1974 Lotus Elan +2S 130/5 Convertible

Remarks

Good / to very good.

Remarks

Extensive recommissioning carried out in 2019 - including engine stripped down and rebuilt at a cost of £13,500. Now today, the engine turns but the car has not been started. It would be best to trailer the car from the Auction.

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Everything was running when put away. But untested today.

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Moved freely on the winch and we pushed the car onto the trailer. But all untested. Best to have a look for yourself.

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Untested.

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Soon after the Elan was first produced, Lotus realised the need for a car that could accommodate the families restricted to the ownership of just one car. The Plus 2 was born and introduced in 1967. The car was 30cm longer, and 18cm wider than the Elan, making it more spacious for both the front seat occupants and it also enabled two small seats to be fitted in the rear. The Plus 2 had arguably better proportions than the Elan and the styling was unmistakably Lotus. Hexagon of Highgate developed the theme even further by engineering their own Plus 2 S Cabriolets in the early 1970’s. In 1971, the +2S 130 was launched with a ‘Big-Valve’ version of the Twin Cam engine giving 126bhp hence the “130” suffix. It produced a maximum torque of 113lb/ft at 5,500 rpm, plenty of power to fully enjoy this lightweight sports car. The +2S 130 was an appreciable step up in quality with a raft of ‘luxury’ fittings from quartz halogen fog lights to burr walnut facia and electric windows. The sales brochure of the time boasted, “Standard equipment includes leather-rim wheel, steering lock, cigar lighter, dipping mirror, air horns, electric washers and two-speed wipers.” In October 1972 the long called for five speed gearbox finally arrived to make cruising somewhat less frantic and the Lotus Elan +2S 130/5 became the ultimate iteration of the fabulous Elan range. Seller’s Notes - Lotus Elan +2 130/5 Convertible 1974 VGN110M This excellent Lotus Elan +2 was my father’s (and then more recently, my step-mother’s when she inherited it from him) - they are the most recent 2 owners since 2003. In 2019 the car had extensive recommissioning done, costing £13.5k (please see the documentation for the details), after which it was in superb running condition. The valuation of the car by Maidstone Sports Cars was £32k, stating that it is “very rare”. Since its 2019 major servicing, the car has done only 219 miles (from the 2019 MOT record, to its odo reading now). All of those miles would have been covered in 2019 because in 2020 the pandemic/lockdown and then my father’s health meant that the car has been kept in the garage since then. He had decided that he wanted to change the coolant to a waterless coolant but didn’t get around to doing this due to the circumstances of 2020-21. So the new owner should be made aware that there is currently no coolant in it. My father had a lifelong passion for sports cars, and had a string of them over the years, but this Lotus Elan +2 was his favourite. The “classic car gene” didn’t get passed on to his children so we have decided to sell it. Whilst we haven’t driven the car, the engine does apparently turn over freely and there is no indication that the engine won’t be found to be in top condition after a small amount of recommissioning that you would expect to need to do before driving a classic car that has not been driven for 5 years. We’ve listed the car as a ‘non-runner’ for the reasons outlined above, but it should not take much for it to be an absolutely great runner, as it was the day it was last on the road 5 years ago. The car has been kept in a good dry and clean garage. The interior looks impressive and the external appearance is also rather good although the paintwork shows some crazing. The engine bay looks to be in nice condition. Overall, we’d rate the car as in ‘good to very good’ condition, but as explained above there is no reason to suspect that this won’t easily be upgraded to ‘excellent’ or ‘outstanding’ once the new owner gets it on the road. Car History The car has a lot of documentation included with it from older service and ownership records prior to 2003 when my father became the owner. From the photocopies of the V5c / transfer of ownership info he had been given, he compiled the following timeline of where in the country the car has ‘lived’ during its 51 years. He noted that some in the list are motor traders where the car was bought/sold, between former registered keepers. Comes with 2 sets of keys. Also included: 2 Workshop Manuals, the Weber & Dellorto Carburettor Book, plus assorted relevant guides and information sheets.