Lotus Elan +2 (Type 50)

[henk4]

Lotus Elan +2 (Type 50)

In order to allow a sporty father to carry his kids in a Lotus, Colin Chapman lengthened the Elan chassis to create a little more place behind the front seats. It still wasn’t a long distance four seater Grand Tourer, but on the other hand the fabulous handling of the normal Elan had not suffered either.

Contrary to the normal Elan, this version was not available in kit form.

The engine was still the standard 1558 Lotus-Ford, giving 118 BHP at 6250 rpm. The S version had more luxury, including foglights. The final “130” version had a more powerful engine, 126 BHP at 6500 rpm this time.

Production lasted from 1969 to 1974 and about 3,300 examples were made, which are now not as much sought after as the 2-seaters and therefore can be obtained at more reasonable prices.

Shown are two examples, one at the Zolder track in 2003, and one at the Silverstone Historics in 2005.

[UCR]

That blue one is gorgeous!

[dracu777]

Henk: In the 1st pic, the black car next to the Lotus...is that a Piper? And if it is, can you post the pix? I love that car.

[henk4]

Henk: In the 1st pic, the black car next to the Lotus...is that a Piper? And if it is, can you post the pix? I love that car.

Piper it is and if you pay the piper I'll play the tune Did you see the Piper in the Silverstone Historic coverage? Amazing car.

[dracu777]

Piper it is and if you pay the piper I'll play the tune Did you see the Piper in the Silverstone Historic coverage? Amazing car.

Noo!! Where do I find the Silverstone Historic coverage?

[henk4]

Noo!! Where do I find the Silverstone Historic coverage?

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...tem.php&rid=78

[greg.harvey]

I won't double post ...
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum...3&postcount=31

[greg.harvey]

Here's some more detail I wrote on this particular model of Elan. Enjoy!

Colin Chapman created one of the most famous sportscars in the world the day the first Lotus Elan coupé rolled off the production line, back in 1962. Famed for its handling, the '60s' Elan is still one of the best handling cars in the world, in spite of being a 45-year-old design.

A roaring success as the coupé was, traditionally aiming for the self-build and weekend racer market, Lotus found themselves having to adapt to survive. As the sportscar market evolved and matured, Lotus took a couple of key decisions leading to a departure from their previous core market. This was signified by the birth of the +2 in 1967.

The Elan +2 was built to move away from the 'kit car' reputation of Lotus (and clientele, to an extent) and to allow them to compete with the likes of Jaguar (the E-Type) and Porsche (the 911) in the quality, factory-built sportscar market. There was also a +2S, sporting more wood, leather and other luxuries, such as electric windows. These models were not to be offered as a kit, and with their longer wheelbase, more impressive interior trim (especially in the +2S) and extra '2' seats, they were clearly pitched at a more well-healed public to be practical, luxurious fun.

Due to the greater weight of the +2, it always suffered a drop in acceleration times when compared to the lighter coupé, however improved aerodynamics meant the top speed was unaffected. And the famous Elan handling is near identical - indeed, some drivers swear the longer wheelbase and wider track on the +2 actually afford better handling than the original coupé.

In 1971 came the +2S 130/5, sporting the 'Big-Valve' engine. This was a new cylinder head on the same Ford-based block as before, producing an extra 8bhp at factory tuning. Many Lotus enthusiasts view the 'Big-Valve' engine as little more than a marketing exercise (the argument being, Lotus could have easily produced the extra horsepower from the original engine) but the fact remains the 'Big-Valve' engine in factory setup brought a significant upgrade in terms of power. It took a half a second off the +2 acceleration, making the 'Big-Valve' +2S 130/5 as quick off the mark, quicker in a straight line and arguably better-handling than the original Elan S1 coupé. Impressive!

(When the 'Big-Valve' went in the coupé, better known as the Elan Sprint, 1971-1974, it was quicker than a Porsche 911E and a Ferrari Dino 246.)

The +2 continued to be made up until 1974, where the times caught up with it. It was still a very quick car, but new safety regulations meant Lotus would've had to spend a small fortune to redesign it for UK type approval. Instead they dropped the Elan range in favour of focusing on the production of their latest models. After a successful 12-year run, the original Elan was shelved.

For the record, my +2 (photos in link to User's Rides - above post) is one of the last, a +2S 130/5 from early 1974, when Lotus had once again dropped Weber carburetors, after a quick fling on the 'Big-Valve' engine, and reverted to Dellortos.