1970 Lotus Elan S4 FHC |

Closed Auction- Unsold

1970 Lotus Elan S4 FHC

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Mileage~71,758
TransmissionManual
Engine1.6L
LocationTadcaster

AUCTION CLOSED

1970 Lotus Elan S4 FHC

Introduction

Isaac Wass

Professional Consigner

With its fibreglass body and rapid performance, the car combined great power and light-weight design for the ultimate road experience.

At the 1970 Earls Court Motor Show Lotus announced the Sprint model following four series of Elan's. The Elan had proven to be a great commercial success and contributed to funding of achievements in Lotus racing over the next ten years. It's stand out features were its successful design and also, its attention to cost control on the body, chassis, engine and transmission. The key to the Sprint was the big valve engine which produced ~126 BHP thanks mainly to its larger inlet valves and light-weight but high-rigidity fibreglass body. Even by today's standards, the Sprint is an exceptionally rapid car and comfortably lives up to its name. This performance was further highlighted by lovely handling and road holding, thanks to its small size and weight, which meant that a well driven Elan on a dry road could outclass many other non-Lotus road cars.

This model comes to market having driven a very limited distance in its current ownership. With under ~1,000 miles travelled in the last 10 years, as well as several driver focused upgrades including; new radiator and fan, distributor, electronic ignition, air box and performance cone filter, aluminium fuel tank and race cut out switch, the example on show here is a really lovely Elan S4 upgraded with the Big Valve Sprint head and with plenty to offer its future owner.

This listing was written from information supplied by Isaac after meeting Don the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

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Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Meet the owner

One of my favourite driving experiences of all time, I love Lotus cars and the classic Elan is just unbeatable in my eyes.

Having owned this very car some 25 years earlier, Don knew he had to get his hands back on it when he saw it come for sale "It would have been such a shame not to bring it back home with me again, I knew I had to have it!". Don has carried out much of the restorative work himself over the past few years, "I really enjoy the work that goes into making a car look as good as it did when it left the factory originally, for me thats one of the best parts of owning an older car".

With a large operation on the horizon, the time has come for the current owner to part ways with his old car again, "Ive had my chance to enjoy the Elan as I once did, its time for someone else to get the same excitement and enjoyment from it". Should there be any questions required, Don would be happy to answer these in the section below.

Don

Vehicle Owner

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Exterior
Interior
Mechanics
History
All Images

EXTERIOR VIDEO

Exterior

With its iconic Gold Leaf colour scheme, this Elan is a really stylish and standout example.

Wheels and Tyres

The Lotus is equipped with a solid set of gold coloured 13" wheels. Simple in their setup, a nice touch was noted with the spin screw centre caps adding a racing flair to the wheels. Looking over the wheels, they did show some signs of wear and pitting to the chromed sections. The wheels appear to have been sprayed at some point over their history, which is noted with a few signs of paint wear on the facings as we looked around the exterior.

The wheels are wrapped in a set of Goodyear GT2 tyres to the front and rear, with a spec of 165/80 to the front and rear. The condition of tyres looks good with no obvious cracking but some signs of discolouration on the tyre walls, although these will likely clean up well. Please take a look at the photos and videos for a detailed view of the exterior of the Lotus and a closer look at the wheels and tyres.

Bodywork

The fibreglass body stands proud even after ~50 years on the road. Looking across the car, the bodywork looks really great with the panels looking good and no note of dings or marks on the exterior. The door gaps were in the main good, typical alignment for a Lotus of this era. There was also a minor imperfection in the drivers door panel although these points were minor observations and reflective of the type of material used on this bodywork.

Ultimately fibreglass body shells are never going to be exactly straight and true given the way the material is crafted but that said, this one does look lovely. Take the time to look through all the media files for a detailed view at what’s on offer, and for you to assess the condition of the car for yourselves.

Paint

The Elan is finished in iconic two-tone "Gold Leaf" colour scheme, taking the car's looks back to the late 60's style of Lotus 49 race cars. The paint finish is great around the car which is reflected in its limited usage and mileage over the past few years. The current owner let us know that the car has been repainted over its life, which is where the quality looks as nice as it does today.

Looking closer at the detail, we did note a couple of signs of wear on the door edges where the paint has a few marks nearest the key slot on the drivers side door. There were also a few small stone chips on the front and rear bumpers and front bumper mounting point when we looked closer at the exterior, although these weren't out of the ordinary.

Again, we have taken high resolution images and videos of the car for you to assess the condition of the bodywork for yourselves. The images are taken from a few different angles to show off the car as you would see it if you were standing there for yourselves. So please take the time to fully assess these high resolution images and videos of the car, for you to make up your own minds about the condition of the paint.

Glass and Trim

Windscreen section, side windows and mirrors all appear in great condition and we could see no sign of scratching or chips on the glass. The chrome areas around the car looked great when we reviewed the exterior sections. The seals on the whole were showing in excellent condition around the car and in line with the rest of the condition of the vehicle.

Bumper fitment around the rear of the car showed well and the Lotus badges were looking good around the car. The badged sections have kept their colour and finish well and looked smart when we checked them over. A nice highlight was the Lotus lettering at the rear of the car which looked very presentable along with the other chrome work here.

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INTERIOR VIDEO

Interior

Sporty seats, dark wood dashboard and a machined three-spoke steering wheel, it's an interior that greets the driver with simple style and elegance.

Seats and Carpets

Looking over the cabin area, the 2 seat setup in the car looked good. The detail on the seats showed with very few issues and looked great having been reupholstered over their life. We noted a couple of blemishes on the drivers seat and a very small scratch to the leather's on the face of the seat material but these were only minor observations.

Taking in the rest of the interior we noted no major concerns, the door cards showed well on both sides of the car and the roof lining had no noted rips or tears to its finish. There were a few signs of discolouration to the roof given the lighter shade of the material, but nothing out of keeping for a car just past its 50th birthday. Much like the seats and door cards, the carpets reflected the same quality and were all in good condition. Please take a look at the images and videos for a more detailed view of the inside of the Lotus.

Dashboard

The dark wood dash appears in great shape with no major issues or scratches to report. The top of the dash presents well and without splits or cracking to this section although did have some minor marks. Mileage counter showed with ~71,758 miles at the time of our visit.

The central dash area showed the dials, gauges and switches displaying well and without concern, again there were no observed scratches or marks on this section with the drivers dials showing without fogging. An interesting note was the 'cigar' lighter in place on the section above the gearstick, a little nod to the cars livery branding. Our interior gallery section takes you over some closer images of the Lotus' dash, head over and see the car's interior in finer detail.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick

The metal finish showed nicely and was a great touch to the cabin although the leather grip of the wheel itself did show with signs of wear after all its years on the road.

Gears are controlled by a polished wooden topped gearstick set into a metal centre section. The finish here was good with very few signs of wear to the gear section.

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'ON THE ROAD' VIDEO

Mechanics

With a 0-60 time of ~6.2 seconds and an output of ~126 BHP, the upgraded Big Valve engine delivered a top speed of ~121 MPH from factory thanks to its larger inlet valves.

Engine and Gearbox

The Ford UK DOHC 1,557cc had some great levels of output for its day even by some of todays standards. As well as good levels of performance, the attention to detail and cleanliness of the mechanical sections on display here was such a pleasure to see. The car has had a new stainless steel exhaust fitted in the past too as pictured.

We take the car on a short drive and go into further detail about the Lotus, taking it out on some local roads to get a better sense of what this car is all about. Don worked through the shifts without issue and we observed no problems with the clutch or transmission when we were out on the open road. We take a closer look around the engine bay section and highlight more about the mechanics in the cold start section of the mechanical review video. Please note, due to the restoration work carried out, an engine bay strut was not added back in - so a prop is required to hold the bonnet lid open.

Suspension and Brakes

The Elan was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body, a style of construction that was to be repeated in subsequent Lotus models for nearly three decades. This car had a lot going for it on its launch, with four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and four-wheel independent suspension.

On the drive out, Donald took us around some local roads, we heard no knocks, bangs or squeaks from the suspension and overall the car performed as to be expected with no observed issues. The brakes felt to have no pull or vibrations that stood out to us when on the journey and brought the car to a stop nicely. The owner has had new UJs fitted on the car as pictured too.

We cover off the underside of the Elan in our "Mechanical gallery" section. We noted that the underside of the Lotus was really presentable and was clear that attention had been given to all aspects of the car as part of its restoration. Head over to our video section where we've summarised our visit in more detail for you to view for yourself.

The Drive

The performance of the Elan came through from the combination of its powerful engine and light weight body. Lovely and lively on the road, its roadholding and agility also meant that high speeds could be maintained on corners which allowed for high average speeds.

Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 supercar, reportedly said that his only disappointment with the McLaren F1 was that he couldn’t give it the perfect steering of the Lotus Elan, a truly inspiring recommendation for the brand.

Electrics and Other

On our visit we noted that the vacuum operated headlights didn't raise and lower as expected, the current owner suspected there had been an issue with the valve system that controls these.

Don told us that he has had no issues with the electrical elements on the car and to the best of his knowledge, everything else was working as it should do.

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History and Paperwork

Several driver focused upgrades have been added to the Elan and with under ~1,000 miles travelled in the last ~10 years, this sporty classic is ready to be driven and enjoyed.

Having owned the same car some 25 years ago, Don recognised the Lotus and bought it back to his ownership. The car has benefitted from restorative works completed by Don and previous owners over its life where the restoration work has included works to the frame, chassis and suspension elements as well as interior and paint work. The efforts of the restoration can be seen on all areas of the exterior but particularly on the underside and engine bay of the Elan where the mechanical elements look very presentable and in lovely condition, a welcome sight on a car slightly past its 50th birthday.

The car does come with receipts for works carried out which include; a new distributor in June 2019, air filter cone, airbox intake pipe and electronic ignition kit in October 2018, overhauled rev counter in September 2018 and a new trunnions mounting kit in July 2018.

Should there be any questions required, Donald would be happy to answer these in the section below.

We’ve done all our usual seller checks including photo ID, V5 and also actioned a HPi check on the vehicle.

We've summarised our own view on the car based on information gained from the seller in the listing above, however, and as you can see, we go to great lengths to photograph and video the car in hi-resolution detail - this has been done for you to make your own assessment from the comfort of your sofa. So please sit back, have a cuppa and take your time to review everything on this listing in order to make your own assessment on the vehicle's condition. Viewings are also welcomed with all our listings, so please get in touch with us to arrange a suitable time - we just need to speak to you first and receive a valid photo ID before confirming.

If there's anything you're unsure about, no matter how small, then please first ask the owner in the comments area below before placing your bid/s, as bids can't be retracted and form a binding contract if you win the car - just like a traditional auction house. Please note, the car may be in daily use, so the mileage may increase from that shown here - you can request an update check with us after you register your interest.

Service History

Date	Type	Mileage
26.06.2019	MOT	71,704
20.04.2018	MOT	71,615
18.04.2016	MOT	71,555
30.06.2014	MOT	71,479
30.04.2013	MOT	71,167
25.05.2012	MOT	71,122
29.03.2011	MOT	70,821
15.04.2010	MOT	70,504
16.03.2009	MOT	70,254
16.01.2008	MOT	70,055

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Key Details

ModelElan S4 FHC
TransmissionManual
Reg. Date16.02.1970
CC1,558
Mileage~71,758
ColourGold Leaf
Interior ColourBlack
Chassis #360031E
Engine #L21846
RestoredYes
MOT ExemptYes
Road Tax ExemptYes
HPi ClearYes
Former Keepers9
Tyre BrandGoodyear
LHD or RHDRHD
VisitedYes
Sale TypePrivate
Owned~4 years
Key FeatureGreat example, upgraded to "Sprint"
Auction ID1416

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All Images

All Videos

Vehicle Location

Tadcaster

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Auction Closed

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This car didn't meet its reserve price and may soon be available as a private sale - please contact us for more information.

Ask Questions

Seller : DonC

Post a comment or ask the owner a question about the car.

Member

PeterC

Hi Don,
I’m very interested in your Lotus.
It is obviously not a Sprint as they didn’t start manufacturing them till the beginning 1971.
However, could you tell me if the boss at the front spark plug well, just in front of the spark plug has a letter stamped on the boss, as this could confirm if it is a ‘Sprint’ cylinder head.
Many thanks,
Peter.

Member

Yorkbury

has the issue with headlight pods been fixed or can you fix them and how much please

Author

DonC

New vacuum valve order so will be fixed

Member

tradeclassics1963

Hi, Don, are you looking for a straight sale or would you consider a px with my 1963 MGB, in vg condition, cheers, John

Author

DonC

sorry straight sale only

Member

Castle

Hello Don,
Do you know if the engine has been rebuilt or have any maintenance history for the 71k ?

Author

DonC

Sorry but I have know information on this the the car runs well and has know oil leaks which is unusual for a twin cam as I have had a few and rallyed 1600 BDA & BDG Engine’s
regards

Don

Member

Lotocone

Hello Don,

I’m not convinced that this Elan is a “Sprint” as the chassis number sugests that it is an S4 fixed head coupe and this is confirmed on the V5 image. Could you please comment as I believe this is misleading.

Many thanks,

Laura

Author

DonC

hi Laura I sent the information over for this add and also informed them after proof reading the add that it was incorrect the car started its life as an S4 and has had the sprint conversion done over the years it has the larger head and twin Webbers I do not have any paperwork when this was carried out
I was not misleading any one it is there mistake
best regards
Don

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