1972 Lotus Elan +2 130/4 with Big Valve Weber head - Pampered on 2nd renovation!

There are GOOD Lotus Elans – There are BAD Lotus Elans – this is a VERY GOOD Lotus Elan. My nephew has given me this Lotus Elan Plus Two 130/4. It has everything desirable that you may want in an Elan Plus Two (I know because I have owned two VERY BAD earlier Elan Plus 2s: very time consuming and costly to repair at every turn, but, what enjoyable turns).

This Elan shows the classic beauty of the last-of-the-line Elan Plus Two 130/4 with the silver roof over blue that you seem to see in photos of the Plus Two 130/4 in all the Lotus Books. It is the most powerful of the breed with the Big-Valve motor, and unlike other U.S. import Elans, this one has been retrofitted with the Weber head.

Pampered all of its life; most of it in Santa Fe, New Mexico, before that Southern California, it is on its second full restoration during its life span of 68,000 miles:

· Best paint and smoothness of the fiberglass bodywork on any Lotus I have ever seen. Please note: minor dings caused by the head light buckets being raised at speed. See photos.

· Ballsy engine. It needs octane booster to prevent pinging. And yes, it leaks oil – however, main seal and other fixes were done within six thousand miles and it didn’t leak after that but only for a short time.

· Weber Carbs. European spec Big-Valve Weber head with K&N air filters – who wants Stromberg Carbs on an Elan? Please note: the original Lotus fiberglass air snorkel is included as a spare part.

· Beautiful Walnut Burl Dash. Just look at it! See photos. Please note: the original Lotus steering wheel comes as a spare.

· Leather interior. Custom gray leather interior with upgraded dark gray wool carpets and light gray headliner – who wants a cheap vinyl interior on the top-of-the-line Elan.

· Aviation quality wiring harness. Custom wiring harness is excessively grounded to the chassis. Please note: the running lights were never hooked up. Please note: battery trickle charger in the trunk – battery will drain over time.

· Five-Spoke Revolution Wheels. Do you have any idea how rare these wheels are? Panasports are not good enough for this Elan. And yes, Panasports were fitted, for a short time; and, now this set is available, sold separately, if you want them.

· Spinners for the knock-on wheels – who wants the look of the U.S. spec octagon nut on those beautiful Revolution Wheels

· CV driveshaft conversion. Replaces the rotoflex half-shafts with CV joints to eliminate the rubber wind-up in the drive train. And yes, the undercarriage is clean, black painted with an upgraded stainless steel exhaust.

What I think the car needs is a high torque gear reduction starter. It would be lighter and more powerful than the original. I think the high compression motor deserves it.

This car does NOT have one upgrade common to pampered Elans: an aluminum radiator.

If you enjoy this Elan Plus Two, like a fine wine, just for casual Sunday afternoons, just to drive and enjoy the day, the radiator does just fine. The cooling fan does not cycle on until about one-half hour of spirited driving. However, if you are going to really exercise it, maybe an upgraded radiator would be a good idea.

With élan,

Please call Mark with questions (505) 232-2314.