1991 Lotus Elan Turbo SE
Supplied new to F1 driver Johnny Herbert

Registration No: H463 TCL
Chassis No: SCC100ZT1MHD16827
MOT: March 2027

• Retained by Lotus Cars when new and provided to Formula One driver Johnny Herbert
• Recently completed body-off, chassis-up restoration, including a full mechanical refresh
• Less than 500 miles since restoration and just five former keepers from new
• Supplied with the owner's wallet, combined owner's manual and service book, and a large history file

After a production gap of some 14 years, Lotus took the decision to reintroduce the much-loved Elan name with its new two-seater convertible sports car. The M100 Elan aimed to dispel the old clichés of unreliability by installing a trusted Japanese engine and manual transmission supplied by Isuzu, and built with the development and testing resources of General Motors. Its design—penned by Peter Stevens—featuring a fibreglass composite body over a rigid steel backbone chassis, was true to Lotus founder Colin Chapman's original philosophy of achieving performance through low weight. In late 1986, Peter Stevens's design for the Type M100 was approved and work began by Lotus engineers to turn the clay styling buck into a car that could be built. This process was completed in just under three years, a remarkably short time from design to production car. A total of 3,855 Elans were built between 1989 and 1992, buyers favouring the Turbo SE model, which was claimed to produce 162bhp and had power steering and higher-rated tyres as standard; a further run of 800 detuned 'Series 2s' was produced between 1994 and 1995. Hailed by Car magazine as one of the fastest 'A to B' cars of its generation, the Lotus Elan M100 is becoming increasingly collectable.

With M100s being so few and far between, we doubt whether any can match the provenance of this 1991 Turbo SE. The service book names the first owner as Lotus Cars Ltd., effective from January 10th, 1991, and the build sheet names White as the original colour. A 2002 letter from Lotus Cars provides more specific details, revealing the first owner was Johnny Herbert, “C/O Lotus Formula 1,” one of Britain’s leading Formula One drivers from 1989 to 2000, and winner of the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours. The service history suggests he used it until 1993, covering 40,000 miles.

After Herbert, the Elan spent approximately 20 years with its fifth keeper until 2022, when the vendor, a retired motor engineer, bought it as a dismantled project. He undertook a full body-off restoration, the respray alone costing £6,000. Mechanically fully overhauled with many parts renewed, such as the stainless-steel exhaust, the brake discs and pads, the gear-change cables, the shock absorbers and the Panhard rods. It received a service-exchange power-steering rack. The original interior survives in fine order. The service history is well-documented, with seven stamps up to 2002 and an eighth from 2022, the first four being performed by Lotus Cars. The paperwork includes the owner’s wallet with manual and service book, with the Lotus now having covered just c.80,000 miles, less than 500 of those since the full restoration. A spares package is included with the sale.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452