Not Your Father’s Elan

By: J. Michael Hemsley

In the press release for the 1991 Lotus Elan SE M100, Ronald L. Foster, President and CEO of Lotus Cars USA, Inc., said, about their new model, “We knew that we didn’t want a replica of a ‘60s car.  Rather, we wanted a ‘90s Elan that would set innovative new standards as were established by its predecessor.”  What they produced was certainly not a replica of the Lotus Elan of the 1960s; it was the best-handling front-wheel-drive sports car ever built.