1965 Lotus Elan S2

Description for Lotus Elan 1965

"The Elan very simply represents the sports car developed in tune with the state of the art. It comes closer than anything else on the market to providing a Formula car for ordinary street use. And it fits like a Sprite, goes like a Corvette, and handles like a Formula Junior.

Driving it is very simply another sort of automotive experience altogether. Most people tend to come back from their first ride a little bit glassy-eyed; the knowledgeable usually remark that the car reminds them of nothing so much as a Formula Junior. What you will get from a Lotus Elan that you aren't apt to be able to experience in a Junior, is the absolute joy of charging -under all sorts of conditions and in all kinds of circumstances." (Car & Driver 1964)

This Elan is an unmolested true survivor 1965 Lotus Elan S2. The VIN of US65264055 was invoiced by the factory in November 1964 andsubsequently shipped to the US for sale as a 1965 model year Elan S2.

The original engine block, LP2437 was replaced early in the Elan’s life (with the first owner) and now has LP5908 coming from an Elan built at the end of 1966. The Lotus Twin Cam weber head has the serialnumber 2437 stamped on it so it is the original head that came with the carwhen new. One other modification was done early in the car’s life, a smallsteel cylinder was installed forward of the radiator (mounted in the nose ofthe car) as the first owner said he would lose the headlights on long downhilldrives due to lack of vacuum to keep the lights upright and this was hissolution.

The second owner of this Elan was a long time Lotus enthusiast andco-founder of Lotus Owners of New York. He bought the car in 1990 and was going through a mechanical and paint restoration in the fall of 1992 when he passed away. The restoration was completed by his good friend (Presidentof Lotus Ltd) and the Elan stayed in the family for 22 years with very little road use. It was then offered to the Presidentof Lotus Ltd and he acquired it to add to his collection of Lotus cars.

The Elan was "refreshed" by well known Lotus mechanic Craig Chima to go through the Elan’s mechanicals in mid 2018 as it had been sitting in a dry garage for a long time and needed attention. The cooling system was flushed, the radiator cleaned and pressure tested,replaced the hoses from the radiator, rebuilt the calipers and replaced all thehydraulic fluids, replaced the engine oil and transmission fluid, removed the gas tank and had it flushed and reinstalled, repaired the wiper motor, replaced most of the interior carpet, replaced the center console and got all the electronics working. All four tires have been replaced with new ones and balanced on the OEM steel wheels.

Since I have owned the Elan, I sent the Weber Carbs to Pierce Manafolds in CA for a full rebuild and restoration. Rebuilt the distributor, replaced the coil,points, cap, rotor and springs. Removed the differential and replaced the frontseal (it was leaking) as well as torqueing the pinion nut to spec and sealing the threads, reinstalled the exhaust system (it was leaking and I installed the missing the important transmission bracket that keeps the exhaust system from moving around), installed the correct bonnet adjustment screws, new period correct chrome wiper blades, replaced the fuel pump and relocated a new glass fuel filter to the trunk where you could see it (not underneath the weber carbs where you can’t), replaced the air filter, installed period correct seat belts, acquired an original (but warn) tonneau cover, repaired the loose trim on the cantrails, replaced the windshield wiper switch button with correct type, adjusted the parking brake (it actually works!) and generally went over all the details of this Elan. Installed a period radio (non-working) in the dash.

ThisElan runs well, the engine has good torque (engine was rebuilt in 1992 beforelong term storage). Compression test shows 180 PSI on all four cylinders. It handles as you would expect from an Elan, smooth and effortless. It has a nice soft top with all the correct parts of cantrails and cross bars. The interior is factory grey seats and door cards. The dash was replaced during the 1992 restoration with a burled pattern made by Madera Concepts (a high-quality automotive woodwork shop). The paint has a patina to it with some scratches and chips. The original wooden steering wheel and horn push complete this car's period look.

This Lotus Elan S2 is in good condition with the understanding it is a 53 year old sports car with 74,326 original miles.

The early Elan's are sought after Lotus sports cars that have a strong following by enthusiasts due to its impecable handling.