eBay Listing: 1966 Lotus Elan Series 2
“Simplify, then add lightness,” was Colin Chapman’s philosophy, way before minimalism became commonplace. “Adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.”
Essentially what Mr. Chapman understood was less weight is a huge principal in adding fun to driving sports cars, because the less weight a car has the more agile the driving experience. Mr. Chapman’s association with Lotus resulted in great sports cars. Some that instantly come to mind are the Lotus 7, the Lotus Elite, the Lotus Elan and the Lotus Elise, all embodying his philosophy of lightweight.
Lotus owes much of its success to the ideals put forth by Colin Chapman. Today’s vehicle, the Lotus Elan, also played an instrumental role in the development of the best selling roadster of all time, the Mazda MX-5 Miata, a groundbreaker for the Japanese company. It’s not that a roadster like the Miata hadn’t been done before, but its reliability and handling was and still is monumental. Many people agree that if it weren’t for the Lotus Elan and other notable British sports cars that paved the way, we wouldn’t have the Mazda Miata today.
Now this 1966 Lotus Elan got our engines running. While almost anyone could own a Mazda Miata, it takes a true classic car connoisseur to appreciate the Lotus Elan for the groundbreaking sports car it is. If you doubt what we are saying consider this fact. In October 2005 the Lotus Elan was named to a list of 10 best sports cars of all time. Included in that list were these other notable cars – the Alfa Romeo 6C-1750GS, the Ferrari 250 GT California Spider, the Jaguar XK120, the Lotus Elise, the Mazda Miata, and the Porsche 911. And, Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1, was quoted as saying: “Most other old sports cars you want to look at, and not drive, but the Elan still stands up today.” Praise from a legend in automotive design doesn’t get much better than that.
Groundbreaking, lightweight, fun, classic, and undeniably cool, the Lotus Elan paved the way for a new generation of rear wheel drive sports cars. While the best might be yet to come, we have to admit the Elan was and is a standard to which many a sports car is measured today. It truly is a timeless example of light being might.
Simplify your life by adding this to your collection before the auction ends July 11, 2014 15:04 (PDT): 1966 Lotus Elan Series 2
See Vintage and Classic Parts for Lotus Elan for sale on eBay.
