1990 Lotus Elan SE Turbo

One for the British sportscar enthusiast with an eye for a bargain, this wonderful Calypso Red Lotus Elan SE Turbo, which has been in the seller’s care for the past couple of years, is being offered with no reserve.

And please don’t think that this is because it’s a wrong ‘un because nothing could be further from the truth. With a one of the most comprehensive service records we’ve seen in a long time and a bespoke new roof, this is still one of the finest handling sportscars not just of its generation but of the entire 20th century.

And, with 110,000 miles under its wheels, that turbocharged Isuzu engine is barely run in. Time to reconsider your prejudices?

Yes, we know the M100 Elan isn’t the best-looking car Lotus ever built but if you can get past its somewhat period looks then you’ll see this one is a fine example.

With a very good shine to the Calypso Red paintwork, the glassfibre panels hang together very well. They’ve got good shutlines too, and the overall alignment is excellent.

Pop-up headlamps are never a bad thing and philosophers are still debating whether a nineties sportscar is even a nineties sportscar without them. Regardless of their conclusion (and, being philosophers, this may take a couple of millenia…) these work as they should, popping up and tucking away on command.

The alloy wheels are diminutive; just 15-inches in diameter, their condition is as good as everything else on the Elan but then it won’t surprise you to hear that the seller has had them refurbished. The Maxxis tyres, which are fitted on all four corners, have plenty of life left in them. Obviously.

The folding black hood is also new. Custom-made and “very expensive”, its condition is every bit as good as you’d expect. Furling and unfurling with ease, it’s undamaged and looks terrific.

The rear number plate is hidden behind a clear Perspex cover, a design that might look cool but leads to environmental conditions inside that are anything but. The result is a build up of heat so intense it can actually melt the plastic number plate. That means the one fitted now is new. Obviously.

All-in-all, the Elan is a poster child for folk who are prepared to pay the appropriate sums to keep their cars in the condition they deserve.

This attitude means flaws are few. Some of the rubber trim around the door glass is a bit frayed in places, the black lower lip on the front of the car is a little chipped and scuffed, and there’s a scratch on the rear hood cover.

The two-tone, red and black colour scheme might be very nineties but the simplicity of the seat design avoids the sort of fussiness you sometimes find in sportscars of this era.

There is no ruched leather, or ruffles or even contrasting stitching, just the sort of beautifully simple and heavily bolstered seats you’d expect to see in a car with the Elan’s performance and high-G cornering ability.

It’s all in great shape, too. Lotus might have a reputation for fragility in its other cars but the interior in this one has survived very well indeed; this is a car that seems to have lived a gentle life in considerate hands, hands whose consideration extended to replacing the handbrake handle and gear knob, changing the odd blanking plate for a better one, and having the seats cleaned and the leather treated.

But most of the interior is original and has survived just fine. Take the elasticated door pockets in the (very good) door cards, which are as taut and firm as an Instagrammer’s buttocks.

The carpets that are in an excellent condition. And the dashboard, which is free of sun damage and extraneous holes. Heck, even the hood frame is good.

As is the boot, which is home to the space saver spare wheel and windscreen washer fluid reservoir, which was presumably placed there to redistribute a couple of kilogrammes of weight.

As for flaws, the driver’s seat is a little soft and crumpled but then it’s

33 years old and has seen six-figures of high-load cornering, so that’s only to be expected. And besides, it’s more cosmetic than structural so you could ignore it or sort it as your tastes dictate.

As you can see, the engine fires into life with the sort of enthusiasm every well-maintained Japanese engine does. It also ticksover smoothly, revs beautifully, and endows the fiery little Lotus with way more vim and vigour than seems possible.

The pop and crackle from the exhaust is sufficient to raise the hairs on the back of your neck without irritating the neighbours, which means it is just as perfectly judged as everything else.

The engine and engine bay are also very clean but then that’s what you get when you marry British craftsmanship with high-quality Lotus-specialist servicing.

The Elan’s service history, which is recorded as follows, continues the good news:

• 24.05.2000 and 93,512 miles – service and new timing belt by Autotechnics of Chichester
• 19.10.2000 and 96,719 and unknown mileage – service by Lakeside Engineering, an independent Lotus specialist
• 12.04.2001 and unknown mileage – new ignition coil pack by Lakeside Engineering, an independent Lotus specialist
• 01.05.2001 and unknown mileage – service and two rear wishbones and brake pipes by Lakeside Engineering, an independent Lotus specialist
• 09.01.2012 and 107,848 miles – miscellaneous work including a new ECU by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist
• 01.03.2012 and 107,934 miles – service by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist plus timing belt and idler pulley assembly
• 24.04.2013 and 108,463 miles – service by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist plus a good used steering rack,
• 26.04.2014 and 108,814 miles – service by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist
• 08.04.2015 and (circa) 109,000 miles – service and a new timing belt by PNM Engineering, an independent Lotus specialist
• 18.04.2015 and (circa) 109,000 miles – miscellaneous fettling by DLF Racing, an independent Lotus specialist
• 14.04.2016 and 109,385 miles – service by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist plus a new fuel pump relay and fettling of the rear brakes
• 28.04.2017 and 109,580 miles – service by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist
• 26.04.2018 and 109,914 miles – service by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist
• 06.06.2019 and 110,156 miles – service and refurbished headlamp motors and a PNM rear brake kit by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist
• 11.06.2020 and 110,387 miles – service by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist
• 24.05.2021 and 110,546 miles – service checks by Hanger 111, an independent Lotus specialist

That’s mightily impressive, isn’t it, even if the service booklet that covered the early years seems to have been misplaced.

The Elan’s MoT certificate is valid until June 2023 and it was gained, like every one since 2019, without any advisories.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear and the Lotus comes with its book pack, owner’s handbook, and a set of keys. Plus a thick wad of old invoices and bills, obviously.

The M100 Lotus Elan still has a way to go before it is accepted as a genuine collectors’ Lotus. While it might drive brilliantly and be all but bulletproof in its reliability, nothing demonstrates classic car snobbery more blatantly than asking people to accept that anything with a front-wheel-drive chassis can ever be a proper sportscar…

This is, as we’ve shown, a ridiculous stance to take but one the canny Lotus devotee can take advantage of because it has kept prices way below where we think they’ll eventually settle; if an early Mazda MX-5 – which wouldn’t be able to tell which way the Elan went on any kind of twisty road - is now fetching five figures and more, then the Elan must surely be worth at least the same.

But, the market is where the market is and we can’t see even a good example like this fetching more than £6,000 to £10,000, which is a real travesty, especially when the owner is so confident in the quality of his car that he’s prepared to offer it with no reserve…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.