Lotus Elan

Lotus Elan

The Complete Story

Johnny Tipler

The Lotus Elan perfectly captured the spirit of the Swinging Sixties. Light, agile and brilliantly engineered around the groundbreaking Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine, it evolved between 1963 and 1968 from the simple Series 1 roadster to the refined Series 4 convertible, amid factory moves, Team Lotus victories, Formula 1 World Championships and the landmark JPS sponsorship era. In 1967, it was joined by the elegant four-seat Plus 2, as Colin Chapman elevated the Lotus brand into the world of sophisticated Grand Tourers. The Elan name returned briefly in 1989 with the Isuzu-powered, front-wheel-drive M100. Including more than 250 photographs, many of them previously unpublished.

ISBN: 9780719847134

Width: 215mm

Height: 260mm

Pages: 192

Published: October 27, 2026

Format: Hardback

Johnny Tipler is a motoring writer and historian based in north Norfolk. He has had more than forty books published on a variety of automotive topics, ranging from F1 racing cars and motorcycles to trucks and heavy equipment, plus driver biographies and legendary race histories. He writes regularly for a number of specialist car magazines, reviewing products old and new, interviewing famous drivers and industry figures, and reporting on international historic races and long-distance rallies. He also has a penchant for Lotus cars.