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 |