Elan enjoys Evija event

ATTENDING THE launch of a new Lotus is a rare event. The last one I can remember going to was that of the 340R in 1999, so, when I was invited to the global reveal of the Lotus Evija in London and asked if could I bring my Elan Sprint along. too, the answer was always going to be yes. Lotus wanted the Elan because it was assembling cars from its backcatalogue to display outside the launch venue. The common theme was that they should all be yellow, hence the request for my Elan.

I’ve owned it since 1993, which I find remarkable given that I generally like to churn my cars every few years, but then there’s something about the Elan that has elevated it to what you might call ‘lifer’ status. There are various reasons behind this but I reckon it’s mainly because it nearly always proves better to drive than I remember it to be. When I bought it all those years ago, I had to completely rebuild it myself, so I have many fond memories of evenings spent bolting it back together again. It was also cheap (£4000) and remains ‘cheap’ today for the driving experience it offers. Finally, my son desperately wants to own it one day, which has pretty much kyboshed any thoughts of me ever selling it.

Yet, despite having owned it all this time, I’d never driven it into central London before. When the day arrived, the forecast was for it to be particularly warm, which is not what I wanted to hear. Elans aren’t at their best in hot conditions, especially the Sprint. By the time it was in production, Lotus finances weren’t in great shape and, in typical Chapman style, one of the changes Lotus made to save money was to fit the quickest Elan with a smaller radiator. Not a good idea, which is why I fitted an Elan S3 radiator to my car (approximately 50% larger than the S4 item), plus an electric fan, to keep heat under control.

But would it cope with sitting in London traffic on one of the hottest days of the year? I needn’t have worried. With occasional use of the heater for additional engine cooling, the temperature gauge never strayed above 90 degrees and all was fine. And what a day it was, seeing all those yellow Lotuses parked up and then convoying round Parliament and Buckingham Palace. The icing on the cake was not having to pay the new London ULEZ charge: being taxed as an ‘historic’ car makes the Elan exempt. Another excellent reason to keep it forever!