sports car packs a hefty punch and has been extremely popular as both a road and track car. So popular was it’s looks and overall performance, Mazda fashioned the MX5 from its design.

The basic structure of the Lotus Elan comprised a fabricated mild steel backbone chassis, similar to a double ended tuning fork, and a fibreglass body. The chassis was the primary stressed component, providing the necessary bending and torsional rigidity. The fibreglass body was solidly bolted to the chassis at 16 points, fitting over it like a saddle. While not highly stressed the body nevertheless added to the overall rigidity of the structure.

Powered by a 1588cc Ford based Lotus twin cam engine, it produced when new 86Kw and 147Nm of power and torque, driving through a 4 speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. Performance at the time was quoted at 0-100kph in 7.1 secs and a top speed near 190kph. In a car of this size, that is very quick!

The present owner has kindly supplied this history of the car:-

Elan build history

S1 from October 1962
S2 from Autumn 1964
S3 from May 1966
S4 from March 1968/Sprint from Jan 1971

SE model included modified camshafts, re-jetted Weber carburettors, close ratio gearbox, taller diff ratio and servo assisted brakes

1981 This car imported to Melbourne – W.J. Watham

1986 Purchased by Vaughan Stibbard – St Ives NSW

October 1986 Car stripped and rebuild started

Sometime later sold to John Guetze – Elanora Heights NSW

1998 Sold to David Haydon – Parramatta NSW

2014 Body off restoration undertaken by noted Lotus expert Alan Pate.

Was to be built as a racing car for Alan, but rebuilt as a “fast” road car

Retains its original interior trim

Fitted with a close ratio gearbox, 3.55:1 differential and uprated cam

Power now approx 126bhp/95Kw

Weight 1530lb/695Kgs

2014 Sold to John Barrass – Launceston Tasmania immediately following rebuild

2017 Won Elite/Elan/Europa Concours Class at Lotus National meeting – Beechworth Vic

July 2018 Purchased by the current owner and driven back to SA from Tasmania

Eligible for Historic registration in most jurisdictions, that equates to minimal on road costs.

Available to admire on our state of the art showroom floor in Adelaide.

We can arrange transport door to door Australia wide, or you may wish, just like the present owner, to just drive it home.

Finance – our broker offers VERY competitive rates and prompt service.

We welcome the opportunity to consider your trade in.


Make:Lotus
Model:Elan S3 SE FHC
Built:1967
KM:99,959 MILES
Engine Size:1588cc
Cylinders:4
Transmission:Manual
Price:Sold

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