Description
1971 Lotus Elan Sprint. EPJ was one of the first Sprints from the factory, being delivered to Bell & Colville and registered on 16 February 1971. Starting off as one of the 70 or so unsold Series 4 cars, EPJ was taken back into the Lotus Works and upgraded to full Sprint spec and issued with the correct Type 45 chassis plate, stamped to show it was delivered painted in Cirrus White. The restoration was completed in 2022 and the car has done approximately 400 miles since then. It retains its original S4 bonnet, just as it left the Factory. Around 1980 the chassis was replaced with one of the Spyder Service Exchange examples, which was the Lotus chassis with the front turrets replaced, as the originals tended to corrode at these locations. The car came to Northern Ireland a few years later and remained with one owner until I acquired the car in May 2018. The car was cosmetically in a tired state and no longer in its original colour, however the chassis was inspected and was found to be is a good solid condition, so it was decided to do a complete strip down of the bodywork and suspension. The bodywork was rubbed back to the gel coat and then repainted professionally back to Cirrus White. The interior was removed and a new carpet set was fitted, the original door trims, centre console, dashtop and seats were cleaned and refitted. A new dashboard in the original colour was fitted, as the original had damage to its veneer. A new mohair hood was acquired, while the original tonneau and hood cover were in a good condition and were retained. Any chrome items that were not of a high quality were replaced. The original Chapman signed steering wheel was refurbished with the original leather on the rim being restored.
Mechanically, the engine and gearbox were inspected and found to be in good condition, a new clutch was fitted, the Weber carbs were serviced and cleaned. The engine, which had a full rebuild by the previous owner and had done circa 2k miles since, was repainted, as was the exhaust system, which had a new back box fitted. The ignition system was replaced with a new distributor, cap and leads, it is fitted with a Piranha electronic ignition, resulting in the car starting promptly. The gearchange is precise and changes gear cleanly.
The original radiator was checked for leaks, all hoses were replaced and a new electric fan was fitted. The engine is in standard spec, it pulls strongly from idle all the way to max revs.
The suspension was fully refurbished, the rear hubs were sent to Spydercars for the hub bearings to be replaced, new shock absorbers were fitted to the rear. The front suspension now has TTR Fast Road springs and adjustable shock units. The rear driveshafts are the Spydercars type with an outer CV joint and new Rotoflex couplings inboard, these are driven via a Quaife LSD, which was fitted by the previous owner. Brake calipers were professionally restored and new flexi hoses and a master cylinder were fitted.
Electrically, the original loom was checked and retained, the switchgear was refurbished, the headlights now rise and fall via a new Spydercars electric motor system. The electric window systems are in full working order and all the lights were replaced.
The original steel wheels were refurbished, painted in Satin Black and fitted with new chrome embellishers. They are shod with Uniroyal Rainexpert 3 155/ 80 x 13 tyres.
The car starts easily, an additional electric pump priming the carburettors. It sits well on the road, the steering has a positive but light feel making cornering a real pleasure. With 126 hp and weighing only 700kg, it has no problem keeping up with modern traffic and draws compliments whenever it is parked up anywhere.
Included is a history file of the car, detailing works since 1980 to present, Tax Books from that period and a Lotus Workshop Manual.
Please note the recorded mileage is 94, 700, not 54, 700, apologies for the error. Records show that in 1983 the mileage was 86, 818 miles
