Colin Chapman sold the Elan Sprint's extra pace partly with a pen: he had Lotus quietly lower the published horsepower of older Elans so the new Sprint's number looked like a bigger leap.
Lead trim: Sprint Emission (1558) · up to 126 hp
Lotus Elan Sprint1970–1973
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Lotus Elan Sprint yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactColin Chapman sold the Elan Sprint's extra pace partly with a pen: he had Lotus quietly lower the published horsepower of older Elans so the new Sprint's number looked like a bigger leap.
The highest-performance Elan, offered in fixed-head and drop-head form from 1970 to 1973. The Type 36/45 cars were first offered in S3 form, then S4 in 1968 and finally the Sprint in 1970. The increased power of the Sprint came primarily from slightly larger inlet valves, so it was called the Big Valve engine.
Collectors Spotted in the Lotus Elan Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Lotus Elan yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint 1558 Big Valve | 1970–1973 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 126 hp | 113 lb-ft | — | RWD | manual | — |
| Sprint Emission (1558) | 1970–1973 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 113 hp | 104 lb-ft | — | RWD | manual | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Lotus spent so much engineering this Elan's dashboard that it alone cost more than Kia's entire Excel production line — one reason the car could never turn a profit.
Lotus sold the Elan M100's design and production tooling to Kia after ending its own production run in 1995.
Colin Chapman sold the Elan Sprint's extra pace partly with a pen: he had Lotus quietly lower the published horsepower of older Elans so the new Sprint's number looked like a bigger leap.
Lotus wrote an oddly specific design brief for its first four-seater: it had to carry two adults and two children 1,000 miles in comfort, luggage included — hence the stretched +2 body.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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