No3. Lotus Elan M100(1990)
H3 LAN. That was the registration number on my very own Lotus Elan SE that I took delivery of in December 1990. That registration now lives on a Mercedes, but the chances of ever tracking down ‘my’ car are pretty slim anyway.
So why did I spend my own money on an Elan? Back then I was just a reader of motoring magazines and I remember one title telling me I should sell my dog, cat and grandmother to get an Elan. I didn’t go to quite those lengths.
By today’s standards, my Elan wasn’t particularly fast in a straight line – its buzzy 1.6-litre turbocharged, Isuzu-sourced engine had 162bhp and got from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds – but it was quick enough for me.
The most fun to be had was in the corners, thanks to the engineering solutions Lotus engineers came up with to make this front-wheel-drive roadster appeal to enthusiasts.
Put simply, it could go around corners like little else at the time, regularly putting a huge grin on my face and a similar-sized smile on my passenger’s – usually with relief and disbelief that we’d actually got around a corner at such speed, and without so much as a squeak from the fat Michelins wrapped around the OZ alloys.
There would be a regular ‘there-and-back’ route I’d take friends on near my home in Kent, through tight and twisty country lanes, sweeping swiftly down a long straight and then around a roundabout at frankly unbelievable speed before heading home again. The Elan’s broad footprint kept it sturdy, although the width meant you’d breathe in if you had to go through a narrow bit. And the turbo engine produced a suitably fruity exhaust note that added to the excitement – all amplified with the roof down, as it had to be (not because it wouldn’t go back up!).
My Lotus and I went on holidays, track days and daily commutes. What I’d give to get it back on my drive again.
“It could go around corners like nothing else at the time, putting a smile of relief and disbelief on my passenger’s face”