Lotus Elan Convertible (45)

[Dan Sarandrea (Phila)]

As I was driving around today, I spotted a small, white convertible sports car in traffic behind me.

It eventually became the car in the spot immediately behind me and as we reached an intersection, it passed on the right to go right as I went left.

At first I thought it might be an early Mazda Miata, but it was too small for that, and as I got a closer look, saw that the headlights were not hideaway.

When it got close enough, I finally recognized the Lotus badge on the front. When it passed on the right I saw the L-O-T-U-S letters along the back edge of the trunk.

I had no idea what model of Lotus it was until I looked it up in Wikipedia tonite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Elan

Part of why it got my attention--the driver. A young person whom I think but could not conclusively establish was a woman. The driver's bleachy-blond hair (which was probably a dramatic style anyway) was being "afro-ized" by his/her top down motoring. Clearly the Elan's designers did not take such a hair style into account as they pondered the car's aerodynamics:laugh:

 

[mx5rush]

There was an Elan +2 at the last months Cars and Coffee here in Houston... It was pretty nice, but it's proportions seem a little odd compared to the standard model.

It's not quite as shockingly small as the original or standard Lotus Elan... I'm pretty sure there is a really good 'Leno's Garage' episode covering a Elan he 'fixed' up. In fact I just checked and there are a few videos regarding original the original Elan... search 'lotus' on his site. Here is a 1969 model, and he's hotrodded a 1966 model to make it really cook.

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/at-the-garage/sports-cars/1969-lotus-elan/

 

[Ricardo Borja]

funny coincidence!

Last Saturday 24th I went to Cars & coffe and parked beside one...

 

[usta in Portland]

Nothing quite like them....

from a driver's viewpoint. First drove one 40 years ago while working at a foreign car dealership and not since, but did it ever make an impression. The steering is just magical and the balance in cornering. A lot is made of the resemblance to the Miata but not dynamically-just chalk and cheese in my opinion. The Elan is very light and the chassis very stiff and no power anything. A front engine X with about 600 pounds shaved off-fantastic!!!

I've been actively looking to buy a +2 but have had no luck.

You say the headlights were not hideaways? Sure it was an Elan?

 

[Dan Sarandrea (Phila)]

You say the headlights were not hideaways? Sure it was an Elan?

The car was white, so I may have assumed that the rounded headlight covers where clear-ish rather than body colored.

The car was so low that by the time it got close enough in the rear view mirror to see that level of detail, the headlights were below my car's "trunk horizon."

 

[ColonelHaiku]

Used to work

with a young lady down in Corona Del Mar who owned one of these (sort of a "mustardish" yellow color) 'bout the same time I had my '74 X. Nice cars!