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.

This story is from the January 2023 edition of Octane.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 2023 edition of Octane.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OCTANEView All
Nathalie McGloin
Octane

Nathalie McGloin

The only female tetraplegic racing driver in the world and co-founder of Spinal Track, charity supporting disabled drivers

time-read
5 mins  |
250 - April 2024
Atomium
Octane

Atomium

An iron molecule, 100m tall and scaled-up 165billion times, was the future in ’58

time-read
3 mins  |
250 - April 2024
The Valjoux 7750
Octane

The Valjoux 7750

Rendered obsolete in the late 1970s, Edmond Capt's wonder movement is not only back, but selling 200,000 units a year

time-read
3 mins  |
250 - April 2024
Lucy O'Reilly Schell
Octane

Lucy O'Reilly Schell

The first American woman to compete in a Grand Prix was also a distinguished rally driver and team owner

time-read
4 mins  |
250 - April 2024
OCTANE CARS
Octane

OCTANE CARS

OWNING+ DRIVING + MAINTAINING

time-read
9 mins  |
250 - April 2024
OUR MAN IN JAPAN
Octane

OUR MAN IN JAPAN

James Elliott joins an exclusive Japanese classic tour in an exquisite Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato 1600

time-read
9 mins  |
250 - April 2024
LONG-TERM LEGENDS
Octane

LONG-TERM LEGENDS

These two SS100 Jaguars have been in the hands of well-known and dedicated enthusiasts for five decades and more. Chris Mann divulges their entertaining histories

time-read
8 mins  |
250 - April 2024
Micky Pople
Octane

Micky Pople

Octane meets the 95-year-old and talks about his life with the stars as one of Bristol's Filton Fliers'

time-read
8 mins  |
250 - April 2024
LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
Octane

LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE

The René Bonnet Djet was the world's first mid-engined production road car. Glen Waddington enjoys a momentous French Lotus rival

time-read
8 mins  |
250 - April 2024
BACK AGAIN FOR MORE
Octane

BACK AGAIN FOR MORE

This Le Mans-winning Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spider appeared in the very first issue of Octane. More than 20 years on, Robert Coucher acquaints himself and finally gets behind the wheel

time-read
10 mins  |
250 - April 2024