THE LOTUS ELAN
Photo: Number 66. Text: Rick Davy.
IN
THE PRISONER: In "The Girl Who Was Death", Number Six,
in a Lotus Elan, follows Death (Justine Lord) from a Funfair to the village
of Witchwood, who is driving an E-type Jaguar. In
the same episode, it can be seen driving up to the entrance of Number Six's
local pub.
IN REALITY: The Lotus Elan was launched in October 1962 at the London Motor Show, although it wasn't until May 1963 that the car was available to buy. The Elan was designed by Ron Hickman, who worked under 7 designer Colin Chapman. Hickman interestingly also later designed the Black and Decker Workmate!
The Elan was based on a folded-steel backbone chassis with a lightweight fibreglass body shell. The twin-cam engine was a conversion of the then-new Ford Anglia engine. The Elan is sometimes referred to as the '1600' - this referred to its 1558cc engine capacity (later increased to 1596cc). The Lotus Elan S1 offered great roadholding and handling without the rough ride sometimes associated with sports two-seaters and this performance continued with the Series 2.
The Elan was originally offered to McGoohan (see interview with Graham Nearn) to be Number Six's main car, but in the end only appeared in the episode "The Girl Who Was Death", numberplate LWF 120E (almost certainly a Demonstration car provided by Lotus), as the car driven by "Mister X" (McGoohan).