In Denver Colorado USA
s/n 28/4862
SPECIFICS:
This is a white S2 convertible, left hand drive.
I obtained the car in 100% original condition as supplied from the factory, with 11,500 original miles in the year 2000, 26 years ago. Engine, clutch, transmission, and electrics were all rebuilt in 2024-2025.
The car presently has 39,000 total original miles in 2026, myself having driven the car just over 2000 miles a year averaged over 26 years.
This is my second Lotus Elan, having finished the restoration on a previous car now owned by ex- Lotus Club president Ross Robbins, famous for taking that car on a long cross-country tour https://www.facebook.com/RoadandTrack/posts/taking-a-1965-lotus-elan-on-a-12000-mile-road-trip-across-the-united-states-walk/10160110233866091/
It now has all the practical and safety upgrades to be considered, while maintaining as much of the original character possible, i.e. electric radiator fan, an improved u-joint steering shaft, new horns, K&M air filters, 13" reinforced 3 spoke deep-dish Moto-Lita steering wheel, Pertronics electronic (inside distributor) ignition, high performance coil, halogen headlights, 50 watt Sony radio/CD, high performance alternator and starter, CV joint rear axles, LED instrument and interior light bulbs, a one piece burl-walnut dashboard (a rare un-interupted complete width example to die for) from Prestige Automotive with a clear acrylic urethane top coat, closed cell neoprene sound deadening, loop pile carpeting, a black soft top, and white color matched front and rear bumpers. A new OEM replacement turn signal lever and wiring is provided, although the present lever continues to work perfectly.
The CV joints were handpicked and supplied by Dave Bean himself in 2000. They were originally bought for his own S2 for a short time, but he sold them to me when he decided he wanted to use his car for vintage racing, which required that he have the original rubber donuts on his to qualify for that activity.
The car has only been serviced by long time experienced Colorado Lotus specialists Vic Cooper, and Greg Carpenter, (and myself providing miscellaneous adjustments and maintenance).
I removed the original soft white enamel shortly after purchase and painted it with acrylic urethane around 2001, and painted it again in 2019 as shown in the photo again using acrylic urethane. I am the author of a best selling book on car painting.
Both doors are flush with the body and do not stick out as many Elan doors typically do.
Note, both the steering wheel and dashboard were clear coated with acrylic urethane which unlike typical marine varnish clear coats (as used by Mercedes and most other dash manufacturers including replacement Lotus dashboards) the urethane is extremely durable, will not crack or peel in time, and is peerless and the best possible finish for these items. The steering wheel was tinted before the clear coat was applied to match the dashboard, and is FAR safer and sturdier than the original wheel due to the internal steel layer construction, in addition to being preferable to use due to it’s 13" diameter.
I replaced the original soft-top in the early 2000’s, and the windows remain clear. The glass portion of the windshield mounted rear view mirror was properly replaced at one point as it had developed a crack.
Of note, there are no side/fender mounted mirrors on the car.. This is to eliminate the horrible and in fact potentially dangerous additional reflective glare from the headlights of other cars- as most any Elan owner will testify to in night driving-, as all other road vehicles, SUVs and trucks have headlights situated right at the level of an Elan driver’s head. Such fender mounted mirrors, although an option, are simply superfluous and totally unnecessary on a road car. All this being said, two Talbot bullet style mirrors (unmounted) are included with the car for anyone wanting such.
The rear bumper was replaced in 2019 as supplied by Dave Bean, when the original bumper was accidentally lost in preparation for painting.
It is fitted with A-rated traction and A wear-rated Otani 165/65 radial tires which I’ve been perfectly pleased and satisfied with, both from performance and an aesthetic considerations. They look great and the car drives like a dream, as the best Elan should. These tires provide excellent grip in both dry and wet condition, without sacrificing any expected and proper Elan feel. I had considered fitting other tires for a time, like the popularly used Pirelli Cinturato, but after some experimentation with pressure adjustment, I am totally pleased with the modern rubber formula and Otani’s nimble performance and especially the superlative appearance with a look I much prefer over the taller profile Pirellis. The Otani’s as did the Bridgestone Potenza RE92’s I had earlier on the car (no longer made) seem to compliment the Elan styling to a T with the perfect tire diameter for the S2 of 21.4". An original Dunlop 145 is fitted on the spare wheel in the trunk. Unfortunately, the original air inside that tire from 1965 has been replaced recently 
Incidentally, the notion that tires with a smaller diameter than the originally supplied tires would indicate a minuscule higher speed than the larger diameter stock supplied tires of larger diameter is of small actual consequence. Smaller diameter tires would result in more revolutions per mile than larger diameter tires. If anything, such tires would actually result in LESS miles traveled on the car in total than indicated (by small percentage- would someone care to calculate?) on the odometer, a positive thing if any.
The seat material, the center console between the seats, as well as the interior door vinyl armrest material are original, with a couple of spots repaired, but remaining minor. The windshield, original Smith’s instruments, original walnut shift knob, factory aircraft type lap seat belts, (and a 4 point shoulder racing harness for the driver is included but not currently in use).
The interior door panels originally constructed of pressed wood board are prone to warp from rain and moisture, and were replaced with waterproof plexiglass and covered with proper matching cloth vinyl material, and will last the lifetime of the car without warping or disintegration, and look exactly as stock.
The car received a complete engine, clutch (with new master and slave cylinders) and transmission re-build including a test drive and check on all systems in 2024 done by Lotus specialist and race car owner Greg Carpenter. There were some upgrades in regards to parts used, and Carpenter has suggested that there was probably a small amount of horsepower increase over stock, although after-build measurements and tests were not made to exactly determine what amount of hp increase had occurred as a result.
The engine has been carefully and properly broken in with only 1300 additional miles subsequently added since then by your’s truly.
Carpenter also did a safety inspection checking suspension, performing wheel alignment, and attending bushings where needed, i.e.—
The suspension and brakes were serviced and rebuilt in 2018, including new front and rear brake pads, new rear rotor, new parking brake pads, rebuilding front calipers, replacement of bushings where needed, and flushing and bleeding the entire system, replacing of CV joint boots, and other misc. items. There have been minimal car miles traveled since that time, limited to a few thousand miles (compared with earlier years of ownership) with little to no impact on these components.
Alignment done in 2023. Oil/water gauge was rebuilt to new condition by Mo-Ma Engineering in 2024. Replaced fuel pump along with draining of the fuel tank and fuel line inspection, 2025.
The headlights function perfectly and can remain in the upright position long after the car is shut off indicating a tight and leak proof headlight vacuum system. Noted, the replacement of the original incandescent dashboard and interior lights with LED light bulbs is a vast improvement over the admittedly very dim incandescent lights that are stock equipment. They are not too bright, but of a pleasant and appropriate hue and actually allow all of the instruments to be seen at night especially in traffic, whereas the incandescent bulbs are woefully inadequate- as any British car owner will testify. And LED bulbs will outlast incandescent bulbs by a huge margin.
The entire electrical loom and engine wiring was removed, rebuilt/replaced by Carpenter in 2025. It had been converted to negative ground early on. Naturally all new spark plugs have been installed now and when appropriate in the past. A complete and updated chart of the wiring with color coding was provided and updated by Carpenter.
Having previously finishing the restoring and owning an Elan with a modified 150hp racing engine with exhaust headers, I can honestly say I MUCH prefer the original stock setup. For practical daily use as well as longer drives, the more civilized and useful demeanor and importantly the sound of the stock engine is much preferred, allows one to enjoy music while driving, and makes for a far more pleasant drive, especially on extended trips. Where the racing engine became hard to bare after 30 minutes on the road from sheer unabated noise level, the stock engine never intrudes or interferes with one’s driving enjoyment, and yet retains a delightful yet unimposing growl. And as anyone who owns an Elan of any series will testify, the car remains plenty fast as is with stock power and speed.
Dave Bean himself told me the S2 was his favorite of all the iterations of the Elan, from its purity of design, weight, and looks. And indeed his own Elan was an S2 from 1966. My own preference has always been an S2 as well, especially for it’s looks- no insult intended for any S1, S3, S4 or Sprint owner.
The car has never been in an accident, with the exception of a small hole put in the engine bonnet by a parked car backing up from a parking space, which I repaired and properly repainted.
There are 4 two-way interior speakers for the radio attractively installed 1) unobtrusively in the far front bottom corner of the doors under the dash, and 2) custom built JBL (removable) form-fitted speaker boxes that snugly occupy the area behind each seat. Addition of the speakers look quite nice and look like a natural part of the interior, and playing music is wonderful at any including highway speeds. A spare identical 50 watt Sony radio/CD player is provided- and is of a particular pleasant and suitable esthetic look for this car, and of known high quality from Sony. Note, this Sony player has a hide away front plate that covers the CD slot- not unlike the hideaway headlight pods which it compliments in modern style! The walnut dashboard plate to fill up the hole provided for a radio is provided as well, if one were to remove the radio.
There was was a very small pinhole in the side of the exhaust resonator near the engine which has been repaired and presents no issue. The original exhaust otherwise is in excellent condition, and there are no problems anticipated otherwise.
4 original hubcaps are provided in good condition, although needing a fresh chrome plating on one. 4 new spotless OEM hubcaps are presently fitted.
At present I am renewing and fine polishing the paint by hand, correcting any imperfections acquired since 2019 when last painted, prior to sale.
PAPERWORK:
I have all of the original factory, registration, insurance, misc. and export paperwork for the car, including the 1965 Lotus Service log book (with service vouchers- unused), the paperwork from Sargent and Brooker Ltd. who assembled the car in London, an unused British “Motorway Manners” bumper sticker set, an Elan service manual in a 3 ring notebook as supplied by Dave Bean, and recent service history receipts from G. Carpenter dated from 2018 onward, although all maintenance work ever done on the car previous to this date was solely performed by Carpenter and Cooper, as they would confirm.
HISTORY:
The car was originally bought new from the factory in 1965 as kit from Lotus Components Ltd. and Racing Engines Ltd. (as was common and necessary that all parts not come from one company, to avoid taxes), assembled in England and delivered to the original owner in Denver, Colorado in 1966. The buyer, M. H. Robineau, drove it 9000 miles and then died prematurely, at which time his mother kept the car undriven and garaged for 25 years, a mere two miles from where I grew up in S.E. Denver. I, in fact went to junior high school two blocks down the street from where the car was kept all that time. It was finally purchased by Lotus enthusiast Woody Adams in 1999 with that same 9000 miles on the odometer.. He kept the car in South Dakota with a short trip to Florida for two weeks (transporting the car via trailer behind his RV). Having it sit unused previously for that length of time had not impacted the car in any negative way. In total Adams added 2500 miles to the car. Adams sold the car to me in 2000 with a total of 11,500 original miles, in 100% original factory condition, an exceedingly rare if not unheard of scenario. Dave Bean engineering advised that I coould buy ANY car from Adams sight unseen, without question or concern as to it being a great example, as they personally knew Adams as being particularly conscientious and a completely trustworthy Lotus owner. Adams sold me the car in order to raise funds to buy another Elan, a 26R version which he planned as a replacement.
This car has remained in dry climate, unsalted roads Colorado for the entire 26 years of which I have owned the car, and before that for a single year in similarly dry S. Dakota. Thus, the frame is in excellent condition and has not been subjected to conditions that would result in corrosion or water damage. The car has not been raced and has been driven conservatively, although tested for top speed on one occasion in 2000 when first obtained, showing a top speed of at least 110 mph momentarily, although shown probable capacity higher than that, and capable of a little more speed.
I am selling the car due to an unrelated back and leg condition. None the less, it has been my pride and joy for decades.
This Lotus Elan needs nothing, has gotten proper love and attention during it’s life, has been utterly dependable. and any new owner will be thoroughly pleased to own, share, and drive this car, of which few others will match. It has had the attention needed to deliver years of trouble free future enjoyment without issue.
It’s a very difficult thing to part with, but it’s time to pass it along for someone else- young or old- to share in that adventure, at least in their own way.
I can honestly say there’s nothing else quite like an Elan, and I am in total agreement with Gordon Murray, chief designer of the McLaren F1 and dozens of formula 1 race cars, who states that “The Lotus Elan is the best sports car I’ve ever driven.”
I had my dream to own an Elan when I was 13 years old- it took me 30 years to get there, and can say I’ve been blessed to have it all these past decades. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything at any price.
Serious buyers may contact me at my regular email at n3 @ neilslade. com (removed spaces to use that email.) for more information.
Thanks!
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