Elan (pronounced ay-lahn (U) or e-lan (non-U))
(1) Dash; impetuous ardor; a combination of style
and vigour.
(2) In astronomy, as ELAN, the acronym of Enormous Lyman-Alpha Nebula (large gas cloud (nebula) larger
than galaxies, found in intergalactic space).
1875–1880: From the Modern French, from the Middle
French eslan (a dash, rush), noun
derivative of éslancer to (dart). Élan was thus a deverbal of élancer, the construct being é-
(from the Old French es-, from Latin ex- & ē- (the prefix indicating away, moving away from) + lan(cer) (from Old French lancier, from the Late Latin lanceāre, present active infinitive of lanceō, from the Latin lancea.
It was related to the Catalan llançar,
the Italian lanciare, the Occitan and
Portuguese lançar and the Spanish lanzar. The sense
is best understood by comparison with the French élancer (to throw forth) from the Classical Latin lancea (lance), the Roman auxiliaries'
short javelin; a light spear or lance.
Ultimate root is thought to be Celtic/Celtiberian, possibly from the
primitive Indo-European plehzk- (to
hit) and connected also to the Ancient λόγχη (lónkhē).
The companion word is the noun éclat (brilliant display or effect), also used by Lotus as a model name (Types 76 & 84; 1975-1982). For elan, there’s really no exact single-word synonym in English, the closest including animation, ardor, dash, flair, impetus, life, oomph, panache, spirit, style, verve, vigor, vim, zest, zing, brio, esprit & impetuosity. The usual spelling in English is elan and it’s often used with a modifier (eg “a certain elan”); the alternative spelling is the French élan. The alternative spelling is the French élite and use of the French pronunciation the "U" ay-lahn rather than the "non-U" e-lan is one of the "class identifiers" on which readers of publications like Country Life focus when meeting folk.
The Lotus Elan
1962 Lotus Elan S1 DHC.
Lotus introduced the Elan in 1962, production continuing in four series until 1973, a companion four-seat (though really a 2+2) version made for a further two years. Unlike the its predecessor, the exquisite Elite, the Elan would be offered as a convertible, the range adopting the English nomenclature of the time, the roadster a drop-head coupé (DHC, Type 26 (later 45)) and the closed version, introduced in 1966, a fixed-head coupé (FHC, Type 36).
Lotus Elan chassis.
Abandoning the expensive and
troublesome monocoque shell of the Elite, the Elan used a steel backbone
chassis, the body this time a multi-piece affair, made again from fibreglass but
using techniques which made it cheaper to manufacturer while maintaining
quality; Lotus would use this method of construction for almost three
decades. Just as important was that for
the first time, there would be imposed some rigor in standardization and
production-line rationalization. Profits flowed.
Mrs Emma Peel (Diana Rigg (1938–2020)) in The Avengers (1965–1968). 1966 Lotus Elan S3 DHC.
Overcoming the fragility of the Elite did come a cost and
that was weight, the 1,500 lb (680 kg) Elan heavier by about 385 lb (175 kg)
but by any other standard, the new car was still lithe and to compensate, there
was more power. One prototype Elite had
been built the new 1.5 litre "Lotus Twin Cam" engine, based on the mundane
but lively and tough Ford Kent four-cylinder unit, transformed by the addition of an in-house
designed, aluminum double overhead camshaft (DOHC) head and this was adopted
as the Elan’s power-plant. In the Lotus
community, some regard the two-dozen odd 1.5 litre cars built as something like
prototypes, all subsequent Elans built
with 1.6 litre engines although the specifications and power outputs would vary
according to improvements made and detuning demanded by emission control laws
in some markets. Like the Kent itself,
the DOHC would enjoy a long life in both Ford and Lotus vehicles.
1968 Lotus Elan S3 FHC.
Dynamically, the Elan was from the start
acclaimed, even compared to more expensive machines, the performance, handling
and economy were the best compromise of the era, the steering especially
praised; indeed, that’s one aspect of the Elan which has rarely been matched. The more professional approach to
cost-control and production line efficiencies brought benefits beyond the
quality of the cars, Lotus for the first time a genuinely profitable operation,
the revenue generating funds not only new models but also the Formula One
program of the 1960s which would be the company’s golden era, yielding multiple
driver’s and constructor’s championships.
The corollary of being a successful road car however meant it had to be
built to appeal to a wider market than the highly strung Elite which had been
more at home on the track than the street.
Accordingly, Lotus never envisaged a racing career for the new car, its
suspension tuned softly enough to cope with the bumps and undulations of the
real world better than the dainty Elite which was at its best exploring its limits on the billiard table-like surface of a racetrack.
1965 Lotus Type 26R.
Owners were however convinced of its potential
and around the world, in both standard and unmodified form, the Elan was soon a
popular race-car and the factory began to receive requests for parts suitable
for competition. The customer being
always right, Lotus responded, factory support soon forthcoming, culminating as
early as 1964 in a racing version, the type 26R which featured lighter
components, a strengthened drive-train, stiffer suspension, better brakes and
more horsepower from a BRM-built engine.
1971 Lotus Elite Sprint DHC.
For the road cars, upgrades were frequent, a
detachable hardtop soon offered and luxuries inconceivable in the Elite, such
as lush carpeting, walnut trim and electric windows appeared at
intervals. Power increases over the
years appear modest, the early versions rated at 105 bhp (78 kW) and the most
potent at 126 bhp (94 kW) and there were variations as laws changed but the
general trend was upwards.
1975 Lotus Elan +2S 130/5.
The Elan had been very much in the
cottage-industry Lotus tradition, offered even in kit form for owners to
assemble themselves, a practice which lasted until 1973 when changes to the
UK’s value added tax (VAT, the UK’s consumption tax) rendered the practice
unviable. Very different and a harbinger
of the Lotus of the 1970s was the Elan +2 (Type 50), introduced in 1967. Available only as a FHC, although
visually inspired by the Elan, the +2 was wider, built on a longer wheelbase
and included two rear seats, although the legroom meant they were suitable only
for young children. That however was the target market: the young men (and increasingly, even then, women), for whom
a newly arrived family would otherwise have compelled a purchase from another manufacturer
after outgrowing their Elan. Never a big
seller, it filled the same niche as Jaguar’s 2+2 E-Type and was popular enough
to remain on sale for two years after Elan production ended in 1973, the last
versions the most desirable, fitted with the five-speed gearbox included on a handful of the final Elan Sprints.
Well made imitation, the 1989 Mazda Maita (MX-5).
The Elan name was revived for a run of sports cars produced between 1989-1995 which were said to be very good but, being front-wheel drive with all that implies, didn’t capture the imagination in the same way. The Elan was also the template for Mazda’s very successful MX-5 (labelled in some markets variously as the Roadster or Miata), one of the more blatant pieces of far-east plagiarism, Mazda’s design centre known to have obtained at least two original Elans to study. A typical Japanese product, the 1989 MX-5 corrected all the Elan’s faults and is probably as close to perfect as any car ever made.
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