Lotus Elan GT

This 1970 Lotus Elan is a home-market SE car that has been reworked into a long-distance tourer. Standard Elans are geared for acceleration and feel busy at motorway speeds. The brief for this one was to keep the original character while making European trips relaxed.

The work was done between 2017 and 2019, and the page says about 4,000 miles have been covered since. The chassis is a strengthened Tony Thompson 26R unit with protective coating, and the suspension has Spyder tubular wishbones and adjustable dampers and springs. The twin-cam has been fully rebuilt with forged pistons, a high-lift cam, bigger valves and a balanced crank. It runs Stromberg carburettors and a stainless manifold, and the page quotes around 125 bhp. A new Voigt five-speed gearbox, based on a Ford unit, replaces the original four-speed. The Rotaflex couplings give way to TTR driveshafts, and the brakes, cooling and wiring have all been upgraded.

The cabin has a bespoke dashboard, a Momo steering wheel, a Blaupunkt stereo with concealed speakers and sound insulation. A Smartrak tracker is fitted, and the bodywork has flared wheel arches. Two history files hold invoices from Lotus specialists, with MOT certificates going back to the 1970s and 1980s. The car has also featured in Classic & Sports Car magazine.