Is the Kia Elan the same as the Lotus Elan?
Yes and No. The Kia Elan body is made using the original Elan tooling. The major mechanical components however are different. The engine and transmission are not from Isuzu, and no longer turbo charged. The car does look very similar, particularly to the US Elan that has the longer nose. The rear light cluster is also new; maybe Alpine-Renault had run out of the GTA? The ride height is considerably higher and the wheels different. Nobody seems sure what has changed in the chassis; rumours are that it has been cost engineered. If anyone knows what’s under the skin please tell us! My suspicion is it’s basically the same. Only 1000 Kia Elans have been produced with no apparent shipments to the UK and US. An early sample was road tested in the UK and given indifferent reviews, although the handling was highly rated. It appears that already there is a strong band of enthusiastic Kia Elan owners who look set to enjoy there cars just as much as those with the Lotus marque. Bravo to Kia for ma
