Lotus Elan 1964–1966 car dimensions: 3683 mm long, 1422 mm wide and 1168 mm high.
The cockpit uses a simple competition layout with firm lightweight fibreglass bucket seats, excellent control placement and repositioned pedals for heel-and-toe. A plywood dashboard and triangulated roll-over bar sit behind the driver. Focus stays on functionality, visibility and driver confidence with no luxury trim.
Heavy-duty competition suspension with adjustable wishbones, uprated springs and dampers plus larger anti-roll bars is standard. Cooling uses a light-alloy cross-flow radiator with oil cooler available. As a pure race car it offers no towing capacity or work payload rating.
The cabin is a tight two-seat racing cockpit with lightweight glassfibre bucket seats that hold you firmly in place. Controls sit well for heel-and-toe work, pedals are repositioned for racing, and the layout stays simple and functional with a wood dash on many cars. Visibility is good and the hardtop coupe body keeps weather out, but the focus is pure driver engagement rather than everyday ease.
Fuel: twin Weber 45 DCOE carburettors, Bendix electric pump, 10.5-gal tank (long-range option extra), 100-octane petrol
Brakes: Girling discs all round with dual master cylinders and adjustable balance bar
Safety kit: full American-spec triangulated roll-over bar behind the driver seat
Oil system: wet sump with alloy cooler and pressure warning lamp
Drive shafts and rose bearings need regular greasing and cleaning
Fuel comes via twin Weber 45 DCOE sidedraught carburettors fed by a lightweight Bendix electric pump. The standard tank holds about 10.5 gallons. a long-range tank is a factory extra. The engine needs 100-octane petrol and runs a wet-sump system with an alloy oil cooler.
Servicing follows racing practice more than road-car schedules. The limited-slip differential needs gentle running-in and regular inspection. Roller-spline drive shafts must be greasy and sealed, especially after wet use. Rose bearings require frequent cleaning and re-greasing to avoid grit seizure. Specific oils are called out for the axle and gearbox.
Safety equipment centres on four-wheel Girling discs (uprated fronts) with dual circuits and an adjustable balance bar, plus the triangulated roll-over bar fitted as standard. No crash-test ratings appear in period documents.
Keeping a 26R means watching the lightweight glassfibre body for cracks and crazing, checking the stiffened steel backbone chassis and suspension mounts, and sourcing specialist parts for the competition hubs, magnesium wheels and BRM-tuned twin-cam. Regular attention to the rose-jointed suspension and drive shafts keeps the car reliable on track or road.
Length 3683 mm, Width 1422 mm, Height 1168 mm, Wheelbase 2134 mm (Elan 1964–1966)
Sources: manufacturer data, Lotus Components Racing Division, Handling and Maintenance Notes, fuel tank 10.5 imperial gallons, Dunlop R6 tyres.