My Favorite Cars #4- Lotus Elan Sprint

This car is awesome in so many ways, how do I even start this entry?  The antithesis of the huge muscle cars being built in America in 1963, this car was designed with what Colin Chapman called "added lightness", or deliberate light weight through very careful engineering.  

Very advanced for it's time, the original Elan came with a twin-cam engine, four-wheel disc brakes, concealed pop-up headlights, and four-wheel independent suspension.   Initially, the car was going to be constructed as a fiberglass monoquoce (no separate chassis), but the testing prototype with it's spine-style frame worked so well, it was decided to stay that way. The car, later in Sprint specification, weighed 1540 pounds (half of an average modern small car) and came with a 1500cc (1.5 litre) engine that made 126 horsepower.   As you can imagine, the car was exceptionally quick and nimble in it's day, hitting 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds.   That's still pretty quick!

Ultimately, this is not a car for everyone.  With it's infamously fickle electrical system and very small size, it takes a dedicated driving enthusiast to see the pleasure through the pain.   Which is why Mazda created the Miata, a modern interpretation of this very car.  But the original is still the best, and a great illustration that more is not always more fun.