1973 Lotus Elan Sprint

First registered on the 18th of April 1973, this lovely Lotus Elan Sprint is finished in the classic Gold Leaf colours of red over white with a gold stripe and bumpers.

The seller always wanted a Twin Cam car, and searched long and hard, eventually finding this one a couple of years ago: “When I saw it I knew it was the one!”

He clearly has a good eye. Fitted with an uprated replacement Spyder chassis, a previous owner also commissioned an engine and gearbox rebuild in 2018 as part of a thorough mechanical and electrical overhaul. All-in-all, this work cost well over £14,000 but it was money well spent as it’s an absolute cracker.

Now being offered for sale only very reluctantly (“every time I open the garage door I know I bought the right car”) the Elan is with its owner near Bristol.

Originally green, we are told that the bodywork was stripped and repainted in 1998 and remains in a good condition with very few cracks, crazing, chips, or flaws a quarter of a century later. Indeed, the keen of eye will have spotted that the doors fit better than most, something that isn’t always an Elan strong point…

It has been fitted with a replacement Spyder chassis together with a Safety Devices roll bar and side impact bars for extra safety. This is a well-respected modification that does wonders for the car’s handling while simultaneously improving secondary safety.

The iconic ‘Gold Leaf’ colours suit the car very well (they wouldn’t have become iconic otherwise, would they?) and the sober wheels serve to highlight the gleam and shine it still wears.

Speaking of wheels, it not only sports a set of four steel wheels with chrome rim trims and shiny centre-lock spinners, it also sits on a set of matching 175/70R13 Avon CR6ZZ tyres.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The black folding hood fits very well. It’s free of damage too, and the plastic rear window is still clean and clear.

The chromework is decent, with only light pitting and the headlamps pop up as they should, which isn’t something you can always take for granted…

That’s enough gushing, time for the bad news.

Aside from the aforementioned stonechips and age-related marks one of the letters on the front numberplate is cracked, one of the spinners on the wheels have lost some chrome (#86), there is some cracking on one wheelarch (#87) and one of the rear indicator lenses has a crack in it (#61). There is also some orange peel to the finish here and there but it isn’t bad and most folk could live with it, we think.

As you can see from the photo album, the condition of the black vinyl seats is very good. As figure-hugging as you’d expect given the Elan’s penchant for high-speed travel, they’re in great condition and still very comfortable.

The wooden veneer on the Series 4 dashboard is extensive, and yet even that’s stood up to its half-century on Earth very well with good lettering and a decent sheen.

The recessed door cards, which give a bit of all-important extra elbow room, are good too, as are the carpets and controls.

There’s also a twin-spindle Sharp stereo in the cockpit, plus a fire extinguisher behind the passenger’s seat and an electrical cut-off switch in the boot with a removable key.

The boot is just as good with a decent boot lining and a spare wheel, albeit fitted with an odd-sized tyre. There is a jack and a handle along with a wheelnut hammer in an original bag, but the owner points out that the hammer is missing the wooden face. However, in his view the soft metal one is quite adequate to remove and tighten the nuts.

Problems? Well, those with a preference for originality will note that the Elan doesn’t have its original steering wheel but a smaller diameter one of the same leather and aluminium style.

There is some patination to a few areas too, such as the chrome bezels plus the odd crack in the veneer (#141).

As part of the car’s £14,000 refresh in 2018 the engine was stripped and rebuilt with new pistons etc. and the head was overhauled for compatibility with unleaded petrol.

The gearbox was also stripped and overhauled with new parts fitted as necessary, and a replacement high-torque starter motor and alternator were also installed. The invoice for this work, along with the full details of what was carried out, can be seen in the paperwork section.

An electronic ignition system has been fitted at some time, as has an electrical fan.

In 2020 solid drive shafts were fitted together with adjustable rear shock absorbers and a replacement servo. In 2021 the carburettors were stripped, ultrasonically cleaned, reassembled, and tuned. We are told that the engine now “pulls cleanly, with no pops or bangs on the overrun and is a pleasure to drive.”

The owner went on to tell us that: “This car is in excellent condition inside and out and drives like a Lotus should, on rails. There are no problems with overheating even when stopped for long periods in queueing traffic on a blisteringly hot day.”

Most recently serviced in April 2022, as you can see in the video, the Elan starts and runs well, and shows good oil pressure.

The speedometer was replaced in about 1998 with a mileage of approximately 65,500. It now shows approximately 7,500, giving a total of around 73,000 miles in all.

The underbonnet area is clean and tidy but the owner points out that there is the inevitable odd oil leak from the engine and/or gearbox but “these are small and a yearly top up is all that is needed with hardly any oil being added”.

The Little Lotus has an owner’s handbook, a workshop manual, and a thick sheaf of old invoices and bills for the work it’s received since 1996.

There is also a series of photos showing the bodywork restoration and a previous owner has even traced the car’s family tree and the fruits of his labours include correspondence and photocopies of old logbooks.

The car’s staring role was in the May 2005 edition of Classic and Sports Car Magazine where it was compared to a modern Elan S2. The result was inconclusive with each car outscoring the other in different areas. A copy of the magazine comes with the car, as does two sets of keys.

The Elan doesn’t have a current MoT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it MoT’d at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic vehicle, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear.

Many of you will share the owner’s enthusiasm for the Lotus Twin Cam engine and there’s no better place to put one than in an Elan Sprint Roadster, whose Big Valve engine churns out a healthy 126bhp, which is plenty given the Elan’s svelte weight.

This one’s got an upgraded Spyder chassis too, a well-trodden route when replacing a rusty factory original. Throw in a rebuilt gearbox, plus plenty of recent mechanical maintenance and repairs and Gold Leaf colours, and you might just have the perfect specification.

Which makes its guide price of somewhere between £30,000 and £40,000 sound like solid value to us.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Bristol. 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’.