As one would expect, the car owes a great deal of its appeal to that twin-cam engine. It’s remarkably tractable, docile at slow speeds, quiet and with the pull of a lion from 2000rpm to 6500rpm in top gear. The combination of a lusty engine, quick gearbox and a light car gives an exhilarating performance such that even the smallest open stretch permits quick, safe overtaking.
Perhaps the present standard gear ratios are not ideal for road work, but they are satisfactory. We would prefer a slightly lower bottom gear and a higher top – the latter requires nearly 6000rpm to cruise at 100mph.
Gone are the days when a suspension had to be stiffened right up to get good roadholding, though. With tyre pressure set for fast driving (22psi front, 26psi rear), cornering is beautifully balanced, and, if pushed to the limits on a track, the tyres begin to slide very gently. The driver has time to react and, with the aid of the throttle or steering, to decide which end shall drift first or most.
And on one of our regular continental-type test sections of road, which is heavily cambered, undulating, and in places, covered with minor depressions, the Elan gave a gentler, less disturbed ride at speed and held its heading better than any other sports car we can recall.
The car is a fraction faster with the hood up than with it down, and wind roar builds up considerably over about 80mph. The hood itself remains taut and scarcely flaps, even at high speeds. Only at wide throttle openings is the exhaust heard clearly; most of the time the note is unusually subdued.
