1967 | Lotus Elan SE

MODEL HISTORY

When launched in 1962, the Elan moved the game on so much that it was almost sports car perfection. Commercially, it was a triumph and is credited with turning the fortunes of an otherwise struggling Lotus Cars and giving them the means to fund their golden years in Formula One. With this reputation as a driver’s car, coupled with the appetite for club motorsport at the time, many an Elan was bought to be modified and raced in hillclimbs and sprints. There was such a market that in 1964, Lotus launched the 26R, a race-focused Elan. Despite this answer from the factory, some felt there was still an opportunity for an Elan that would not only excel on the track but still be tractable and usable on the road and it was this that lead to the conception of the Lotus Elan BRM.

The brainchild of BRM works driver and Lotus dealer, Mike Spence, the Elan BRM project was born in 1967. Having enjoyed 3 seasons as a Works driver with Team Lotus before joining BRM, Spence had strong ties to both teams, meaning he was perfectly positioned to make his vision a reality. Ordering the Elans in kit form, as was possible at the time to avoid purchase tax, the engines would be separated immediately and sent to BRM for fettling. BRM already had experience with the twin cam unit, having provided engines for both the 26R and Type 47 programs. To keep the process moving at a decent pace, the original engine never went back into the original car it came from, instead an already finished engine was fitted immediately, most probably using units left over from the 26R program.

The modifications focussed on the engine and increased power output. The full details of these are in the gallery below listed on an original spec sheet from Mike Spence Limited from 1967. The end result was a power hike from 115bhp to 130bhp (140bhp in “competition only” trim) and all cars were finished in BRM Dark Green with Blaze Orange bumpers as per the BRM Formula One cars.

After the tragic death of Jim Clark in 1968, Mike Spence was brought back into the Lotus fold by Colin Chapman. Running an experimental gas-turbine powered Lotus 56 at the 1968 Indy 500, Spence set the second fastest speed in track history before he was killed in a high-speed crash. His death not only added to the darkness hanging over Team Lotus but meant the end of the Elan BRM program. Exactly how many were built, we don’t know but original dyno sheets, on file with this car, would suggest that twenty-one engines were built but experts agree that probably half that number ended up in complete cars between 1967 and 1968.

CAR OFFERED

The Lotus Elan BRM for sale with Wrightson Automotive was delivered to Mike Spence Limited in August 1967 before being sold to its first owner a Mr. R.J. Hayhurst. Being from a wealthy family of chemists, Bob Hayhurst was a keen amateur racing driver and was often found at various hillclimbs in his Elan BRM. One of his close friends and fellow racing enthusiasts was Brian Redman, the legendary Porsche works driver who also raced at Le Mans for Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari and Jaguar. Bob loved his Elan BRM so much that he kept the car until 1987 at which point he sold it to his nephew, Mr. M. Gregson. Being based overseas the car spent much of his ownership in the garage of his mother and a few years in a friend’s garage in Germany. In 2010 the time came for Mr. Gregson to part ways with the family heirloom. The car was bought by a Mr. Stowe who remarked that the car was in wonderfully original condition but had suffered as a result of over twenty years in storage. Therefore, soon after purchasing the car a thorough but sympathetic restoration commenced.

The car was sent to the Lotus specialists, Neil and Ken Myers who prepared the car for paint and sent it to Specialised Paintwork in Reading, run by Alan Rigarlsford, who ran the paint shop at Mike Spence Limited in 1967 and thus painted this car originally! Such was the obsession with originality and correctness, the paint was matched using an original 45 year old can of paint used by the team in period. During the restoration, the preventative measure of replacing the chassis was taken. Elans often suffer from corrosion to the backbone chassis, to such an extent that a new chassis is almost a must have on a restored car. The chassis on the Elan BRM was fine, however, when Tony Hills of Kelvedon Lotus called to say he had found a new Lotus built chassis, the owner leapt at the chance and fitted it. Even better, is the fact that the original chassis is still with the car to this day. The whole process was captured and documented in a book that accompanies the car.

Upon completion of the restoration in 2011 the car was loaned to the Donington Museum to be displayed alongside the fabulous collection of BRM Grand Prix cars there. It would stay there until the museum closed its doors in 2018. Correspondence between Mr. Stowe and the museum mentions how Mr. Stowe would pop up half a dozen times a year to run the car and check it was all in working order.

As well as being in the BRM museum, the Elan featured in the fantastic book ‘Mike Spence - Out of the Shadows’ by Richard Jenkins. In the chapter covering the story of Mike Spence Limited the car is photographed twice to show what the sadly short lived Elan BRM project looked like. It also featured in Classic & Sports Car Magazine in March 2022 when an extensive article was written about the Elan BRM and this particular car.

The car initially had some mechanical work carried out by Goss Hall Werks including the replacement of the steering rack with a New Old Stock unit, replacement of the rear suspension bushes and some electrical work before being sent to Neil Myers who knew the car, having been involved in its restoration in 2010/11. He has gone through the suspension both front and rear, including new springs and shock absorbers, new driveshaft couplings, brake pads all round and new door seals. Having picked it up from his workshop and driven it home, I can vouch that it performs beautifully and quickly inspires confidence in the driver.

This is a very rare opportunity to acquire what is not only a fabulous sports cars in standard form, but one breathed on by a top Formula One team in period. Accompanying the car is a wonderful history file that documents the unbroken ownership history including original spec and price lists from Mike Spence Ltd, engine dyno sheets on all BRM tuned Elan engines, letters from the original owner, tax discs from the 70’s and the original handbook, workshop manual and service booklet for this car, in their original wallet.