The lightweight sports car that redefined handling—and became one of the most rewarding cars I've ever owned.
Specifications
Year - 1965
Engine - 1.6 LTR MWE BUILT
Transmission - 4 SPEED MANUAL
Power - 150
Years Owned - 10
Favorite Drive - ANY WARM SUMMER EVE
Current Status - RUNNING GREAT!
Featured Episodes
1965 Lotus Elan: A Dream 40 Years in the Making
The Chronicle
1965 Lotus Elan S2 – 26R Specification
Some automobiles leave an impression long before you ever have the chance to own one. For me, the Lotus Elan was that car. I first fell in love with its shape and philosophy at thirteen years old, drawn to Colin Chapman's belief that simplicity and lightness could create one of the purest driving experiences ever built.
Years later, while attending college, I had the opportunity to work at Automotive Restorations, Inc., where I helped restore numerous Lotus Elans—from Series 1 through Series 4. Although each had its own character, I always found myself drawn to the elegance and purity of the early Series 1 and Series 2 cars. Little did I know that those experiences were quietly preparing me for something decades later.
On January 2, 2016, everything came full circle. Automotive Restorations placed this very car up for sale. Returning to the shop where I had once worked, I was welcomed back not just as a customer, but as someone they still remembered. Master technician Lee Chapman—no relation to Lotus founder Colin Chapman, despite the wonderfully fitting coincidence—had originally built this Elan and personally prepared it for me once again. During the pre-purchase inspection, he performed additional updates and refined the car to 26R specification. Today, I honestly can't imagine owning a better example. After decades of admiration, this wasn't simply buying a Lotus—it was completing a journey that began over forty years earlier.Fuel Up Detail
The same attention to detail used to preserve this Lotus is available for your own enthusiast automobile.
Lotus Legacy Collection
Inspired by one of the most rewarding sports cars I've ever owned.
Gallery
Selected imagery from the Fuel Up Collection.
"Every car teaches you something. This Lotus reminded me that patience has a way of rewarding those who never stop dreaming."
One of Britain's greatest roadsters and the car that started my appreciation for classic motoring..
The Chronicle
1968 TRIUMPH TR6
Some automobiles leave an impression long before you ever have the chance to own one. For me, the Lotus Elan was that car. I first fell in love with its shape and philosophy at thirteen years old, drawn to Colin Chapman's belief that simplicity and lightness could create one of the purest driving experiences ever built.
Years later, while attending college, I had the opportunity to work at Automotive Restorations, Inc., where I helped restore numerous Lotus Elans—from Series 1 through Series 4. Although each had its own character, I always found myself drawn to the elegance and purity of the early Series 1 and Series 2 cars. Little did I know that those experiences were quietly preparing me for something decades later.
On January 2, 2016, everything came full circle. Automotive Restorations placed this very car up for sale. Returning to the shop where I had once worked, I was welcomed back not just as a customer, but as someone they still remembered. Master technician Lee Chapman—no relation to Lotus founder Colin Chapman, despite the wonderfully fitting coincidence—had originally built this Elan and personally prepared it for me once again. During the pre-purchase inspection, he performed additional updates and refined the car to 26R specification. Today, I honestly can't imagine owning a better example. After decades of admiration, this wasn't simply buying a Lotus—it was completing a journey that began over forty years earlier.
A forgotten Italian icon proving that driving enjoyment has nothing to do with horsepower.
1975 FIAT X1/9
British luxury at its finest, preserved exactly as Coventry intended.
1978 JAGUAR XJ6L