HIGHLIGHTS
- Fantastic restoration
- Well presented
- Original features
- 900 miles since the completion
THE APPEAL
What could be more appealing than an already rare British classic 1971 Lotus Elan +2S/130, than one which has received a complete restoration. That's what you would be getting if you purchased this superb Elan. Some of the main and important things to point out are that it has had a new old stock galvanised chassis fitted.
The engine has been rebuilt, and the head was built by Lotus specialist Ed Winter before the seller purchased the car. All the suspension components have been replaced, and the vehicle has a new wiring loom to eliminate any nasty electrical gremlins. Topping all this off is a fully retrimmed interior and a body that has had a considerable amount of hours put into it to ensure the panel fitment is as good as possible.
The engine has been rebuilt, and the head was built by Lotus specialist Ed Winter before the seller purchased the car. All the suspension components have been replaced, and the vehicle has a new wiring loom to eliminate any nasty electrical gremlins. Topping all this off is a fully retrimmed interior and a body that has had a considerable amount of hours put into it to ensure the panel fitment is as good as possible.
The restoration was completed in 2021, and since then, it has been nicely run in for you, covering just 900 miles.
THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK
- V5 is present with just four previous keepers
- Registered 14th July 1972
- Extensive list of invoices for the restoration
- Some previous MOT certificates from the 70s
- Original owner’s handbook and service voucher booklet
The Elan was purchased by the vendor in 2018 from Lotus specialist Paul Matty Sports Cars, knowing it required some restoration after it had been stood in a London garage for a considerable number of years. However, being a Lotus enthusiast and it being not the first Elan he has ever restored, the seller already had a new old stock galvanised chassis in storage for this exact occasion should it arise. This meant that he could get to grips with pulling the Lotus apart piece by piece before slowly replacing or refurbishing everything on the car to return it to its former glory, this time with better fitting panels.
THE INTERIOR
- Retrimmed interior
- Superb new dashboard
- Instruments refurbished
- Electric windows
Inside, the Lotus is now in fantastic condition; the car has been fully retrimmed by Paul Matty Sports Cars (PMS) to be as close to the original as possible and, as you can see, has been carried out to an excellent standard. The front seats are in as new condition, having only been driven in for the 900 miles since the completion and keeping you nice and safe are a new set of front seatbelts.
The rear seats are also like new and have never really been used. The only remaining piece of original trim is the quarter panels which were deemed too good to have trimmed. The door cards are in excellent condition with no scuffs or scrapes to mention, and the interior door furniture is in good order on both sides.
The rear seats are also like new and have never really been used. The only remaining piece of original trim is the quarter panels which were deemed too good to have trimmed. The door cards are in excellent condition with no scuffs or scrapes to mention, and the interior door furniture is in good order on both sides.
The main focal point of the interior has to be the stunning dashboard. This has had the top section retrimmed before having a new piece of walnut veneer fascia fitted with all new lettering.
This has been topped off with every instrument apart from the clock being refurbished, again by Paul Matty Sports Cars (PMS). These are reported to work as they should and obviously look fantastic; the mileage has been retained and shows a reading of 77,034 miles. All of the switchgear has been refurbished or replaced where necessary, and the original Philips radio has been converted to have an auxiliary cable fitted inside the glove box, allowing a mobile phone to be connected.
This has been topped off with every instrument apart from the clock being refurbished, again by Paul Matty Sports Cars (PMS). These are reported to work as they should and obviously look fantastic; the mileage has been retained and shows a reading of 77,034 miles. All of the switchgear has been refurbished or replaced where necessary, and the original Philips radio has been converted to have an auxiliary cable fitted inside the glove box, allowing a mobile phone to be connected.
Under your feet, the carpets are in excellent order showing no signs of any wear. The headlining has also been replaced and fitted with new courtesy lights and hard to find Lotus coat hooks on the rear quarter C pillars. Inside, the boot holds a new spare wheel and tyre to the left-hand side and a jack and hammer to the right.
THE EXTERIOR
- Cirrus White with clearcoat
- Rechromed or replaced brightwork
- New blue tinted windscreen
- Spyder galvanised sills
- New alloy wheels and tyres
The seller has spent a considerable number of hours taking care of the body to ensure the doors, boot, and bonnet fit better than they did from the factory. It’s nice to see that all those hours reshaping the doors for the perfect fit have paid off, as everything now fits level and sits flush with a nice equal panel gap.
Once the body was prepared, it was sent off to Don Keeley body shop and paint specialists in Deeside, who gave it a coating of Lotus Cirrus White followed by a clearcoat lacquer. Starting at the front of the car, there are no stone chips to mention, thanks to such little use since completion. The pop-up headlights lift as they should, and the side/indicator light units have been replaced for new items. The front bumper has been re-chromed and is in excellent condition.
Once the body was prepared, it was sent off to Don Keeley body shop and paint specialists in Deeside, who gave it a coating of Lotus Cirrus White followed by a clearcoat lacquer. Starting at the front of the car, there are no stone chips to mention, thanks to such little use since completion. The pop-up headlights lift as they should, and the side/indicator light units have been replaced for new items. The front bumper has been re-chromed and is in excellent condition.
Around to the sides and as mentioned, the doors fit superbly. The window frames have been re-chromed and fitted with new rubber seals, and there have been new door handles and locks fitted.
Looking from the rear end, the boot lid aligns nicely, opening and closing easily, just like the doors. The light lenses are in good order with no splits or cracks, and the chrome surrounds for the lights have been re-chromed, but there are still a couple of pitting marks. The seller would have replaced these, but at the time, the surrounds were unavailable, so re-chroming was the only option. The bumper has been replaced for new.
The car's underside, namely the chassis as already mentioned, has been replaced for a new old stock rare galvanised item which was checked for accuracy before being fitted up with the relevant parts and having the body refitted. It has also been painted in heavy-duty 2-pack paint to give it extra protection along with the galvanisation.
THE MECHANICS
- Rebuilt 1558cc engine
- New old stock galvanised chassis
- New discs, pads, pipes and hoses
- Adjustable TTR fast road and comfort suspension
- Complete new wiring loom throughout
The engine was stripped down to find it has +20 pistons and a standard crankshaft. The block was cleaned and inspected before having the bores honed, new core plugs fitted and the pistons refitted with a new set of rings. The crankshaft was polished and refitted with a new set of bearings. A new water pump was fitted, and the front and rear covers were cleaned and refitted as they were in good condition.
The major surprise was the cylinder head. It had not long been refurbished by Lotus specialist Ed Winter before being laid up some years ago. This was reported to still be like new and even signed and dated by Ed Winter on the underside of the head.
The major surprise was the cylinder head. It had not long been refurbished by Lotus specialist Ed Winter before being laid up some years ago. This was reported to still be like new and even signed and dated by Ed Winter on the underside of the head.
With the engine rebuilt, the Dellorto carburettors were stripped and rebuilt using new parts where necessary with a new fuel pump, fuel lines, and alloy fuel tank fitted. Keeping everything cool is an alloy radiator with a modern electric fan. All this work has paid dividends as the Lotus starts up with the flick of the key and sounds fantastic as you can hear the twin 40 Dellortoes sucking in air from the new air box and filter.
The drivetrain has been given a once over with the gearbox receiving new seals and bearings, the propshaft has new universal joints from Tony Thompson racing, and the differential was replaced with a 3.77 unit. As a result, the car pulls strongly through the gears and has a smooth but precise change.
Keeping you comfortable on the road is a set of Tony Thompson Racing adjustable dampers and springs set up for fast road and comfort. There have been new wishbone bushes, track rod ends, steering column bushes: you name it, if it could be replaced, it was, which ensures a nice car that is reported to handle well and looks fantastic on the road.
Finally, bringing you to a halt in a straight line, the braking system has been fully overhauled with new discs, pads, hoses, Lockheed servo and front calipers.
SUMMARY
What an extensive restoration which has left nothing untouched on this 1970 Lotus Elan +2S/130. There have been many, many hours put into this car, ensuring it was rebuilt correctly and, as you can see, has resulted in this stunning Elan.
Used for just 900 miles since the summer of 2021, the Elan is nicely run in for you, ready for it to be cherished by the next keeper. Will it be you?
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