• 1.6 litre Turbo
• Well presented
• Leather interior
• The only front-wheel drive Lotus model made

Reviving the Elan name came about in 1989, when project M100 was in the final stages at the Lotus Hethel factory. The new in-house design saw the new Elan become the only front-wheel drive car Lotus ever produced. Powered by an Isuzu engine, which was extensively modified by Lotus, gave the Elan 162bhp. The manual transmission also came from Isuzu and came as a 5-speed manual.

The chassis is where the car came into its own, using the tried and tested design of a fibreglass composite body over a rigid steel backbone chassis, in keeping with previous designs by Lotus founder Colin Chapman. It was engineered in such a way that it became one of the best handling front wheel drive cars of its time, not bad for a first attempt.

Two variants were launched in the beginning, the Elan 1.6, and the more sought after 1.6 Turbo SE, which we have here today.

The seller of this lovely 1990 Lotus Elan SE Turbo has recently taken over the ownership, after her husband sadly passed away. This has also meant that another name has gone onto the V5 when it was transferred, so although the previous keeper's number is 7, one has been accumulated from the transfer.

The Lotus was purchased by the seller's husband approximately 2 years ago, and he bought it as his latest project to play with in his garage. Carrying out a light restoration on the Lotus, the mechanical side of things were taken care of to keep it running as it should. Some parts have been replaced which can be seen from some of the paperwork. The seats have also been replaced for an identical, but better condition pair.

With the car not getting any use whatsoever, the seller has made the hard decision to part with it, and let someone else have the pleasure of owning the 2-seater Lotus Elan SE Turbo.

The V5 is present and shows there have been 7 previous keepers, but as explained, one was for the transfer to the seller. There is a nice selection of paperwork for the Elan, some of which has come from parts purchased, and
others from work carried out.

The car has an MOT which is valid until 14th October 2022, which it passed with no advisories.

Inside, the Lotus Elan is typically late 80’s - early 90’s styling, as you would expect. It is in nice condition, but would benefit from a full valet, just to freshen it up a touch. The dashboard is in good order with no damage to be seen. The steering wheel is the original and has just a few small scratches to the rim, but nothing which a bit of a polish may lighten.

The instruments are working as they should, with the odometer showing a reading of 82,452 miles. Just to the left are three additional gauges for the voltmeter, oil pressure, and boost, and these all work correctly showing 14 volts with the engine running and good oil pressure. Moving down, the head-unit has been replaced with one that will accept an SD card and USB. The gear knob and gear gaiter have a small amount of wear, in keeping with the age of the vehicle.

The seats are in good condition and are believed to have been replaced simply because they have less wear than the originals. Finished in black leather with a perforated red centre, there is just a very small amount of colour which has come off on the seam of the driver’s bolster and a few light creases.

The door cards are generally in good condition, the only thing to point out is that the door pocket material has started to lose its colour. The grey carpets are in good order to both sides with no excessive wear to be seen, and these have a set of rubber mats fitted to protect them. Into the boot and again well presented.

Lifting up the carpet reveals the spare wheel, wheel brace and jack.

Finished in Calypso Red, the Lotus is in very nice condition, and looking around the vehicle there are no obvious signs of any crazing, as often found on fibreglass bodies. Starting at the front of the sleek 2- seater, there are no obvious stone chips to mention other than what you would expect to find on any vehicle.

There is a small scuff to the lower corner of the passenger side bumper. At the time of our visit the battery was flat on the Lotus from standing since October, and so only one headlight spun around. This does look like it was a battery issue, as the last time it was used was by the garage who carried out the MOT on the Elan, before driving it back to the seller's house with a full ticket.

Moving around to the sides, and the doors look to align as they should with a straight swage line on either side. There is some slight deterioration of the side window seals where they meet the doors, but nothing too drastic. The rear quarter has a small triangle of paint which has come off, just by the driver’s side rear light.

There is also a small amount of paint worn through where the roof has rubbed onto the roof cover.

Around to the rear, and the lights are in good condition, with no splits or cracks to the lenses, and the badges are correct and in place. There are no scuffs to the bumper to mention, and the single tailpipe exhaust sits as it should in the valance.

The roof is in nice condition with just some light age related creasing as you would expect, and there is also a plastic rear screen in good order. When up, the roof is nice and taught with a good seal along the front edge, and when down, it simply tucks inside and is covered by the roof panel. Rolling on original Lotus wheels, they are in very good condition, showing no signs of any corrosion. The tyres all look to have plenty of tread remaining for the new future keeper.

The Lotus Elan SE Turbo comes with a turbocharged 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine, producing 162 bhp, which is enough to propel the 1092 kg go-kart from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds. As mentioned, the battery was flat on the car, but with a quick jump start the Elan fired up with ease.

The engine sounds just as it should, with no untoward noises coming from the compact engine bay. Looking through the paperwork, the car has had a stainless steel exhaust fitted by MIJ Performance in Walsall.

The car was last driven by the garage who carried out the MOT, after taking it away on a trailer for a test. It was driven by the mechanic, who said it drove just as it should. Helping the car stop a little quicker, a set of grooved and vented discs have been fitted to the front with a set of four pot brake calipers, coming in at £697. Not leaving the rears out, the calipers were also replaced at a cost of £419. The parts came from Lotus specialist, PNM Engineering.

Welcome to the world of the 2-seater, lightweight, turbocharged sports car. Noted for being one of the finest handling front wheel drive cars of its time, the Lotus Elan SE Turbo is certainly not one to miss out on.

With 162 bhp and 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds, it may not sound a lot compared to today's cars, but remember this was a late 1980’s early 1990’s design, and once you get it on the twisty B roads you could quite easily scare yourself.

Who’s up for taking on the ownership of this classic Lotus?


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