Left-hand drive example
1966 Lotus Elan S3 Coupe

• Much favoured nimble sports car
• 1558cc 'twin cam' engine
• Iconic Gold Leaf colours
• French carte grise

Launched in 1962, the Lotus Elan set the benchmark of how a lightweight sports car should drive. With a kerb weight of just 689 kilograms and a powerful Lotus-modified 1558cc four-cylinder Ford engine, the Elan's startling performance humbled supercars costing twice its price. A light yet strong steel backbone chassis housed independent suspension with unequal-length wishbones at the front, and a modified version of the Chapman Strut at the rear, as employed in the company's grand prix cars. Brakes were four-wheel discs from Girling, and the rack and pinion steering came from the Triumph Vitesse – even today, Gordon Murray regards the Elan to have the best steering of any car ever built. The body is fibreglass, and the Elan was famously available as a complete car or in kit form to avoid onerous sales taxes. In 1965 the updated Elan S3 arrived, adding electric windows, better interior trim, a re-designed dash, and the option of a fixed-head coupé model for the first time. In production until 1973 and with over 9,000 cars built, the Elan was an unbridled success that undoubtedly saved Lotus from certain demise.

Wearing a striking shade of red over gold wheels, this 1966 S3 fixed-head coupé echoes the Gold Leaf Team Lotus colors as worn by Lotus grand prix cars at the peak of their success. In left-hand drive and having spent much of the recent two decades in France, this Elan is presented in good condition both cosmetically as mechanically having been restored a while ago it seems. The S3 starts instantly and is very responsive on the throttle. Steering, 4-speed (+ overdrive) gearbox, clutch etc. all performing well. The car comes with a French carte grise and an application for Belgian registration.