Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lotus Elan Coupe

Now, for a different sort of sports car; a British icon. Regular folks know about, and cherish MGs, and Triumphs, but it takes a special person to know and cherish the Lotus brand. Made most famous for its philosophy of less is more, the Lotus Se7en was the first car than garnered the brand recognition outside of Europe.
The first iteration of this much-loved bodystyle was the Elite, produced until 1961. In 1962, the Elan came along. Like the Lotus-Ford Cortina saloon, the Elan was also another Lotus-Ford venture. Powered by a 1.6L Ford-bred four cylinder, this little car was relatively quick on its feet, but it wasn't much of a powerhouse. That's okay; straight-line speed isn't really what Lotus is, or was, about. What mattered was handling, and that's a job it did quite well. For proof, there are more racing Elans still in use than road-going models. For more proof of the Elan's handling prowess, Mazda used no more than four different different Elan coupes and two convertibles when developing their own sports car, the MX-5 Miata.
With the arrival of the plus-2 in 1967, the proportions of this little sports car were altered-- I mean ruined. My opinion of the Elan +2 the same as the 2+2 Z cars; quite a horrible way to treat such a timeless design. It was said to be as good as the original, handling-wise, which I don't doubt, but Jesus is it ever hideous.
This example is a truly stunning car. Again, with the red theme getting played out. Sorry, but this is the only example I have besides that yellow one I brought readers a good while back. Everything on this one looks to be in top condition, from the finish, to the badges themselves. This is truly a minimalist car; less is more. That's why you don't see owners slapping big wheels on them, and going all out with garish modifications. Many people regard Minilite style wheels as cliche, or bland, but honestly I like em; to me, they're the foreign sports car equivalent of Torq Thrusts for muscle cars. I do think they're getting overused, but honestly, what better choice is there?
As appealing as a I find historic Lotii, I do feel that the new direction the company is taking is the wrong one. Rather than focus on building basic, lightweight sports cars, the new CEO (who is a douche) doesn't seem to adhere to Colin Chapman's philosophy. Instead, he wants to tap into new markets, and turn Lotus into another cliche exotic brand that so many greats have slowly turned into. For me, the last real Lotus was the first generation Elise that we didn't get here. And that's quite a shame, because it means I'll have no reason to go into a Lotus dealership again.