1972 Lotus Elan Sprint FHC
A 1972 home-market Lotus Elan Sprint fixed-head coupé, one of the last examples built and confirmed by Lotus as the 59th-to-last Sprint produced. Supplied new through dealer J A Else & Son, the car carries its original Tawny Metallic over Cirrus White two-tone livery and has been comprehensively restored to a high standard, including a new galvanised chassis, bare-gel-coat bodywork refinish, and a 1558cc twin-cam engine overhaul with unleaded conversion. Matching numbers throughout, with a continuous service history from its first free service in 1973.
Ownership
- 2020-02-21Auction saleEstimate £40,000 – £48,000
- → 1972Factory deliveryJ A Else & Sonpartial documentation
Authorised Lotus dealership that supplied the car new to its first retail owner.
- 1972 →Private saleFirst registered UK ownerfull documentation
Car was first registered in 1972 and has an unbroken service history from its initial free service in September 1973 at 564 miles, with MOT records from 1976 onward.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1973Service
First free service carried out when the car had covered 564 miles.
Documented in the history file; represents the start of a continuous service record.
- 2015Engine rebuild
The 1558cc twin-cam engine was fully overhauled and balanced, and the cylinder head was converted to run on unleaded fuel.
- —Restoration
Comprehensive restoration encompassing fitment of a new genuine galvanised Lotus chassis, bodywork stripped back to the gel coat, careful panel alignment work especially on the doors, and a full repaint in the original Tawny Metallic over Cirrus White colour scheme.
Scope and quality described as meticulous; date not precisely stated in the prose.
- —Modification
Alternator fitted in place of the original dynamo, and a deep-core radiator installed; otherwise the car remains factory-standard.
These two changes are noted as the only departures from factory specification.
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