Lotus Elan F1 supercar, reportedly said that his only disappointment with the McLaren F1 was that he could not give it the perfect steering of the Lotus Elan. In 2004, "Sports Car International" named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. The original version of the car was designed by Ron Hickman who also designed the first Lotus Europa as part of Lotus' GT40 project bid and made his fortune having designed the Black & Decker Workmate. Because of its successful design and rigorous attention to cost control on the body, chassis, engine and the
Lotus Elan lists the following weights: Lotus marketing material from the S1 period quoted the weight at "11 1/2 cwt" (1,288 lb.) and from the S3 period quoted as "from 1,232 lb." Meanwhile, reported weights in magazine road tests varied from (Elan 1600, Cars Illustrated, August 1964) to (S4 FHC SE, Road & Track, January 1969). The table above shows that the weight of the vehicle changed during its production lifetime, tending to increase. Additional features such as electric windows, more luxurious carpeting, and larger wheels and tyres all contributing to the gain. The performance of the Elan was derived from the