1974 Lotus Elan +2 S130/5 Cabriolet

Highlights

Very late Elan +2 S130/5
Highly original UK car with matching numbers
Renowned Christopher Neil conversion
Lotus five-speed gearbox
Refurbished Lotus alloys
Full Sundym glass
History file/handbooks
Excellent hood and tonneau
Galvanised sills

The Appeal

The Lotus Elan was introduced in Jan 63, designed by Ron Hickmam, the designer better known for the Black and Decker Workmate!

The Elan set a new standard for sports cars with perfectly balanced handling, fine brakes and precise steering. The Elan Plus 2 was released later in 1967, offering two small rear seats in a well-appointed cabin. The Plus 2 retained the independently suspended backbone chassis layout of the small Elan, the track and wheelbase were both lengthened to allow for its luxurious interior. It was designed to be capable of transporting two adults and two children 1000 miles in comfort with their luggage.

The Elan plus 2 remained in production from June 1967 to Dec 1974 developing from the early elegant Plus 2 to the refined sophisticated Elan Plus2 130/5 at the end of production the last one being registered for the road in Norwich on the 22 Jan 1975.

Back in the mid-eighties, ‘Christopher Neil Sportscars, established Lotus specialists, pioneered the Cabriolet version of the Elan Plus 2. Two other companies, ‘Hexagon Motors in London and ‘Classic Transport Company' in the Midlands, made a few as well.

Here we have a very late Elan Plus 2 130/5 that has all the benefits of all the tweaks and developments that were introduced throughout the cars production run that has been converted Christopher Neil Sportscars. This Plus 2 had a previous comprehensive restoration, details of which are included below.

History and Paperwork

Owners handbook and S130 supplement covering the Lotus five-speed gearbox
Original 1970's Lotus +2 S130 brochures
Original Christopher Neil brochure
Two keys
UK V5C present

First registered in August 1974 the car has a history file with bills/invoices, partial MOT history, The advisory-free MOT expired in Jan 2024, the car has not done any mileage since Sept 2023 and of course, being Historic does not require an MOT test.

The aforementioned restoration included the following:

Spyder Spaceframe Chassis
Spyder tubular front wishbones
Spyder Flat sided oval rear wishbones
Spax adjustable dampers
CV jointed solid driveshaft conversion
Spyder galvanised sill inserts
Copper brake pipes and stainless hoses
replacement dashboard

More recently the car has had :

Alloy fuel tank
High Torque starter motor
Luminition electronic ignition
Stainless steel exhaust
60 Ah Battery (standard is 39Ah)
Refurbished Lotus Alloys
New carpet set with superior waterproof
Underlay
Retrimmed boot

The Condition

Superbly presented inside and out
Age-commensurate patina
Folding hood in very good order and complemented by a tonneau

A Mature previous restoration that has patina and character excellent undamaged body. Overall, very presentable, the paintwork has a few touch ups and blemishes, the gold coach lines are a little faded in places and would benefit from being replaced. So not a 'Show Pony' that you would be reluctant to take on the road and would take to shows on a trailer but a presentable useable classic. The radio does not work and the Fog lights are not wired. The hood is in excellent condition and there is a versatile tonneau cover

The Mechanics

1.6-litre four-cylinder twin-cam with Luminition electronic ignition
Five-speed manual gearbox and competition clutch fitted
Incorporates several sympathetic mechanical upgrades as detailed above
An exceedingly usable example

The engine was rebuilt and then rolling road tuned by ‘Airey Tuning Co' in July 2019 when it recorded 125 BHP at 6,000rpm. It has done less than 4,000 miles since then and the vendor states it is in fine order. The cylinder compressions have just been checked and are all within the range 160 to 168psi The vendor also comments that the water pump reportedly has minimal detectable play (an Achilles' heel of the Lotus twin-cam engine). The gearbox and drivetrain are said to be in good health and the vendor notes that it has received a recent oil and filter service.

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