'68 Lotus Elan S4 SE FHC
Growing up, there was a small group of cars that occupied my frequent day dreams. Cars I promised my younger self would someday grace my big boy garage. To my rational mind, even if my plans of fame and fortune didn’t pan out (shockingly they didn’t) these would be obtainable. The list consisted of the Porsche 911, Alfa Romeo GTV, Lotus Super 7, Lotus Elan, and Dino 246 GT. Sure, there were other cars I wanted to own, cars with a higher lust factor like the Porsche 904 GTS, Ferrari 365GTB4, 250GTO, 250GT SWB, and Lamborghini Miura, but even back then it was obvious this second group was comprised of cars that would not depreciate to levels I could bank on affording in adulthood. Little did I know that the Dino would finally take off in value and join this more elite group, but luckily for me the others did not, and if you include acceptable substitutes like the Westfield and 993, I’ve been fortunate to own all the others except the Elan. Until now.
My itch for a classic car from the ‘60s has grown stronger over the past several years. It’s not nostalgia that makes this particular period so appealing to me, but rather it reflects a time of rapid engineering and design advancement that wasn’t yet quelled by government regulations and design-by-committee thinking. Faced with fewer constraints from governments and demands by marketing departments, designers and engineers had more freedom to create a car that reflected their individual ideals. It was a time that celebrated the concept of singular vision. Singular vision is good. Singular vision results in character. Singular vision drives breakthrough thinking that leads us to reevaluate our concept of what's possible.
Additionally, the notion of compromise at the consumer level was more accepted back then. Cramped, noisy cockpits, lack of convenience features, and finicky behavior were all considered reasonable tradeoffs – perhaps even required traits – for a performance car. Drivers willingly endured inconvenience in some areas to ensure others more important to them were maximized.
Today, however, those kind of compromises are considered an anachronism. Not only can you have it all with a modern car, it’s expected. Why else do we have family trucksters with all wheel drive, 500-700 hp and the ability to lap the Nordscheife at a rate that would have been unthinkable for an exotic car back when Millennials had yet to invent the man bun? Sure, cars are “better” now. Significantly safer, economical, eco-friendly, have larger performance envelopes, and a surfeit of electronic nanny’s that bring the average driver several steps closer to Senna’s abilities than they have any right. Yet they don’t inspire passion to the same degree. Perfection is impressive, but it can also be kind of…well, boring. Cars from the 60’s aren’t boring and neither is the Elan.
The biggest surprise after my first few drives was the handling. Yes, it's legendary, but I didn't expect it to feel so modern. Granted the suspension isn't stock (shocks, springs, and larger front ARB) and the XAS FF are very sticky despite their size, yet the car is so planted, so progressive, so communicative, that it's hard to believe it's over 50 years old. The brakes though are a mixed bag. At some point someone removed the boosters. Consequently the brakes require a very firm shove before retardation begins, but once that happens, they are quite good with great feel. That leaves the engine. Although the car has some upgrades (secondary throttle system is replaced with a Euro style manifold, and a RD Enterprises Header) it could benefit from another 20hp and improved throttle response. The former is relatively easy and will occur when it's time to pull the head for a new water pump: skim the head to increase compression ratio, upgrade the cams, and recurve the distributor. Those should net ~125hp which is what the Euro Sprint used to reach 60mph in well under 7 seconds. Unfortunately throttle response will remain just okay. The Strombergs have an annoying lag inherent in their design that isn't present with Webers or a good fuel injection system. Unfortunately going to Webers means replacing the head, and is thus a very, very expensive upgrade that's simply not worth it to me unless a screaming deal falls in my lap. Despite the flaws, the car is a brilliant drive that lives up to the hype.
Update: after replacing the ATF in the Strombergs damper system with the recommended 20W50 oil and making the updates described in this blog post, throttle response is no longer an issue and the wishful 20hp increase is 1/3-1/2 of the way there.
My itch for a classic car from the ‘60s has grown stronger over the past several years. It’s not nostalgia that makes this particular period so appealing to me, but rather it reflects a time of rapid engineering and design advancement that wasn’t yet quelled by government regulations and design-by-committee thinking. Faced with fewer constraints from governments and demands by marketing departments, designers and engineers had more freedom to create a car that reflected their individual ideals. It was a time that celebrated the concept of singular vision. Singular vision is good. Singular vision results in character. Singular vision drives breakthrough thinking that leads us to reevaluate our concept of what's possible.
Additionally, the notion of compromise at the consumer level was more accepted back then. Cramped, noisy cockpits, lack of convenience features, and finicky behavior were all considered reasonable tradeoffs – perhaps even required traits – for a performance car. Drivers willingly endured inconvenience in some areas to ensure others more important to them were maximized.
Today, however, those kind of compromises are considered an anachronism. Not only can you have it all with a modern car, it’s expected. Why else do we have family trucksters with all wheel drive, 500-700 hp and the ability to lap the Nordscheife at a rate that would have been unthinkable for an exotic car back when Millennials had yet to invent the man bun? Sure, cars are “better” now. Significantly safer, economical, eco-friendly, have larger performance envelopes, and a surfeit of electronic nanny’s that bring the average driver several steps closer to Senna’s abilities than they have any right. Yet they don’t inspire passion to the same degree. Perfection is impressive, but it can also be kind of…well, boring. Cars from the 60’s aren’t boring and neither is the Elan.
The biggest surprise after my first few drives was the handling. Yes, it's legendary, but I didn't expect it to feel so modern. Granted the suspension isn't stock (shocks, springs, and larger front ARB) and the XAS FF are very sticky despite their size, yet the car is so planted, so progressive, so communicative, that it's hard to believe it's over 50 years old. The brakes though are a mixed bag. At some point someone removed the boosters. Consequently the brakes require a very firm shove before retardation begins, but once that happens, they are quite good with great feel. That leaves the engine. Although the car has some upgrades (secondary throttle system is replaced with a Euro style manifold, and a RD Enterprises Header) it could benefit from another 20hp and improved throttle response. The former is relatively easy and will occur when it's time to pull the head for a new water pump: skim the head to increase compression ratio, upgrade the cams, and recurve the distributor. Those should net ~125hp which is what the Euro Sprint used to reach 60mph in well under 7 seconds. Unfortunately throttle response will remain just okay. The Strombergs have an annoying lag inherent in their design that isn't present with Webers or a good fuel injection system. Unfortunately going to Webers means replacing the head, and is thus a very, very expensive upgrade that's simply not worth it to me unless a screaming deal falls in my lap. Despite the flaws, the car is a brilliant drive that lives up to the hype.
Update: after replacing the ATF in the Strombergs damper system with the recommended 20W50 oil and making the updates described in this blog post, throttle response is no longer an issue and the wishful 20hp increase is 1/3-1/2 of the way there.
