1972 Lotus Elan Plus 2S 130

Having seen this car personally in order to photograph it, we can say it looks delightful and has a great presence, a real eye catcher, this is not a car for anyone wanting to drive under the radar as even taking pictures in a remote spot we were repeatedly stopped by admiring passers by! We are very happy to offer this 1972 Elan which has been cosmetically restored a little while ago and has been in regular use since then receiving regular routine maintenance to keep it in excellent road going condition. The car has had 8 previous owners and curiously, at 48 years of age, the odometer also shows 48,000 miles, with a stack of early MOTs to back up its early mileage and as it is now over 40 has been registered MOT exempt.

This is a reluctant sale as the owner is moving from classic cars and motorbikes into boating as a hobby, one of the few more expensive and time consuming pastimes available. Apart from briefly being off the road to be repainted, the car has been on the road for the duration of his ownership, and he has been steadily restoring and improving the car to a point where it is now a very smart and readily usable example of one of the all-time great sports cars.

Stand back and take a moment to admire the sleek and iconic shape of the Elan, walk closer and try not to be surprised at how small the car is, you almost wear rather than drive it.

The body was stripped and painted by Thanet Accident Repair Centre seven years ago, at a cost of £3,750. The main body is in metallic blue and the roof a contrast silver which suits the car very well, the colour and finish are excellent but unfortunately, as does happen on GRP bodies, has now developed some cracks on the bonnet and wings, which are not noticeable at a distance but are visible closer up, as can be seen in the gallery.

Panel fit is often a weak point of glass fibre bodies cars but the doors, bonnet and boot fit flush but neat shut lines.

At the same time as paint, the light surrounds, grills and bumpers were re-chromed costing £1075 and still look excellent. The door mirrors and fuel cap were not done and show some pitting.

It’s always a good sign to see matching tyres and even better a quality brand as it shows a caring and conscientious owner and this Lotus has Continental165/80 R14 fitted all round with good tread on all four corners, and the two-colour alloy wheels are in excellent condition without any kerb marks.

That silver roof houses a summer time favourite of many British classics, the Webasto fabric sun roof. It is in fine shape and slides back easily.

A hallmark of the Elan, the pop up headlights give the nose that sharp point. A new vacuum switch has just been fitted, but a leak must still be hiding as when the car is switched off they will rise up after a few minutes. This is still being investigated and may be solved by the time the auction ends.

The interior checks all the boxes for a classic British sports car - black vinyl bucket seats, wooden dash, small steering wheel and a stubby gear lever in just the right place.

It’s a stretch access the wide sills and drop into the bucket seat, these were recently retrimmed and so look fresh with no marks or wear.

The seating position is very low and legs forward, the chunky leather rim of the steering wheel falls easily to hand, framing the big speedo and rev counter dials.

The dashboard is a huge slab of a thing and in superb condition. The wood grain is beautiful and the veneer is shiny and not cracked or lifting. It’s covered with a multitude of rocker switches, sub dials and those crystal lensed warning lights Ford used to use in everything, all labelled in the most late-60s font imaginable and also home to a Radiomobile radio.

The carpet is in good shape, no heel worn holes or curly corners, and the headlining and doorcards, replaced at the same time as the seats, are also in good shape.

Although marketed as 2+2, the rear seats are really only good for small children or reasonable sized shopping; they, like the front seats are as new.

The boot is surprisingly good for such a small car, it’s carpeted and home to the potential offensive weapon that is the box section wheel centre lock nut spanner.

As we’re sure you already know, the Elan has a glassfibre body over a steel backbone chassis running down the centre of the car, and, unlike many, this is the original chassis which has been undersealed from new.

This is a car that is likely to be driven enthusiastically so its good news that the brake system was renewed this year, gaining a new master cylinder and all four calipers, along with some new hard copper lines and a new brake light switch.

Also this year, the carburettors were stripped down and treated to a service including new floats and a fuel control valve installed into the fuel system.

The owner’s father in law, a retired mechanic gave the car its annual service in March, it’s not driven very far since, and received a new clutch just 50 miles ago.

2020 has been a busy year for the Lotus, as it was also on the receiving end of a new battery and a fresh windscreen earlier this year.

We haven’t driven the car ourselves, but the owner tells us the car starts and idles easily, revs happily and pulls strongly. On the move the ride is firm and the car grips well through fast corners, as these should. He hasn’t changed any suspension components during his ownership, but on the road it hasn’t given any indication of needing work.

There are a wad of MOT certificates going back many years, but the car is now MOT exempt and so does not currently hold one, however we would always recommend a new owner take a car new to them for a test. It’s a small price to pay and never a bad thing to have an impartial expert cast an eye over it, not only for peace of mind that all is working as it should be, but should the worst happen puts the driver in a far stronger position with insurance companies or the local constabulary.

A very enjoyable piece of history, the car still has its original service book stamped and with the counterparts torn off from when it was new in the early ‘70s, and more recently receipts for the extensive brake work. As routine servicing has been taken care of at home there are not receipts for this. In the Gallery we also are able to include photos of the restoration work .

A Lotus Elan is one of those cars that no matter if it’s a barn find or concours winner any true petrol head will know how good it is to be behind the wheel of one and be itching to jump in and drive the doors of it.

This car is perfect for that, in lovely condition with all the relatively recent renovation work but not so perfect that it’s too good to use, a car anyone would be proud to have parked outside but with more importantly to be driving and enjoying on an open road under a blue sky. An original chassis, freshly applied paint, an interior retrim along with myriad other minor jobs complete, we suggest an estimate of £13 – 20,000.

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