1960s Lotus Elan: Hard to Improve

That's Diana Rigg in the role of Emma Peel and her Lotus Elan in the British TV series "The Avengers."  I find it difficult indeed to image how Diana Rigg could be improved.  Same goes for the Lotus.

The Lotus Elan was produced 1962-1973, and to my way of thinking, the best-looking ones were the early two-person versions.  This is not to say that it would be impossible to design a more attractive sports car with the same dimensions as the Lotus using a different styling theme.  My point is that there is essentially nothing I can think of that could significantly improve the existing theme of the car.

Gallery

Photo from Historical Auctions of a 1970 Elan Sprint.

Sales photo of a 1966 Lotus Elan.

Sales photo profile view.  This seems to be a later version because it has the hump on the hood and a squared-off, flared rear wheel opening.  These are not style improvements, thus helping to demonstrate the point I made above.

Sales photo of 1965 Lotus Elan showing that the rear is as simple as the front.  Small cars often work best when ornamentation is minimized.