Background
‘Simplify, then add lightness’, said Lotus creator Colin Chapman. With the Elan +2S he arguably perfected this design philosophy. The car emerged as an evolution of the original 1962 Lotus Elan, a lightweight, nimble, two-seater sports car that quickly gained acclaim for its exceptional handling and innovative engineering.
The Elan +2S, introduced in 1967, was a response to a demand for a more practical car that could accommodate a small family while retaining the characteristics that made the original Elan so appealing.
The original Lotus Elan was created with a focus on Chapman’s core philosophy of reducing weight wherever possible to achieve superior performance and handling without the need for an overly powerful engine. The Elan weighed just around 680kg (1,500 lbs) and utilised a steel backbone chassis with a glassfibre body, making it incredibly light yet rigid.
The combination of the lightweight construction, an advanced suspension system, and a small but spirited engine (initially a 1.5-litre twin-cam engine, later enlarged to 1.6 litres) made the Elan a benchmark for handling precision – not only during its production run but for many years afterwards.
With the success of the Elan, Lotus sought to expand its appeal by introducing a variant that could serve as a practical family car without compromising on performance. The Lotus Elan +2 was launched in 1967 as a 2+2 coupé, meaning it had two small rear seats suitable for children or extra luggage. The +2 was longer, wider, and had a larger wheelbase compared to the original Elan to accommodate the extra seating and improve passenger comfort.
Despite these changes, the Lotus team was determined to retain the core attributes of the original Elan: lightness and handling prowess. The Elan +2 utilized the same basic chassis design as the original but stretched it to increase the wheelbase from 2,134 mm (84 inches) to 2,438 mm (96 inches). The body was also lengthened, and the overall dimensions were larger, resulting in a more spacious interior.
The car’s suspension was modified and slightly reinforced to handle the increased weight and provide a comfortable ride while still offering sharp, responsive handling.
Chapman’s mantra of ‘adding lightness’ continued to guide the development of the Elan +2. Even though it was a larger and more practical car, Lotus engineers kept the weight as low as possible, with the Elan +2S weighing around 900kg (1,984 lbs) — still remarkably light compared with other cars of the time. This was achieved through the continued use of a steel backbone chassis paired with a glassfibre body, as well as a meticulous focus on reducing unnecessary weight in every aspect of the car's design, from the interior trim to the use of lightweight materials for components.
This lightness meant that even with its relatively modest power output — the Elan +2S was equipped with the same Lotus-Ford twin-cam engine producing around 118 horsepower — the car could deliver excellent performance. The reduced mass allowed for quick acceleration (0-60 mph in under 8 seconds) and a top speed of approximately 120 mph, which was impressive for the time.
More importantly, the car's low weight contributed to its renowned agility and handling precision. The suspension, with independent wishbones at the front and Chapman struts at the rear, combined with the low weight, provided exceptional feedback, making the Elan +2S feel like an extension of the driver’s own reflexes.
The brilliance of the Elan +2S lay in how it leveraged its lightweight design to achieve outstanding handling and road-holding capabilities. Chapman’s philosophy meant that the Elan +2S did not need a heavy, powerful engine to be fast and exciting to drive. The car’s light weight improved not only its acceleration but also its braking, cornering, and overall responsiveness. By reducing the mass, Lotus engineers were able to use smaller brakes and a more compact suspension setup, both of which reduced unsprung weight and further improved handling.
In essence the +2S was a natural evolution of the original Elan, maintaining the same fundamental principles of lightweight design and handling-focused engineering. Of the 5200 made, just 1200 2+2-seater Elans are thought to have survived.
