A deep-welded steel chassis, almost cruciform but with a short central backbone section, gives the Elan a very strong and rigid basis upon which the reinforced plastic body is mounted. At the front there are wishbones and coil springs; at the rear, unusually wide lower wishbones and above them Chapman struts with coil springs.
But the heart of this latest Elan is the 1558cc twin-cam Ford-Lotus engine. This dual-weber-equipped engine spins to 7000rpm, but develops its peak of 105bhp at 5500rpm and channels its 108lb ft of torque at 4000rpm to the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox.
