Randy, the original ower, was my good friend in college. We bonded over that car! I had been driving formula fords and when Randy found that out he would have me drive his pride and joy when he wanted to go really fast. Four wheel drifts in top gear! It was a blast. I'm lucky enough to have spent many hours in the car. Great fun to drive once you got used to the rubber donuts. We were such gear heads that we would take turns standing on the side of the road and drive by at full throttle so we could hear what it sounded like! A note on the Lotus badge on the hood. It was black in 1969 because that's the year Jimmy Clark died. The last time I saw ithe car was when he was showing it to me in his garage with the head off. I'm so glad to see that Jay bought this car and restored it! It brings tears to my eyes. Randy, RIP, would approve.

I'm so so happy to see that you have restored Randy's Lotus so wonderfully! I know that mom and Randy loved that car and it's incredible to see it in its glory. Mom always spoke highly of you in regards to how you treated her and Randy. 🤗

Love Jay Leno. A genuine motorhead. Knows his stuff. Seems like a decent fellow, too!

@paulredhead8603

4 жыл бұрын

Agree with you Martin. Seems a genuinely nice chap.

@MrDaiseymay

4 жыл бұрын

i WOULD HAVE SAID THAT

@DreamDosage

Жыл бұрын

The best!!

I loved the Elan. Back in 64 in high school, everyone wanted a muscle car. I wanted an Elan. Read the R&T review many times.

One of the reasons that Lotus sold so many was because Diana Rigg drove one as Mrs. Peel in The Avengers. That was millions of dollars (Pounds) of free advertising. After all these years, I'm still in love with Mrs. Peel and her car.

@crazyjay7676

7 жыл бұрын

Edward Peterson Mrs Peel...mmmm.....

@deeremeyer1749

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah. Because adults are so inclined to go out and buy a car that was in a movie.

@scottgolden2766

6 жыл бұрын

Wasn't the Avengers a TV series in the 60's

@TheVagolfer

6 жыл бұрын

Driving through the English country side in a Lotus with Emma Peel in the passenger seat heading out to have a picnic. Man ! How cool would that have been in the 60's ?!

@Dave.S.TT600

6 жыл бұрын

Miss Peel. She wasn't married.

i worked at the Lotus Factory for 15 years and left in 2011, I loved it

@poopedhole

8 жыл бұрын

+John Miller but you left

@johnmiller2290

8 жыл бұрын

yes I did, I was made redundant when my department was closed

@johnmiller2290

8 жыл бұрын

Loco Roco yes I did, I was made redundant when my department was closed

@man-mq9rk

6 жыл бұрын

sorry to hear

Such a lucky guy to have a genius mechanic to make a great car even better. Love, love love this car. Diana Rigg and Lotus Elan. What a beautiful dream world. Hope you do a segment when the white one is finished.

@donjohnson3701

Жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same thing the Avengers was definitely a car show with the Lotus and Bentley, but how about Honey West and the slab side Shelby.

An absolutely sweet sounding engine- one of the best four cylinder engine notes of all time, up their with the Alfa's. Great job!

A legendary car in British motoring history. I completely love the Elan.

As Colin Chapman was fond of saying 'If you make a car more powerful it will be faster on the straights, if you make it lighter it will be faster everywhere'.

I really respect Leno and his crew for making these videos. They are very thorough and are made for auto enthusiasts that would like to learn what is out there. There is a lot of knowledge and history in his garage, I hope he always keeps the idea of it. Well done, thumbs up so Jay can see!!

Wow, Jay really gets it. Each one of these I watch I gain more respect.

Jay and Harry(Harry's Garage) have such a genuine love, and passion of real drivers cars, it's amazing they haven't merged into a single show to dominate all. Both are humble, and extraordinarily positioned to teach the world about what's important, ethical, and right about our love of cars, as well as seat of the pants unbiased truths where makers went wrong. It's almost like they were separated at birth :)

I'm so Impressed by Jim Hall, great engineer, craftsman, artist! What a pleasure to watch what he does and that he works with Jay on all these great projects. Thank you Jay and Jim ! Maarten

I LOVE the sound of the after fire when letting off the accelerator.

@kimkleiner8456

5 жыл бұрын

Don't know what cams are in Jay's elan but I had 120° of overlap on my '67 SE and a custom header 4-2 pjpe exhaust system with 4 puny glass packs that were barely 1/4" wider than the pipes themselves. When you let off the throttle it barked blaaap. Ah, you had to be there. But I don't know if it was unique to mine but the sound of the starter made you feel like you were in the cockpit of a spitfire and I am not referring to the car.

Love the sound of that motor. But I can tell Jay really enjoy's driving this drivers car - nearly every scene you hear that throaty roar! Even getting onto the interstate you can see the car pitched over and the rear end gently stepping out. It looks so graceful (and ton's of fun). It what driving is all about for sure!

Watching in 2019 - we were all so young when this was shot.

@Chu3505

4 жыл бұрын

This video is not that old maybe 10 years or less.

Along with his McLaren and the GT40, this is one of my favorite cars in Jay's stable. Kudos.... but please finish the1966 Lotus Elan 26R!

Thanks Jay. I had a series 1 in 1967. Loved that car but for some stupid reason I sold it when I was drafted in 68. Sorta wish I had one now.

i love that i can come here and never get the pre-video ads - thanks JAY

I had a '72 Midget as well. A lot of fun to tinker with, but never wanted to drive it more than 15 miles from home! I spent far too much money on it, did some work on my own and kept it up best I could. A few weeks after I sold it, the steering box fell apart - luckily in a neighborhood, and no one was hurt. I believe it is still on the road!

@tihspidtherekciltilc5469

3 жыл бұрын

They just left the steering box laying in the road?

now that's a super sweet sounding car!

I love that Jay isn't afraid to drive his cars

absolutely loved this episode. my neighbour had an Elan and assures me it had the best steering and handling of any car ever

One of the best sports car designs ever!!

Wonderful engine set up Jay you really are the man when it comes to vintage

"we didnt have to do much work on this"just a new motor new brakes and new suspension

I agree. Jay is not "rubbing" anyone noses. He is sharing his valuable collection to fellow enthusiasts. Not all his cars are really expensive (Chevy Corvair...etc) but they are all cool/or historically significant, and usually fun to drive.

Electric windows haha. Genuinely wasn't expecting that.

Jay thanks again for allowing me to see your personal collection. I'm always in awe at your knowledge and ability to save all this automotive history!!! Thank all the guys in the shop too they get the job done right!

Very cool car. I dunno why it took me this long to see this episode. But I'm glad I've finally seen it.

I was just watching 'wheeler dealers' on You Tube which shows a restoration of one of these Elans in England.Very interesting.

This guy is great, he should have his own TV show!

In the UK these were sold as complete cars or a unfinished kit from the factory, thus avoiding purchase tax. The advert said the buyer & a friend could finish assembly in a weekend. They can still be seen in classic motorsport events in Britain, as for being slow & girly, 232 bhp per metric ton & 7 ish sec 0-60mph is no slouch.

@sloperdude

9 жыл бұрын

One winter I was up in Duluth, MN and saw some cars with racing numbers on them heading toward Lake Superior, so I followed one there. A racing course had been plowed out of the snow; they were ice racing. Almost all the cars were front wheel drive, but I saw one tiny Lotus Elan racing there too. The largest car was a Olds Toronado. When it went off the course the front end flew up the snow embankment. They towed a few cars back on the track that day. I was surprised to see such a lightweight, delicate and expensive car as the Lotus tangling it up with all the other heavier cars on the course.

@carolyne229

9 жыл бұрын

Russ Cattell Russ that's a problem is England taxes, had they no taxes they could have great cars like the Germans do, instead taxes backfired on the Brit's

@russcattell955i

7 жыл бұрын

Carolyn E Yes, I agree, I left England 13 years ago.

@briangreen6602

7 жыл бұрын

Is that correct for the Elan ? I know the Seven was available as a kit, but thought Lotus had moved away from that by the time of the Elan.

@russcattell955i

7 жыл бұрын

Brian, I remember as a boy in the 60's reading my father's car mags seeing an advert for it, the pic showed the incomplete car arriving on a trailer. Trying to persuade old dad, we could do one in the garage, but alas no joy.

God that sound ... So goooooooood

can we get a LIKE for Jay's loyal friend, and mechanic, Jim... for so many years, the man helping our buddy, Jay's dreams come true!?

That exhaust burble though :D

Sounds great. Slow cars that feel fast are more fun than fast cars that need to go dangerously fast. Unless you have track access.

Over seas visiting my folks. Perfect morning to rewatch this video. Heading over to the Lotus Shop in Hethel tomorrow. Unfortunately I’m leaving before being able to do the tour on Saturday. Thanks, Jay. G

I worked has a British car salesman back in 1973 and I sold one of these. I will never forget the day I drove this for the first time. I did not expect this kind of power out of a 4 cylinder.

The Lotus Elan, one of the greatest sports cars ever made!

@carolyne229

9 жыл бұрын

ceetee1459 CeeTee, Yes ! I had a 1969 Series III Bob Hall up on Muholland disliked my new Elan as my previous car was a BRE 5101800cc twin webers, 5 speed I sold to get the Elan, I told Bob you're Nutzo Elan's styling is timeless 54 years later still a pleasing shape. Years later Bob Hall a consultant to Mazda sold the idea that was mine I might add, and the Miata was created Hmm smart on my part ? I just last year purchased a 1966 Elan series II BRG Roadster I love the Motor Car !!!

You can't expect a British car to weather the American weather and the long highways, but the Chapman cars had some weak points, immediately electrical problems and then after some thousand miles the doughnuts you've mentioned that were just a bad design would perish very quickly, resulting in a vague rear axle. I think you guys just nailed this video and the car sensibly stock with little mods.

@jakublulek3261

6 жыл бұрын

At least engine was pretty reliable, because it still was Ford Cortina GT's 1500 and 1600 litre with Lotus/Cosworth head, Lotus's own 900 series had much more teething problems and is much less reliable than Ford of Britain's powerplants. Also, Elan was base for another legend, Ford Lotus Cortina.

@chrisff8303

4 жыл бұрын

@คีรีวงศ์ โมระศาก British don't drink warm beer. Ale on the other hand has to be served at room temperature as that is the only way it can be stored. Just don't drink ale. Tastes like piss anyway. Drink cold beer instead.

The burnout at the end of the video made me smile. It was mixed with a little bit of a laugh, but a good smile none-the-less. That looks like a very fun car.

Circa 1965: My cousin Molly was Colin Chapman's executive admin (I think it was "personal secretary" back then.) and her company car was a white Elan EXACTLY like the one Emma Peel drove. This ten-year old would just explode with pride when she'd come to visit, and that car was in our driveway. FAB!

I had an Elan Sprint in '72, really super on the road, sadly my ex broke it. Still married the cow.

@btsdancestudio5691

4 жыл бұрын

John you really had an original Sprint? I sell Civics for a living. Mr honda was inspired by this car when he created the Iconic Honda Civic 1976

I am seldom jealous but having owned a good few of them over the years I can safely say that none of them were as good as this one! The pop-up headlight comment made me laugh... any leak in the vacuum system that kept the headlamps up meant they would start to drop down at high speed. A fail safe system would make lights up the default position. Driving fast at night could be very exciting. Nor did he mention one of the joys of the Elan: lift off oversteer. Not for the fainthearted but when it went well it was the most exhilarating driving experience.

I love how he calls it "almost the perfect sports car" then dumps a few hundred thousand dollars and a couple years of work into it. It's part of what makes Jay a legend.

All I can say is Damn what a bad ass Lotus! Jim did a great job on this rebuild and I can't wait to see the white Elan rebuild to do 200-210hp. Thank you Jay!

OH MY GOSH!....MRS PEEL'S RIDE!

@susanboylefanable

5 жыл бұрын

Yep, right down to the color in @ least 1 season!

16:00 guy in the next car grilln hard lol....

@PeterKKraus

5 жыл бұрын

Hamburgers or Hot Dogs?

Sure sounds good Jay, looks like a lot of fun to drive, especially with that Cali sun

Neat little car Jay. Every time I watch one of your videos, I find yet another car that I can't live without. Curse you Jay Leno!

I loved this video; it is my favorite. THIS is a sports car!

nice car one of my favorite designs !

Somehow I never saw this one before. Every car guy should watch Jay with this important car.

Memory lane for me. I had a '68 that I bought in 1971 for $1400 when I was in college. It was a white coupe. I drove it every day for about 3 years. I raced every car on the streets around Philadelphia that would accept my challenge and, yes, I did beat "Vettes. Drove it across the country twice and did 115 mph on the interstate in Montana. That car was almost more fun than it was headaches. It cost me dough stacks to keep running and I finally sold it when I was living in the Bronx and parking on the street. Got $1450! Thanks, Jay!

My shop teacher from high school has one but its a hardtop fast back or gt idk...he rebuilt it from scratch when I was there I helped rebuild it they are sweet cars

There is no radiator shielding. Half of the air coming in the radiator intake misses the radiator. Of course the thing will over heat.

@alro2434

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, complete useless heavy overkill that inadvertently fixes a problem that's only a problem when standing still.

Jay, you hit the proverbial nail right on the head, regarding the mindset people(Collectively), have where their definition of a light weight sports car is concerned. You mentioned that this little gem only weighs 1550 pounds, kind of like a 550 Porsche Spider. Now, 3000 pounds seems to be considered light weight where sports cars are concerned, but the tires, rims, and brakes have to keep getting wider, bigger, and heavier in order to compensate for all that mass. Nimble, folks, that's the operative word for true sports cars, light weight and nimble. Jay Leno's Garage, thanks for sharing. :)

Having owned a '74 Elite, chassis #57 I made my passengers nervous as I pressed the g-force in corners. And yes, it broke down when driving a long distance. But with a motorcycle masterlink and a couple of nuts and bolts, ...back on the road again. Thanks, Jay.

When I see this car I think of Emma Peel and the Avengers.

@kevinmoore4887

4 жыл бұрын

A cardboard image of Emma Peel should be in the garage. She really made the car stand out.

@stevecolley6750

3 жыл бұрын

@@kevinmoore4887 She (DIANA RIGG) certainly made part of me "stand out".

His neighbors must hate him with all those burnout marks.

The more I watch these videos, the more I appreciate Jay's ethos towards his vehicles. As for the Elan, not much beats driving a small, lightweight British sports car. No, airbags, crumple zones, ABS, seatbelts.... A car that quickly focuses your attention on what you're doing... (I'm a tad biased...)

Keep doing the in-depth tours! I really like how you put it up on the lift to show what was done and what it looks like underneath. I hope this can be done in future episodes. I like to know how the cars work and what makes them so unique. Great episode!

Love how clearly jay leno is too good for shitty youtube advertisements...great channel

"60 feels like 100 as opposed to a modern car where 100 feels like 60"

@LiveMusicOntario

4 жыл бұрын

It's true. I was the passenger in a BMW 320i going between cities on a major highway. Judging by the feel of the ride I thought, God, I wish he'd pick up the pace a bit; this is going to take us all day. I always owned cheap used stuff to get me from A to B. Then I got a glimpse of the speedometer and we were going 40 miles per hour faster than what I guessed from the sensation. All right! Those suckers are planted onto the road and nothing moves that isn't supposed to.

I want one so bad. This and a Cortina! Gotta love a twincam.

Hey Jay, the two key things you said. 1. Sense of driving. 2. Bonding with the car. I absolutely agree. I miss that a lot. Today's cars have neither.

I swear that right front tire came off the ground on that entrance ramp

@sammolloy1

4 жыл бұрын

chipper442 IT DID

Fantastic ........love my elan ....my wife and pals think I should sell mine. .....no way.......

That looks like so much fun to drive. Great little car with big personality.

Back around 1969 a friend of mine had a 64 Elan. It had the twin Weber side drafts and manual (not roll-up) windows. It was an amazingly fun car to drive but not actually as fast as people think they were. And it was incredibly fragile. It was rare that we'd go out in it and not have something break before we got back. He hit a telephone pole in it one day and it was totaled, fortunately he wasn't seriously injured. Great memories.

My 1982 Fiat X1/9 weighed only 1800 lbs., and was originally built as a safety car prototype with a heavy steel body, which carried over to the production car. It had big heavy aluminum front and rear 5 mph bumpers. The engine was 1500cc. Not bad. As it rusted, it got even lighter. ;) I know what you mean by go-kart handling. I pulled up on a green light once in the far right lane going 35 or so with cars to my left blocking the view to the left of the intersection, when a police car with his lights on but no siren travelling perpendicular to the street I was on blew through his red light, and I was on a collision course with him. I yanked the wheel hard right and the car hugged the curb around the corner doing 30 mph. I didn't have time to touch the brakes. If I had been driving an American car I would have T-boned that police car. Instead I ended up parallel with the police car with me in the parking lane and him in the right lane.

4:40 : OMG It's Jay Leno and mini-Jay!

@zzzhuh

8 жыл бұрын

+therrydicule Dude... I was just about to say that lol.

@therrydicule

8 жыл бұрын

zzzhuh Luckily, Jay is a good guy... Otherwise, he might start to ask for 1 million cars.

one of your best reviews looks like you guys are having alot of fun ! I like when Jim is in the videos

I loved these as a kid and still love them now. Along with the E type, Esprit and the DB5 just so British 😀👍

Triumph, meh. MG, eh. This is my type of British Roadster. Light, powerful, high revving. Glad to see Jay gets how it should be driven.

@TheLARRYSUGGS

8 жыл бұрын

MG made some great sports cars in the day!

@racketman2u

6 жыл бұрын

pointless comment - the Lotus would have cost twice what the TR or MG would have.

@PeterKKraus

5 жыл бұрын

MGB GT was a nice looking car, no power though.

Jay will you ever own a cortina lotus quick car for its day.

@Lensman864

4 жыл бұрын

Lotus Cortina!

great sound thanks Jay for taking the time to make videos.I get up in the morning in Boston and hope you have a new video up to watch with the morning coffee,

Thank you Jay! Bought one 2 years ago on a trip to the UK and don't have the time to restore it. Wanted to sell it but still didn't came around to do it. Now I never will! Thank for the videos

The elan was far superior to the lotus Europa,better quality. Use to work on lotus on the docks when they arrived in canada

Haha, how can all of Jay's cars be 'everyday' cars? He must hire people to drive them each on a daily basis.

@susanboylefanable

5 жыл бұрын

It's a job I wouldn't mind having!

@hobmoor2042

4 жыл бұрын

I think Jay means that he doesn't restore them for the showroom. They go out on the road and are not kept in bubble wrap, under a dust sheet.

I love the sound of a car with carburators when you lift the gas off at mid-high rpm!!

Love Leno, I'm very jealous he gets to drive so many AWESOME cars!!!

Who gives a toss about aero dynamics,i want pop up headlights.

@sammolloy1

4 жыл бұрын

The vacuum lifted lights sink back into the body up a long hill

@46danz

4 жыл бұрын

sammolloy1 perfect,i wonder if i can fit them on my alfa,also good for downhill braking.

@sammolloy1

4 жыл бұрын

nonp LOL

Is that a Fram oil filter? You guys cheaped out on your oil filter? That's the last thing I expected to see in one of Jay Leno's engines.

Thanks Jay you bought back a few memories, not that I was lucky enough to drive Lotus but my first car was an Australian Mk1 Morris Cooper S. As you said there is great satisfaction when you work on your own car. I used to club race it and was only 1/100th sec off fastest for class, beaten by another S but he was on slicks! so I could hold my head up.

Rekindled another memory of days gone by. Thanks Mr. Leno from a 50 something motorhead.

No mention of Emma peel?

@Doctor_Robert

8 жыл бұрын

+ghraffydd Mrs. Peel; we're needed.

@geosutube

7 жыл бұрын

See above, more than once. Emma Peel mmmmmm

Dude, get some new lighting in your garage. We just switched to LED lighting in our hangar...its way better!

Thank you Mr Leno. A lot of information and most enjoyable video. I never had an Elan, but did have two series 4 sevens, both with Big Valve 1558 engines (standard 126 bhp). The most glorious sounds both accelerating and decelerating. Recently acquired a Caterham HPC, which, although much quicker, was not the same and I didn't keep it. But, still get more enjoyment from fast bikes.

Thumbs up on the Capri reccomendation! I owned a V6 73 back in the late 90's, LOVED IT! First one I drove was my own dad's 76 Capri II (V6) while pulling a 24' Butterfly sailboat (was the first time pulling a trailer, and first time driving a manual transmission) The Ford/Mercury Capri was an exceptional car for it's time. Very under-rated. My 73 v6 was a BLAST to drive!!!

Anyone else notice that creepy guy standing in the background?

@aeropilot4419

6 жыл бұрын

BloodstainedSinner lol, it’s a cardboard cutout of Jay

Wow Jay, the car is Badly leaning to the drivers side. Lay off the Pizza.

Thank you Kay for showing us so many beautiful machines.

I had a '71 Elan +2 , yellow with a black vinyl top. It was absolutely stunning. Then it caught fire on the way home from work in 1978. I got it for $4500. I was a heartbroken 25 yearold with no car. I sure wish I still had the Elan.

That was fun. A burnout at the end. Thanks Jay!

One of my very favorites, thanks for posting.

Great car! lots of fun in it!

HOW FUN IS THAT? The Corolla looks like a giant car next to this. Jay looks like a mad scientist going down the road LOL.