Video: The Story of Jay Leno’s 1969 Lotus Elan

Jay Leno’s garage is chock-full of fascinating stuff, there are a couple of cars in there that have an amazing story behind them. This Lotus Elan is one of them. This car introduced Jay to the whole concept of lightweight British sports cars, and the reason he got into this car was because his favorite designer Gordon Murray was a big Elan fan. So Jay bought not one, but two Lotus Elans.

This is a lightly modified, thoroughly fixed, 1969 Elan with 160 horsepower and original paint. The other one is currently being restored with lots of modern parts. Can’t wait to see that one.

In the late 1940s, engineer and RAF pilot Colin Chapman decided to utilize the experience he gained in the skies on the ground, by building a racecar in his girlfriend’s garage. While still holding down his day job, Chapmen begged, borrowed and bartered to create his prototype, which he entered in a time trial as an afterthought.

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