
£28,000 - £34,000
1965 Lotus Elan S2 Drophead Coupe
United Kingdom • 18 Mar 2026 • Lot 37
Vehicle Details
AI Listing Summary
Lotus Elan S2, owned by the same lady since 1969. Subject to a restoration in 1987 and fitted with a Spyder chassis.

Condition
7
Restored in 1987, stands up well.
/ 10
Manual
Transmission:
26/3986
Chassis No:
Odometer:
[Odometer Reading]
FXC 898C
Reg Number:
RHD/LHD:
RHD
In the ownership of the current lady owner since 1969.
Registration No: FXC 898CChassis No: 26/3986MOT: Exempt
One of just c.1,250 Elan S2 cars made
In the ownership of the current lady owner since 1969
A highly original example, subject to a restoration in 1987 which still stands up well
Previously fitted with a replacement Spyder chassis
"The Elan remains the definitive small-bore sportscar, the standard by which all others have come to be measured" (Car & Driver magazine)Brainchild of Lotus design and development engineer Ron Hickman, the Elan was introduced at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show.
Based around a steel backbone chassis (a.k.a.
the 'Chapman Bracket') clad with lightweight fibreglass bodywork, the newcomer boasted such niceties as all-round independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, pop-up headlights and integral bumpers.
Powered by a 1600cc (initially 1500cc) 'twin-cam' four-cylinder engine mated to four-speed (later five-speed) manual transmission, the diminut...
Points of note
£7,604
Lowest Price (Since 2020)
£32,625
Median Price (Since 2020)
£73,515
Highest Price (Since 2020)
World Record
If this vehicle sells at the mid-point of its estimate it will set a new world record for the [enter model]
Top 40%
The mid-point of the vehicle's estimate places it in the top 40% of sold prices we've ever seen for the Lotus Elan S2
Lowest Price
If this vehicle sells at the mid-point of its estimate it will be the lowest price we've seen for the [enter model]
Average Price
The mid-point of the vehicle's estimate places it near the average price we see for the [enter model]
Rare Sale
This vehicle comes to market rarely. In auction records we've only seen [enter number] sold before
Icon
This vehicle comes is an icon of the game. Any collection would benefit from having one
Previous Sales
Gallery

MOT Information
Expired
Expired on Nov 22 2025
Latest MOT Mileage
1,503 miles
Registration Date
1965-06-05
MOT History
Passed
On Nov 23 2024 with 1,503 miles
Passed
On Sep 25 2018 with 1,442 miles
Passed
On Sep 21 2017 with 1,411 miles
Passed
On Aug 24 2013 with 1,327 miles
There was 1 defect noted.
User Entered:
- Oil leak
Failed
On Aug 13 2013 with 1,323 miles
There were 6 defects noted.
Fail:
- Front Headlamp excessively damaged so that the light output is severely reduced (1.7.5a)
- Offside Front Anti-roll bar has excessive play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)
- Brakes imbalanced across an axle (3.7.B.5b)
Advisory:
- Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)
- Rear Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.7)
User Entered:
- Oil leak
Passed
On May 04 2012 with 1,186 miles
There was 1 defect noted.
User Entered:
- Oil leak
Passed
On Apr 12 2011 with 1,073 miles
There were 3 defects noted.
Advisory:
- Offside Rear Stop lamp slightly affected by the operation of another lamp (1.2.1f)
- Offside Rear Direction indicator affected by the operation of another lamp (1.4.A.2h)
User Entered:
- Oil leak
Passed
On Apr 14 2010 with 1,035 miles
Passed
On Apr 17 2009 with 959 miles
There were 2 defects noted.
Advisory:
- Nearside Rear Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)
User Entered:
- n/s/f fulcrum very slight play
Passed
On Aug 24 2007 with 562 miles
Failed
On Aug 04 2007 with 557 miles
There were 9 defects noted.
Fail:
- Nearside Direction indicator not working (1.4.A.2c)
- Nearside front brake binding (3.7.B.1)
- Offside front brake binding (3.7.B.1)
- Nearside rear parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.6a)
- Offside rear parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.6a)
- Offside Obligatory mirror missing (8.1.1)
- Centre Obligatory mirror does not provide a view to the rear (8.1.2b)
- Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)
Advisory:
- Exhaust emits black smoke during acceleration (7.3.A.2c)
Passed
On Aug 09 2006 with 513 miles

