Lotus Elan Sprint review
Lotus Elan 1.6 Sprint Road Test
Test date 03 June 1971
Price as tested £1,716
For Refinement, speed, handling, grip
Against Ride, cramped cockpit, heating and ventilation
Next year it will be 10 years since the Lotus Elan first came on the scene as something of a revolution in small sports cars. Never before was so much performance allied to such superb handling in such a compact and manoeuvrable package. Along the way it has been improved and developed, appearing as the Elan Coupe S/E in 1967, the Elan S4 two years later and now the Elan Sprint.
This latest version incorporates major modifications to the engine and drive line and has a distinctive colour scheme to make it stand out from all the other Elans. In this form, which is the only kind of Elan now made, it is easily the best Lotus we have ever tested.
With the possibility of legal action under the Trades Descriptions Act ever present, most manufacturers are becoming much more honest in their engine power claims. The 115bhp which has been quoted for the Elan since 1967 was always a very optimistic figure so that against it the Elan Sprint's output of 126bhp does not look so impressive. Suffice it to say that, in fact, there is a 25 per cent increase in true power output.
Your say
