OCTANE CARS OWNING+ DRIVING + MAINTAINING
Octane|January 2023
I HAVE FORM when it comes to Lotus Elans. The reason is simple. It is a sports car so good that it makes even a tepid shoe like me resemble a highly competent driver, and it’s the best of its generation by a country mile.
Elan man
OCTANE CARS OWNING+ DRIVING + MAINTAINING

I know lots of Alfa Spider fans think otherwise citing the Milanese’s thoroughbred engine and box as its main advantages but, despite me being jealous of that fifth gear, a decent Elan will run rings round the Alfa on road or track. Doesn't mean I don’t love the Alfa, which I do, but unless you are factoring in the inconvenient truths of side impact protection and ease of hood erection, there is no contest.

I bought my first Elan, a 1966 S2 so no window frames), in 1999 and ran it for 13 years in all weathers. For several years it was my main year-round commuter car in London. With the patient help of Paul Matty, we got it so reliable that I could confidently impertinently?) do the round trip to the Le Mans Classic armed with only an adjustable spanner.

Then came kids, and in March 2012 I was forced to sell’ it after about 40,000 glorious miles. Happily that didn’t quite mean the end of the Elan line for me, because I swapped it with Paul Matty, of course) for a brown envelope of crisp tenners to stave off the bank and a 1969 2 with Strombergs and a glass sunroof so I could keep getting my fix.

Stuart Quick of Quickfit SBS ingeniously found a way to put harnesses in the back, so it was my school-run car for a while. But as the kids got bigger, so did the debts and I said goodbye to that one at the H&H sale at Chateau Impney barely 18 months later.

Since 2014, nothing. I’ve sold a few spares, but I diligently kept all the books and manuals, and even an Elan-related eBay seller name, safe in the knowledge that I would one day own another one. I had assumed that day might be when pensions matured or kids left home, but by regularly misusing my position to bleat about the injustice of my Elan-less plight in print, I eventually landed my fish.

この記事は Octane の January 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Octane の January 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

OCTANEのその他の記事すべて表示
The Pro route to faster lap times
Octane

The Pro route to faster lap times

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+

time-read
2 分  |
January 2025
The power to corrupt
Octane

The power to corrupt

2024 Aston Martin Vanquish

time-read
2 分  |
January 2025
De Tomaso Racing Blue Blood
Octane

De Tomaso Racing Blue Blood

IF THE MARQUE De Tomaso is mainly familiar to you through cars such as the Mangusta, the Pantera, maybe the Longchamps and, if you're next-level classic car geek, racers such as the P70, then the sheer variety to be found in this mammoth tome is going to come as something of a shock. There are literally dozens profiled here, and one or two will probably be news to even the most seasoned enthusiast.

time-read
4 分  |
January 2025
A star is reborn
Octane

A star is reborn

This recently revived coachbuilt beauty made the final four at the Pebble Beach concours in August

time-read
8 分  |
January 2025
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
Octane

REINVENTING THE WHEEL

The gyroscopically stabilised Gyro-X blurred the line between reality and science fiction. Sam Glover takes the prototype for a spin

time-read
10+ 分  |
January 2025
SAYONARA GT-R
Octane

SAYONARA GT-R

After a remarkable 17-year career, the supercar-humbling Nissan GT-R bows out on a high

time-read
2 分  |
January 2025
TOURING PARTY
Octane

TOURING PARTY

Lamborghini 350 GT and Aston Martin DB4 Vantage: two 1960s super-GTs with a special Carrozzeria Touring connection. But which thrills the most?

time-read
10 分  |
January 2025
The world's craziest road race?
Octane

The world's craziest road race?

Surprising history of the Targa Florio

time-read
2 分  |
January 2025
THE COLOUR OF VICTORY
Octane

THE COLOUR OF VICTORY

This Mercedes 2.0-litre Targa Florio was part of the winning works team on the fabled road race in 1924. Now it's back to tackle those same Sicilian mountain roads a century on

time-read
10 分  |
January 2025
GLORY BE
Octane

GLORY BE

With the Ferrari 288 GTO, Enzo himself kicked off a series of supercars to reinvigorate his over-gentrified marque. Now, 40 years on, Octane examines a genuine legend

time-read
10+ 分  |
January 2025