While the tattered paint and animal-print carpeting are frightening, this 1969 Lotus Elan S4 FHC possesses a wide array of desirable original equipment and should be a straightforward restoration. If there’s one thing to take away from reading auto classifieds, it’s that British cars lead the hardest lives. Even a quick glance at eBay reveals a wide array of British sports cars emerging from long term storage in truly sobering conditions. At first we thought this Lotus was much of the same, but a closer look reveals a solid car with some excellent components. For starters there’s the Lotus Twin Cam engine that is claimed to be original and whose stock appearance is remarkable given some of the other changes on the car. Then there are the center lock wheels that appear to be in good condition and finally the Colin Chapman signature steering wheel. The seller indicates that the car was owned by the same person for the last 35 years but was unfortunately stored outside at some point. As a result the chassis shows some surface rust and some rubber and plastic components have deteriorated. The good news, however, is that with their removable fiberglass bodies and backbone chassis, Lotus Elans are some of the easiest cars to restore. And because this car is solid and retains most of the components that so easily go missing it will likely make an excellent project. Find the Lotus for sale here on eBay in Vero Beach, Florida with no reserve and the bidding at the time of writing at $2,900.
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