To my mind the Elan +2S 130/5 is the greatest car in the classic Lotus range.   Not to discount the charming Elan Sprint DHC or the beautiful Elite S1, but, at prices north of £45,000 for the former and more than £70,000 for the latter the +2S punches well above its weight in looks and performance at a more modest outlay.

Offered in the very best colour scheme of Lotus Yellow with Oatmeal seats, our car has been the subject of a comprehensive nut and bolt restoration by a skilled privateer restorer earning the car top kudos from the folks at Paul Matty Sports Cars who supplied many of the parts used in the rebuild. Completed in 2015 after close to twenty years in slumber, this car now wants for nothing but the open road. Indeed, the car has covered just c600 miles since restoration so is still running in.

Built from a new spider chassis, the car was fully stripped with many parts either replaced, or reconditioned and returned to the car during the build. The engine was fully stripped, the cylinder walls honed and new rings put on. New seals, gaskets, water pump and timing chain were also added. The compression test before stripping confirmed that the pistons were in good order, so these were cleaned and refitted. The transmission specialist, Graham Boulton, who worked for Lotus on these cars in period was entrusted to rebuild the 5-spd gearbox and diff in April 2014 before it was married to the car later in the restoration.

Cosmetically, the car received a new dashboard, fully-refurbished instruments including an upgrade on the rev counter to accommodate an electronic ignition in the future if one wished, new carpets, original seats in oatmeal, and of course, a full repaint in the Lotus Yellow which so suits this era and style of sports car.

Receipts and invoices which accompany the car total close to £10,000 for parts alone, though with labour charges plus the cost of buying the car pre-restoration its easy to see where significantly more than £30,000 would be spent in trying to recreate such a car today.

The car looks very well indeed and drives and performs faultlessly with a throaty roar from the big valve engine. The driving experience is unparalleled at this price level with your bum so close to the floor you enjoy that ‘go-kart’ effect of speed even at as little as 30 mph.

Don’t just take our word for it though, come to visit us and see for yourself…