1962-1973
Overview
Manufacturer	Lotus Cars
Production	1962–1973
Assembly	Hethel, England
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupé 2-door roadster
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine	1,557 cc Lotus TwinCam I4 (petrol)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	84.0 in (2,134 mm)
Length	145.0 in (3,683 mm)
Width	56.0 in (1,422 mm)
Height	45.5 in (1,156 mm)
Curb weight	1,516.8 lb (688 kg)

Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible cars and one fixed head coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The original Type 26, 26R Racing version (of the S1 Elan), 36R Racing version (of the S2 Elan), 36 Fixed Head Coupe, 45 Drop Head Coupe, and the "Type 50" +2 Coupe, circa 1962 to 1975, are commonly known as the '60s Elans.

1960s model

The original Elan was introduced in 1962 as a roadster, although an optional hardtop was offered in 1963 and a coupé version in 1965. The two-seat Lotus Elan replaced the elegant, but unreliable and expensive to produce Lotus Elite.

It was the first Lotus road car to use the now-famous steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,500 lb (680 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy. Initial versions of the Elan were also available as a kit to be assembled by the customer. The Elan was technologically advanced with a DOHC 1557 cc engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and 4-wheel independent suspension. The "Lotus TwinCam" engine was based on Ford Kent Pre-Crossflow 4-cylinder 1498 cc engine, with a Harry Mundy-designed 2 valve alloy chain-driven twin-cam head. The rights to this design was later purchased by Ford, who renamed it to "Lotus-Ford Twin Cam". It would go on to be used in a number of Ford and Lotus production and racing models.

The Wheeler Dealers Series 7 Lotus Elan