1971 Lotus Elan Sprint

I’m always incredibly sceptical about classic car adverts that say ‘fabulous condition, fortune spent’. I mean…really? But having scrutinised this infeasibly pretty Lotus Elan Sprint very closely and having had a very good look through its history file, you’ll just have to excuse me while I go and write a very big sign in very red marker pen to go on the bonnet, which says; fabulous condition, fortune spent!

Okay, that’s done - now let’s hear about the car itself.

This particular car spent most of its early life in Holland, having been rebuilt by its 2nd owner and converted from a Coupe into a Spyder, as a significant number were back in the day.....! Finally returning to the UK in 2016, the car comes with a Classic Certificate of Provenance from Andy Graham of Lotus confirming it to be a genuine Sprint from 1971.

‘The Lotus came to me with the chassis already restored, and the engine and gearbox sitting in it,’ recounts Allan, the Sprint’s owner and a pretty serious and well-informed Lotus enthusiast. ‘The body was on the car - for transport - but not fixed.’ The shell, it turns out, was completely empty as the car had come fresh from the paint shop; the interior would have to be installed. However, Allan thought there was much rebuilding to be done, before the car would be in the condition he wanted.

Noted Lotus guru Paul Matty had rebuilt the chassis at a cost of almost £8000 to the previous owner. Allan wanted to maintain that level of quality in the rebuild and decided on another renowned Lotus specialist; Peterborough-based Spydercars to do the bulk of the work.

‘When you go to these people, what you’re buying is their expertise,’ explains Allan. ‘It was important that we used someone who understood fibreglass.’

As well as attending to some more details in the bodywork, Spydercars undertook a total mechanical rebuild of the car. The work would cost in excess of £22,000, with an extra £965 going to Kelvedon Motors for further parts, and almost £2300 spent on interior trim with Mick (Sue) Miller.

After three months of work, the car was finished in February 2017.

‘Having not had an Elan Sprint since 1973, I was delighted to get back in one again,’ grins Allan. ‘We’ve used it for little outings - mostly car shows. We’ve done about 300 miles in it.’

Lotus Elans have a range of colours they look good in, but they have a couple of colour schemes in which they look spectacular, and this is one of those; Lotus Yellow over Cirrus White. Have you also noticed the bronze bumpers front and rear - ‘joined’ as it were by the Elan Sprint stripe down the sides? They are probably a nod to the Benson and Hedges Formula One car colours of the time. They add a nice highlight to what is already a striking combination.

The finish the paintshop produced is superb - probably better than the one Lotus originally turned out, reaching, as it does, around every surface, without its finish or vividness diminishing. Due to its depth and thoroughness, it’s probably set to outlast most any other ‘paint job’.

Body-wise, a Sixties/Seventies Elan is composed of quite ‘chunky’ components, so panel fit is never going to be that of say its modern inspiration, the Mazda MX5, or a Mercedes SLK. However, doors, boot and bonnet - oh, and headlights - all fit pretty snugly; certainly as well as any Lotus Elan you will find.

As well as being in as-new condition, all the chrome work looks to be expertly fitted. No matter how close you go, every detail is carefully placed and finished, nothing sits even slightly ajar with its mounting or protrudes beyond its intended line. The only items that are in a more ‘real world’ condition are perhaps the door latch mechanisms and mounting plates on the doors - understandably, a few more oily marks and scratches. Incidentally, looking further into the awkward crevices of the door cavities only reveals yet more beautifully smooth paintwork and no grime.

The interior manages the very tricky balancing act of maintaining the gentlest patina while looking fresh - and not allowing the new parts to have that barley sugar-coated glow that over-restored cars can have. You realise it’s the (original) gear knob and the seat belt buckles that actually bestow the cockpit with its patina. The latter are actually mounted on new belts - provided by Mick Miller. Millers (actually Sue Miller) provided much of the materials that covers the seat and door cards, though the fitting was actually done by Spydercars. Fit and finish look very original and authentic.

‘Spydercars found all the interior bits and pieces- for instance, the rocker switches that no one makes any more, and are very hard to find,’ Allan points out.

Indeed, looking around the cabin, everything is present and correct, including dashboard print/decals. Also, the dashboard veneer is new as is the steering wheel. (Only the Sprint had the Colin Chapman ‘signed’ wheel)

The central transmission tunnel plastic trim appears slightly more weathered - and probably the better for it, while the carpets are new - very nicely trimmed and showing no stains or wear. The boot too has also been retrimmed and is in a similarly excellent condition.

The hood is new and its glossy black vinyl cover clips evenly and easily onto the studs around the cockpit edge. The whole cabin has a very ‘authentic’ feel; as if we could simply be back with Allan’s original Lotus in the Seventies. (Sigh).

The underside of the car is a little more real world; that is to say it’s been given a very light sand blasting on those days out (probably too harsh a term). There are light scuffs to the underside, but nothing to suggest anything other than fairly restrained, fair-weather driving.

What you can see of the chassis rails and outriggers looks robust, showing the odd small scuff, but retaining all of their weatherproofing and most certainly their structural integrity.

‘It’s a Paul Matty chassis,’ notes Allan. ‘one of their own, but a proper Lotus Elan pattern chassis.’(Not a modernised/modified version as some specialists manufacture and fit). Matty also rebuilt all the suspension and brakes - behind reconditioned wheels with new spinners.

Everything looks to be in very fine fettle - un-corroded bolts, supple black gaiters, deep black springs over bright yellow dampers that show absolutely no sign of leaks or rust. There is the odd tiny dab of surface corrosion on a washer or two, but everything looks like it’s free-moving and sturdy.

Braided hoses remain shiny and the ‘high-spec’ Lotus sports exhaust looks to be in very good nick. Wheel wells retain all of their (quite glossy) black weatherproofing.

Up in the engine bay we’re back in concours land again - it really does look like they’ve just installed it at the factory. Incidentally, what they wouldn’t have installed at Hethel is the sports air filter (just visible down in the nose) and the electric headlight motors. Both are very welcome additions.

The engine itself appears almost spotless - the ‘Big Valve’ rockers covers are a nice touch - and its attendant equipment looks equally shiny.

‘Spydercars has a very strong point of view about what [make and type] ancillaries to fit,’ says Allan. The firm has long experience with these engines and knows what works best with what. One of the first things you notice on lifting the bonnet is the pair of very shiny and brand new Weber 40 DCOE carburettors. ‘A lot easier to tune than old ones,’ Allan notes.

Classic car service and restoration histories are a world away from the cursory stamps of the modern service book. You want to know exactly what was done with these often temperamental machines - and who did it. Like Alan said, when engaging the high-end restoration and servicing specialists, you are buying their highly nuanced expertise, their ability to do it exactly right. So it is a huge bonus that these blue chip names are on the headed note paper.

What is equally good to see is that almost every part you have inspected in the actual car is listed here in the paperwork. Plus there are photographs of the trim and part of the restoration.

In this car, virtually every possible job that could be needed has been undertaken - all very recently too - and it has the paperwork to prove it.

The Elan also possesses a Lotus certificate of provenance.

The Elan is one of the cars that cemented Lotus’ name as a true road-going sports car builder. The model became an icon virtually in its own lifetime.

This little Elan Sprint (surely the best version) gives the true Lotus enthusiast and driver virtually everything they could ask for; stunning concours-eligible looks, an expert-sorted, very drivable chassis, and the most desirable (big valve) engine options.

And with the restoration work being relatively recently finished, it probably isn’t going to cost much more to own (bar petrol and oil changes) for quite some time to come.

This much quality and relative rarity don’t come cheap, and we expect the little yellow roadster to command between £36,000 and £42,000. Finding another in this fettle and condition - or having it done yourself - wouldn’t be an easy task.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller in Rutland; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the seller’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the seller themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.