Lotus · 1962
Elan S1
Manual · RWD · United Kingdom
AutoIndex value · good UK car
£32,000
Researched from UK sold prices and auction results. How we value cars
Estimated price by condition
Project
£19,200
Restoration candidate
Driver
£32,000
Good usable example
Concours
£48,000
Show standard
Indicative condition bands · not a valuation of a particular car
Price check
Looking at a Elan S1 for sale? Is it a good price?
Buyer’s notes
About the Lotus Elan S1
The Elan was launched at the 1962 Earls Court show: a glassfibre body by Ron Hickman on a steel backbone chassis, with all-independent suspension, disc brakes all round and Lotus’s 1,558 cc twin-cam engine (the first 22 cars had a 1.5-litre unit). The S1 was built only as a roadster, about 900 of them, until late 1964.
What moves the price
- Chassis: an original backbone in sound condition, or the quality of the replacement fitted.
- Body condition: the standard of earlier glassfibre repairs and paint.
- Originality and identity, including the early details that set the S1 apart from later Elans.
Before you buy, check
- The backbone chassis for rust and welded repairs, especially at the front suspension mountings, with the car on a ramp.
- The glassfibre for cracks and crazing around the badge mounts, boot hinges and door handles.
- The Rotoflex rubber driveshaft couplings, which have a limited life.
Facts checked against: lotuselan.net · supercarnostalgia.com · supercars.net · magnetomagazine.com · petrolicious.com
Vehicle data
Specifications
From 1962
Performance
Production
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Lotus Elan S1: value questions answered
- How much is a Lotus Elan S1 worth?
- A good, usable UK example of the Lotus Elan S1 is worth around £32,000 on the AutoIndex index. A project car that needs restoration is nearer £19,200, and a concours-quality example around £48,000. Condition moves the price more than anything else.
- What makes one Elan S1 worth more than another?
- Service history and paperwork — complete, stamped, explained
- Mileage against the norm for the model
- Originality — matching numbers, original paint and trim
- Specification — gearbox, colour, factory options
- UK-supplied versus imported
- Is the Elan S1 I'm looking at fairly priced?
- Enter its asking price and condition in the price check above. It compares the price with the index for that condition and tells you what to ask the seller about.
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