Description
1970 Lotus Elan Series 4 SE Drophead
In 2019, I was fortunate to be able to purchase this Lotus Elan Series 4 SE Drophead as part of a deceased estate. The sister of the deceased, and executor of the will, searching through paperwork discovered a dozen or so vehicles that the deceased had once owned, but unknown to her had not sold them, but instead put them away and stored them in garages that he had either purchased or rented.
BGF 173H was one of these cars. The car had been laid up and dry stored in a residential garage in London after being taken off the road in the late 1980’s. Covered in years of dust, but seemed to have been well preserved and was showing 53, 272 miles when I discovered it. The interior was in original condition with the correct Colin Chapman signature on the steering wheel and period Pioneer cassette stereo. Externally, I could see the engine was fitted with the preferable Weber 40 carburettors and sat on Compomotive split rim spin off wheels. I arranged to have the vehicle transported home. I have photos showing when the car was discovered and extracted from it’s slumber, to being loaded onto the transporter, and straight after its first wash for more than 30 years.
Having not turned a wheel for so long, I decided to send the Elan to a well known Lotus specialist to be fully recommissioned.
The chassis was inspected and appeared to be original and in good condition. The engine was removed and stripped down, machined, ported, balanced and rebuilt with new parts. The gearbox was also stripped and rebuilt with new bearings and gaskets. New timing chain, water pump, oil pump, clutch, electronic ignition, new brake discs, brake pipes, brake and clutch cylinders, new suspension springs and dampers were fitted. The heating system, cooling system and electrical systems were all addressed. New tyres, battery, manifold and stainless steel exhaust were also fitted. The list goes on with just too much to mention here. The invoices for the specialist alone exceed £20K.
The vehicle has since been put through an MOT and has passed with no advisories and is still showing under 54, 000 miles. The deceased was only the 2nd Owner of the car and was followed by his sister who had then registered the car in her name.
The bodywork is bright and presentable, but does have some small cracks and some blistering on very close inspection.
The Elan would benefit from some small jobs and fine tuning, but as I only purchased it through sheer chance, and my interest is with Italian classic cars I have decided to sell.
Finally, I also have a small selection of various Lotus Elan parts including a Big Valve Twin cam engine, Elan Sprint cams , oil caps, engine sumps, wheel spinners and more that I acquired at the same time which can be purchased separately, or possibly, as a job lot through separate negotiation.
I may consider a part exchange with an Italian classic or even a classic Ford.
