One of the most famous sportscars of the sixties was the Lotus Elan. It was conceived in 1962 as a replacement of the fabulous Elite, following the same succesful formula of a briljant suspension and chassis in combination with a lightweight fibreglass body. Colin Chapman and his small team of designers succeeded again in producing a small and sexy looking car, which offered similar performance as many exotic Italian and British sportscars with V8 or V12 engines. The Elan was an instant hit on both road and track.

The Elan Sprint was the final (and best) version of this iconic Lotus, and was introduced in 1971. It had the "Big Valve" version of the famous Lotus Twin Cam engine, developed by Lotus Chief Engineer Tony Rudd. This engine produced 126 bhp, which was quite an achievement for a 4-cilinder with an engine size of only 1558 ccm. With a weight of only 698 kg, the Sprint could do 0-60 mph in just 6 seconds ! With a total production figure of approx. 1350 examples, the Elan Sprint is quite a rare car as well.

The example we have now in stock must be one of the best still in existence. Restored in 2013 by Paul Matty, and finished in its original colour of Cirrus White, this Elan looks absolutely gorgeous and it is now probably in better condition then as it left the factory in 1971. It is a matching nrs example, and has the rare factory option of single-tone paintwork. Originally delivered in the UK in RHD form, the car was converted to LHD specification during the restoration, as this was easier to use in Continental traffic. All the original RHD parts are still with the car so it is easy to bring it back to RHD specification if required. Everything is following factory specification, and this Elan is now a potential concours winner. Driving this white little wonder is an unforgettable experience, and it confirms what a genius Colin Chapman was.

This is not the cheapest Elan Sprint on the market, but definitely one of the best. Bringing an average example to this condition will cost much more in the end, and any serious car collector who only wants the best should consider this little gem. It looks extremely good, and so does it drive. A testdrive will only confirm this, so you are very welcome !