Articles of YourCarTribe

Many friendships have been put under strain when debating the “best handling sports car, ever.” A definitive answer is impossible because objective measures alone are insufficient for judgement. Subjective terms like “steering feel”, “pointiness” and more tend to muddy the waters. That said, there is little argument that modern cars have lost handling finesse due to electric steering, extra weight and overlarge wheels and tires.

No less an authority as Gordon Murray, designer of the fabled McLaren F1 and the upcoming T50 supercar claims that the Lotus Elan stands as a true benchmark for supreme handling and responsiveness. So, having never had the privilege to drive an Elan, your humble scribe jumped at the chance when a well restored S3 Elan became available for sampling.

It stood in the cold winter sunshine in gleaming British Racing Green, with the twin-cam Lotus Ford engine ticking over sweetly. The snug cockpit fit me like the proverbial glove. Having grown up on British cars, the veneered dash with familiar Smiths dials and the Ford parts bin, push switches made me feel right at home.

Driving off, the Ford Corsair gearbox felt crisp, but the 2^nd to 3^rd shift was very long and far across the gate. The short travel clutch made the car feel very lively. At low revs, the non-standard Weber 140 side-draft carbs tended to choke a little bit, fluffing the pickup, but this was easily cured by a blip of the accelerator and a rapid move to beyond 3000 rpm. The steering was extremely responsive on the narrow tires and the four-wheel discs were age-appropriately effective although nothing like the effectiveness of a modern car.

So, what of the handling?

If handling is defined as the immediacy of response between input and reaction, the Lotus scores high. The steering weight is perfect -- not over light, not too heavy, and the free play on the rack is barely discernible. The light weight and short wheelbase make direction changes immediate and precise. However, while it must have been revelatory in the 60s, the rubber in the suspension and advances in tire and suspension technology in the intervening decades makes the car feel spongy compared to current Miatas and other small sports cars.

The Rotoflex joints have an annoying tendency to introduce a rubbery lash into the drive train that makes the car feel less mechanical and rigid. It may be the same joints that make the car feel under-damped at the rear when loading up into a corner.

The narrow tires however give a very precise feel to the car and are delightfully communicative about grip level and road surface, unlike the wider tires of more modern cars which deliver less feel and feedback while also degrading the ride quality.

So, is the Lotus Elan a contender for the “best handling sports car”? A contender, definitely, but by no means, definitively “the best.”  Even in its era, cars like the Alpine A110 and Alfa Duettos were probably close in handling and certainly as a package, the Alfa would have been a cheaper and far more practical sports car.

So, in summary, the Elan is a good car, even a great car, but by no means the best on any level.