Introduction
Darren Rungasamy
The Elan maintains its associations with the great and the good, acting as a barometer as a standard of excellence.
An evolution of the much admired Elite, the Elan followed suit in 1962. Compact and elegantly styled, the inclusion of the durable Ford Twin-cam mated to a Lotus head, fitted into one of the most engaging and talented chassis ever produced by a British manufacturer. Utilising a one-piece glass-fibre body placed on a separate steel backbone chassis, the Elan was not only rigid, but the Elan's remarkable performance, handling precision and ride comfort set the standards for the compact sports car.
As the company developed the design, improvements made a great car even better and it's accepted that the Sprint is the quickest incarnation of the Elan. Arriving in 1970, the car was distinguished by its big-valve engine, offering a 25% power increase on what is already a gem of a Twin-Cam. Externally distinguishable by the gold stripe and Elan Sprint legend decoration, the Sprint is the one that petrolheads should seek.
This car comes to market from ~51 year ownership, and the car has gone through two restorations/rebuilds in its lifetime and has only covered 12,088 miles since 1992 when the odometer was reset. It has been pampered and garaged all of its life and has to be considered one of the best kept Elan Sprints currently on the market.
This listing was written from information supplied by Darren after meeting Nigel the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.
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REGISTER SIMILARAsk Questions
Hi Nigel, Your car looks very nice, with great background detail provided.
I see a number of questions regarding the chassis – but I have a couple more, if I may.
A Lotus replacement chassis has a number stamped just in front of the nearside engine mount. I indeed see there is a piece tape (?) at this location, probably to protect the number when painting/protecting the chassis so that the number is not painted over.
Is it possible to post a photo showing the replacement number, it will start with LR…. ?
There are two photos showing the upper inside of the rear struts, with the springs and “Lotocones” visible. The chassis appears to be red – is this the original lotus red oxide finish?
On other points. One of the photos (image 83 I believe) shows extensive marks around the fuel tank drain – what are these?
Is your car fitted with a 3.77 or 3.55 diff? 3.77 is standard, 3.55 was a good option (shown in the original price list)
Do you have a full tonneau? A detail, but I once had a factory original and they are quite special, if you have it!
Again, a lovely car. Thank you.
YYW521G,
Thanks for questions; sorry for delay.
SORRY, NO tonneau cover.
YES fitted with 3.55 Diff.
Peter Day rebuilt the car to use as much genuine original bits as possible including the petrol tank, but with regret – maybe with a full tank of petrol in it, the tank did leak a little just a very few days after having it on the road again, the car went back to Peter who fitted the brand new replacement tank that is still in place now and has never again been a problem. The car lives in an enclosed garage at my home and the slightest wiff of leaking petrol would soon have been noticed. I cleaned the undercar location again today and rephotographed the area and although the area looks black enough, the photos (with or without flash light) still shows a little of the staining that you noticed. I had never notice it “by eye” before
I do not know why the is red oxide paint on the top mounts of the rear springs.
Another detail that I knew nothing about until you mentioned it here was the chassis number which is etched onto the chassis just as you described.
The number is LR2688.
The number is etched onto a GALVANISED surface, which at least clarifies the galvanised or not discussion.
As I do not know how to attach photos to this reply I will send a couple of them to Trade Classics and ask them to assist.
By the way and in addiction, any speckled fawn / brown dirt that you can see in some locations on the undersided of the car are from one of the extremely rare occasions that the car went out on wet roads. If you recall throughout most of Europe including England during summer of 2019, there were a few extremely Hot / Dry days just before the Silverstone Classic Car weekend was due to start and I had organised to have the car “on Show” on the Lotus Club Stand from the Hot / Dry Friday onwards. Regrettably I was stuck at an airport in Germany on the Thursday before the event with planes that couldn’t take off in the heat so I didn’t eventually get home until late on the Friday having missed the first day at Silverstone. Unfortunately the rains came, not only making the roads to Silverstone wet, but also the gravel roadways that I was directed through. So although the car has had many thorough washes since then, the gravel stuff seemed to be harmlessly adhered and I did not want pressure hose it, So, I have left it as you may have seen it as a record of ” The Silverstone” weekend.
Hi Nigel,
thank you – really positive updates.
As you say, galvanised under the tape, that’s very reassuring.
Painting a galvanised surface is apparently not easy, some preparation is needed. My suspicion is that Peter Day applied an undercoat of red oxide before the black topcoat – the underside of the turrets were perhaps missed in the topcoat.
To add, I am not questioning the excellent condition of the chassis! I’m just keen to understand what is there.
My first car had a 3.55 diff. It’s a great option, just taking the edge off the revs on a cruise.
The additional photos really confirm everything.
Your car is a testament to how well you have looked after it.
Good luck with the auction.
Hi,
Nigel sent over the photos and we’ve added them into the listing, you can view the six photos starting here:
https://www.tradeclassics.com/auctions/lotus/1973-lotus-elan-sprint-drop-head-coupe/#gallery5-54
Thanks,
Colin.
Hi Nigel… Andrew here again. I’ve raised a further query in response to your reply to my first; below…thought l’d flag here in case you missed the other. Thanks Andrew
OK See Below
AJS, Thanks for seeing this. I suspect that I did not press the “submit” button between answering 2 questions in quick succession, but I hope my shortened version is OK.
My original answer (ramble down memory lane) was a lot longer.
Hi Nigel Andrew here…l see from your answer to Gerry you thought you’d covered in your reply to my previous one (AJS) but l can’t see your reply. Please will you check & repeat?
Thanks again Andrew
During restoration was chassis replaced ? If yes -Lotus type ? -do you have photos and invoices of restoration ?
Gerry,
Thanks for the question. I think that as the questions have been coming quite quickly and I have tried to be extensive and comprehensive with my answers, I believe that you will find rather long winded answers to your own specific questions already documented below; See my answer to AJS and justwing
Hi your ‘Sprint looks great. I’d be grateful if you’ll confirm some details re: the chassis: I see a new galvanized unit was added as part of the original rebuild in ’73 but if there’s a mention of a newer one by Peter Day in ’92 l’ve missed it; was it changed again, or checked & re-protected?. If changed again, was the new ’92 unit also galvanized & did it have any additional protection ? (eg: “Waxoyl”, “Dinitrol” or similar). If you raise the headlights, how long does the chassis vacuum keep them raised before they start to lower?
Many thanks, Regards Andrew
AJS, an abridged version of my reply to you sent yesterday, which appears to have been “lost in the post”; My own 1973 rebuild started on / included a new Lotus chassis which I would have undersealed with a product as readily available then.
When my 1973 rebuild was finished and the car was resprayed by associates of “London Sports Car Center” in North London, the car looked good and went very well.
I did over 20,000 miles in it and then due to work and other commitments it was laid up for a lengthy period of time.
Although my rebuild looked good, I decided that a professional rebuild would be better and after researching I decided to commission Peter Day of Daytune to do the ground up job.
He was fanatical about matching each of the small batches of cars, that he did, to the exact specification (of everything) as how it would have been supplied by Lotus, and so it was with regards the underseal treatment to the genuine Lotus chassis that he supplied and fitted, for the “1992” project. So I do not know what product that he used, but suffice to say that what with being garaged (heated to suit) and with negligible driving use in wet weather, the chassis remain in excellent condition.
I had a small problem with the pop-up headlights vacuum pipes where a plastic tee piece joint had (age fatigue) broken.
A new “tee” was readily sourced from a Lotus parts specialist in Crediton / Devon, and fitted, to restore the full working of the headlights and their pop-up system. (See photos).
That was (now) 10 days ago and although the engine has not been run since then, when I tested the pop-up system yesterday, they came up straight away. They always have behaved like that so I had not given the feature much thought over all of these years.
This is a shortened version of my response that I thought I had sent, but I hope that there is enough detail for you.
Hi Nigel
thanks, but please can you confirm if the current chassis is galvanized? I believe the very originals weren’t but not sure about those towards the end. If not & Peter Day opted for ungalvanized to be exact to original , that would seem a very unfortunate choice…originality taken to a foolish level.
I noted your plastic “T” piece replacement but please will you confirm my query concerning how long the lights stay up before starting to lower? Having asked that l wonder whether they’d raise at all if the chassis vacuum wasn’t good…but as l’m not sure l thought it’d do no harm to ask.
Thanks again Andrew
The chassis that I fitted in 1973 was, to my recollection, galvanised – I do not recall – although that was a long time ago – that there was any alternative, but in any case that was scrapped for the “1992” work.
(Years) Later the alternative “Spider” chassis became an alternative and I have always considered that to be the choice between that and the genuine galvanized Lotus chassis which I had bought for my build in 1973.
Peter Day would not have done anything that was foolish in his desire to maintain authenticity and although he was passionate about the exacting nature of his rebuilds, not so much as to be foolish.
So galvanised it is and coated with a preservative to match the Lotus Specification.
The headlight did Pop-Up after a number of days since the engine was run. They did not come up a 2nd time this pm, when I tried them, but as I have not run the engine in order to do the experiment, I am not surprised by that.
Hi, sorry for the delay;
The engine is the original unit as supplied with the car from new.
The Peter Day – Daytune – rebuild (completed in 1992) was without any constraint and as he only did projects such as mine for this car, to “better than new” the engine, gearbox and differential were rebuilt as part of the “1992” restoration.
When the car was new and leaded fuel was the only choice, the range of fuels at most petrol stations included 5* 101 octane petrol and the Lotus engine – being a “high compression” ran at its best on that fuel.
I do recall Peter Day telling me the engine had hardened valve seats etc. ( to do do with the alloy cylinder head ?) and would be safe with ( the then new ) unleaded fuel.
Unfortunately 5* petrol has been long gone.
For while BP produced small batches of petrol (leaded I suppose) that had an octane rating of 102 and although VERY expensive, it was available at a BP garage near me, and I ran the car on that fuel throughout that time, and the car ran VERY well on it. Alas BP stopped making 102 octane petrol.
I found that (of all places) TESCO display their E5 “super” petrol as 99 octane (other brands all have lower ie 97 or 98 octane) and I have found that the Lotus runs well on the TESCO fuel. The car has never had the E10 petrol so I do not know what its effect would be.
Unfortunately, although the rebuild was certified by “Daytune” as being one of theirs, and Peter Day did “promise” me to get a list of all the parts and works done by him – time passed and the moment for that documentation was gone, so NO, I do not have such listings.
The original colour was the metallic ” Tawny Brown” over white.
There are no stress cracks to the bodywork, such that you have noted.
There are no crazings nor cracks to the body/paint etc. such that you have noted.
For clarity, both of these last two questions represent my long term knowledge of the car and its history, and also reflect the information noted throughout this auction site description.
The actual chrome work around windows and handles etc. that you have noted were cleaned by me prior to the photo shoot and without use of of any specialist products, all the fittings still look very shiny and do not look as if the are 51 year old. The only “dull” chrome that I would mention ( for clarity ) is the “plastic” chrome strip separating the “Gold” coloured front bumper from the yellow front end of the car. I have never known how to brighten that up.
I hope that all of the above is of interest to you and is adequately comprehensive, without being too much of a ramble.
Thanks for your reply.
Hello. I have a few questions about your elan:
Is the engine the original unit as supplied new with the car?
Was the engine rebuilt as part of the 1992 restoration?
Does it run on unleaded fuel or do you use an additive?
Do you have a full list of what was done/parts during the 1992 restoration?
Was it originally yellow when new?
Are there any stress cracks to the body work around handles, hinges, elsewhere, etc?
Any crazing, cracks, sinkage and/or osmosis, etc to the body/paint?
Does the chrome around the window frames, hinges, handles, badging, etc show signs of aging with dullness, pitting, etc?
Sorry for all the questions. I couldn’t answer them for myself from the photos.
Thank you for your time.
Hi Nigel
Many thanks for clarifying, a couple of questions…
– I see from DVLC records that a V5 was last issued in 2012 – I presume this was for a change in the registration number?
– Was there a reason why the original (when first registered) registration number was not reallocated to the Elan by DVLC?
Regards
I bought a Morris Minor in 1969, with the registration “MRS 290”, and that car became known to friends and associates as my “missus”.
By the time that the Elan was ready for the road, and at a time when having a private registration number was quite uncommon, plus having gained the novelty value to me via the Morris Minor, I decided that as the MM was ready to be scrapped, I would have the registration MRS 290 transferred to the Lotus.
That registration remained assigned to the Lotus until 2012, when I began to think about selling the car. An interested dealer noted that the car had a good / high value, but the registration would have an additional “stand alone” value too, at a time when, as now. private registration numbers for cars were becoming so normal / popular.
So I had that number assigned to my wife’s car where it remains today.
The DVLA could not issue back to the Elan its original registration; I think they said it was unavailable to issue, but they did issue a registration “LRP 67L”, being a close (time line) match, to maintain the authenticity of the registration.
What a great reply – many thanks Nigel.
Our cars hold so many precious memories!!!
Hi Nigel
Lovely Elan Sprint!
Do you have a Lotus Certificate of Provenance?
Regards
Thanks for the enquiry, but No I do not have a Lotus Certificate of Provenance.
Please could you clarify the mileage situation. In the drive video, you stated “add 27,000 miles to total 39,000”. Why was the mileage reset, or was it a new speedometer fitted? Thankyou.
Thankyou for the question.
The car went to Peter Day of Daytune for a “ground-up” rebuild with about 27000 miles on the ORIGINAL speedometer. He restored the car to a concourse as Brand New condition, for which he was renown. When I took delivery of the car from him, he had reset that same original “speedo” back zero, just prior to the MOT that he had organised.
Thankyou for the clarification.
A couple more questions if I may?
Firstly, the history states Restoration on 12-10-92.
Later on 06-10-97, the record shows, body repairs and new silencer. Was this the result of an accident to the rear, another part of the car or something else?
With respect to the service history, I appreciate the low mileage driven in recent years and an Mot is no longer mandatory, has the car had regular or any maintenance such as oil/filter and coolant changes in the last few years? I have read through the description and watched the videos, I couldn’t find anything relating to this. Thankyou.
Sorry for delay. I had totally forgotten about the exhaust incident and the Peter Day – meticulous – repair.
However (sadly you may say) I keep a fairly detailed diary of my daily (every day) since 1980 events and was able to research and remind myself of the reason for the Peter Day work as you have noted; Working for a company in Luton at the time and having taken the car to work, which was – over all of these years – a very rare event – I gave a bloke a little drive out in it and upon our return to company car park, and at sub-walking speed I clipped the little upstanding ground plate “stopper” for the car park gates with the leading edge of the exhaust silencer.
The jolt dislodged the silencer and did very minor bodywork damage to the under body by the support strap that holds the silencer in place. Peter Day did a “better than new” repair, including puttin a new silencer box on, making it stronger than the original, all to his own high standard.
I had completely forgotten about the item.
For servicing; for most of the elapsed years of very low usage, I did the minor servicing that you mentioned myself, and is (disregarding diary notes that I may have made) un-documented. I do remember renewing the gear lever rubber gater, which had a little slit in it.
However for “total transparency”, during 2021 I decided that the rubber drive coupling (doughnuts) should be changed by myself, ( I thought that they could cause a LOT of damage if through physically aging they broke, so I bought the genuine replacement parts and started the job but soon realised that the work was beyond my (advanced years) capabilities, so I engaged a local classic car servicing company to complete the work and to go on to do (quite a lot of) additional work to the car.
The list of their work is extensive, but it included finishing the drive couplings, fitting a new distributor / Coil / Spark Plugs.
The voltage had a fault so that was renewed.
Cylinder compressions were irregular and unsatisfactory so work was done to the cylinder head and valve seatings, utilising all new gaskets etc.
The Dellorto carbs were rebalanced etc.
Over a period of (covid interupted ) time this became quite a package of work and all the oils and filters were change during that time.
Vehicle Location
Bedford
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