Elan Plus 2 H.C.

[LotusArchives]

Does anyone have any price lists, brochures or information on the Elan Plus 2 High Compression models?

From September 1968 (approx serial number 1000, but there are cars before this point) up to introduction of the Plus 2 S there are cars with H prefix engine numbers, according to records these H prefix engines are 'Super S/E' engines with Webers and are High Compression engines with cylinder heads stamped with a 'H'.

I have wondered if these were marketed as the Elan Plus 2 'Special Equipment' models that I have seen a brochure for, but it is not dated.

[Matt Elan]

I've got a Lotus flyer, black and white, single sheet, 'Information Sheet' which has the 'Lotus Elan +2 'special equipment' as the title; and has "SPECIAL EQUIPMENT" TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION above the (you guessed it) tech spec. This says the CR is 9.5:1 which is in line with the 'standard' Plus 2 original colour brochure. The sheet has the standard small elan on the reverse side, and has a '67' hand inked in in the bottom corner, otehrwise its undated. The picture of the Plus 2 is the one showing its right hand side outside a modern (well 1960s) house. I can scan you a copy of the sheet if you want = pm me. I've not seen or got any Lotus literature which mentions a high performance/high compression Plus 2 - but I have got an H prefix engine block which I'm currently building up for my 69 Plus 2S - but it is not the original engine block for my Plus 2.
I'm pretty sure from my research for my upcoming book on the Elan that Lotus initally sometimes called the standard +2 a 'Special Equipment' model (see the Autocar roadtest from March 21 1968) which also listed the c/r as 9.5:1 as they were all fitted with the S/E engine; but this lable only appeared in some of the literature. The glossy +2 brochure with the walnut veneer and keys on the cover (also undated, but must be 1967/early 68 as it is for he Plus 2 only) doesn't mention any S?E spec except for the small Elan. However, I may well be wrong!
Hope this helps
Matt

[LotusArchives]

Thanks to all that have supplied data, I am still after a price list from September 1968 - January 1969 if someone can help.

I have done more research and the the 'special equipment' simply refers to the Elan +2 engine. Below is from marketing literature. "The Elan +2 was announced initially in 'Special Equipment' 118 bhp engine form on the 1st September 1967". Even when you look in the Elan +2S brochure it says "the 'special equipment' version fitted to the +2 'S' delivers its 118 brake horsepower smoothly".

Interestingly this 118 bhp is at odds to the workshop manual which shows as follows;
S/E engine 93 bhp (with Weber) or 101 BHP (with Zen. Stromberg)
'S' engine 101 bhp (with Weber or Zen. Stromberg)
S130 engine 126 bhp (with Weber) or 113 bhp (with Zen. Stromberg)
and all have 9.5:1 compression ratio except S130 which has 10.3:1

This compression ratio figures of 9.5:1 for all except Sprint in also in the Elan Workshop Manual, but there was also the Elan S/E HC (L prefix engines) and a few Super S/E (H prefix) in the Type 36/45 Elans also, so it appears there is no reference to these S/E HC engines anywhere in any of the Lotus literature I have seen unless anyone else can help?