Not Sold (Est: £28,000 - £34,000)
1965 Lotus Elan S2 Drophead Coupe Single ownership since 1969
United Kingdom • 18 Mar 2026 • Lot 37
Vehicle Details
AI Listing Summary
This 1965 Lotus Elan S2 Drophead Coupe, with single ownership since 1969, is estimated at £28,000 - £34,000. It retains its original interior and comes with extensive documentation, though it has undergone restoration and repairs, including a replacement chassis and engine overhaul.
Condition
7
The car is described as a highly original example, which was restored in 1987 and still stands up well. It has had a replacement chassis and has been repainted. While it has been well-maintained with recent work done, it has also had periods of disuse and repairs due to an accident, indicating some wear and tear. The interior is original, which is a plus, but the history suggests it's not in pristine or near-perfect condition.
/ 10
Manual
Transmission:
263986
Chassis No:
Odometer:
32,000 miles
FXC 898C
Reg Number:
RHD/LHD:
[RHD/LHD]
"The Elan remains the definitive small-bore sportscar, the standard by which all others have come to be measured."— Car & Driver 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 1,600cc (initially 1,500cc) twin-cam four-cylinder engine mated to four-speed (later five-speed) manual transmission, the diminutive Lotus rewrote the class rulebook in terms of ride, handling and performance.
Arriving during Autumn 1964, the S2 was only in production until May, 1966, and accounted for approximately 1,250 units.
Visually, the S2 retained the overall appeal of the earlier S1, but featured improvements such as a full width polished wooden dashboard, larger fron...
Points of note
£7,604
Lowest Price (Since 2020)
£32,625
Median Price (Since 2020)
£73,515
Highest Price (Since 2020)
World Record
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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
MOT Mileage Trend
