The Lotus Elan is a testament to founder Colin Chapman’s philosophy of lightweight cars with exceptional handling characteristics. So much so that McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt and his wife own three. Even Gordon Murray, designer of the legendary McLaren F1 owns one as part of his collection.

Now imagine finding the rarest of them all. This is a 1973 Lotus Elan +2 130S/5 “John Player Special.” Only 155 Elans were ever delivered in the black and gold livery. This special edition Elan was built to commemorate Lotus’s 50th Grand Prix victory and painted in the colors of the F1 cars from the period. These F1s were driven by the likes of legendary drivers Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi and were practically unbeatable in the 1979 Formula One Season.

This one also happens to be the coveted +2 130S/5, widely considered the best Elan because it of the five-speed gearbox (most manuals from this time were four-speeds with a less desirable gearing ratio) and the Lotus Twin Cam engine producing 126 hp. Although this doesn’t sound like much power, the Elan is only a 1500 pound car and most cars from this time only had 100 horsepower.. 

Lotus Elan’s have been creeping up in value with prices for a nice example hovering around $50k. It will be interesting to see what this car will command once restored. Read more about this amazing find here.