Lotus Elan --Any experts here?

[eaton]

I have a serious problem being in a monogamous relationship with a car. I'm always looking for the next one. Second problem -- I have a hard time letting go of cars I own. But the increase in Porsche prices (and my job teaching at a public university) has hampered my ability to be "on the hunt."

Lately, I've been thinking of picking up a Lotus Elan. I'm no fan of convertibles, so it would have to be a FHC. I should have bought the green one for sale a while back at AutoKennel.

Any Lotus fans here? Am I wrong to fear the Lucas electronics and "Lots of trouble, usually serious" reputation?

[RSTarga]

I love Elans, they are fantastic drivers cars, but they are fragile.
On the other hand they are simple and you can even buy a complete brand new chassis.
There is nothing there to protect you in a crash.

[RSTarga]

You can't have big feet either

[eaton]

I have size 9.5 feet. I figure I'd be goner if I crashed my Porsche, so it can't be much worse, right? They seem like a lot of fun for the money.

[767driver]

That green one at AutoKennel looked like an awesome car!!

[RSTarga]

I'd say a Porsche is substantially safer. The Elan has a central backbone chassis. Basically a straight line connected to a Y at each end. The glass fibre body work sits on that so there is close to zero side impact protection.
They are a LOT of fun though, and tiny, so roads seem very wide.

[chris_seven]

I have owned many Lotus cars over the years from a Mk1 Lotus Cortina that I rallied when I was 19 to a 1969 Lotus Seven SS which is one of 12 factory built Series 3 Twin Cam engined cars that weighs around 500kg and now develops about 175 BHP and is a real hoot. Breathing at speeds approaching 100mph is tricky but its a great car,and has been round the Nurburgring in just under 9 minutes.

The Elan is a really fabulous car - dangerous but fabulous. The last generation Big Valve 130BHP cars are best. (The S3 with Stromberg Carbs should be avoided like the plague). They have DelOrto 40DHLA carbs that hold thioer tune better thn Webers and have great gear ratios and the fastest gear change of virtually any car you will ever drive.

Steering is fantastic and the front upright made by Alford and Adler in Coventry from 1938 and is still in production was used an F1 cars that were winning World Drivers Championships up to about 1972. They are still used on today's Caterham 7.

Lucas components of the day are not so bad - it was the Eighties Jaguar parts that were dreadful.

Wiring Looms - not supplied by Lucas are catastrophic - all of earth returns are made from damp string and are underated and as the damned things never had any fuses they do have a nasty reputation of bursting into flames.

There are a number of good quality, fused replacement looms available at less than $1000.

Parts are really dirt cheap, common and readily available. As kit cars you can generally fix then with pliers and a hammer.

The basic motor is a Ford Kent and is tough as old boots. The head was designed specifically for the engine and is a Twin Cam Hemi, Water pumps can be fragile but they should last about 60k miles of the fan belt isn't overtightened.

Early heads were fragile but 'Big Valve'Heads are good and new heads cast in the UK have been available for about 10 years and are very good.

Brakes are Girling, gearboxes and diffs are Ford and again cheap.

If you develop an Elan to 26R specification then within its period there is almost nothing with a similar engine capacity that will live with it on a race track .

The down side, as has been said, is that they have absolutely ZERO crash resistance. The backbone Chassis provides NO side intrusion protection at all. You sit almost over the rear suspension



The only car with less impact strength must be the Alpine A110 and I rallied one of these in the UK forests in around 1976/77.



I still think that both are probably safer than a Motorcycle.

The Elan +2 is surprisingly good.



They are quieter, more comfortable, certainly have more interior room and as they are slightly wider and longer they are a little more stable and handle very well indeed.

They can be considered ugly but I had a couple and enjoyed them. Again the best is the 130 BHP Big Valve.

Twin Cam Europas are also fun and I used to have a 3.0 litre V6 Alpine A310 which was also great fun.

[Larryg57]

Lots of Trouble, Usually Serious. Had a Mk 4, agreed, no cash resistance.

Larry

[eaton]

Thanks for the info, especially chris_seven. They seem like a lot of car (and fun) for the money.

[smedley]

That green one at AutoKennel looked like an awesome car!!

I looked seriuosly at that car as well.......a closer look revealed some horrible welding on some of the structural areas.....central member, etc. An English enthusiast friend said they looked original! Yikes!