1988 Evante Mk I

Offered by Historics Auctioneers | Ascot, U.K. | May 15, 2021

Photo – Historics Auctioneers

Evante Cars Ltd was founded by George Walter Robinson in Spalding, England, in 1987 as an offshoot of Vegantune, a restorer of Lotus Elans. Vegantune found opportunities for improving the Elan, thus the formation of Evante to build a “modern” Elan.

The Evante roughly shares the Elan’s looks and is bodied in fiberglass over a tubular steel spaceframe chassis. This car is powered by a Ford-based 1.7-liter inline-four rated at 170 horsepower. The cars were built to order at a time when the global economy was in a recession. So it didn’t go great.

Production stopped in 1991, and the rights to the design passed between a few other companies over the years, with an Evante Mk II appearing later on in the 1990s. This Vegantune-era example carries a pre-sale estimate of $16,000-$22,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $16,811.

1999 Evante Mk II

Offered by Brightwells | Leominster, U.K. | October 19, 2017

Photo – Brightwells

There was an engine tuning company in the U.K. called Vegantune and they specialized in restoring Lotus Elans. After a while, they figured out a few tweaks that could be done to improve the cars and set up a separate company – Evante Cars Ltd – to build their own car, which was heavily influenced on the Elan. Introduced in 1987, the first Evante could be had as a kit or complete car.

The first Evante only lasted through 1991, but then the company was purchased by Fleur de Lys Automobile Manufacturing and they introduced this, the Mk II. Based around a 1.8-liter Ford Zetec straight-four, the Mk II made 130 horsepower. The body is fiberglass.

Only nine Mk IIs were built, with this probably among the last. Having covered only 11,000 miles since new, it looks like an attractive modern take on the classic Lotus Elan. Consider it a quirky Miata alternative if you will. It should bring between $14,750-$17,500. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.