26r identities and other info

[CBUEB1771]

Sorry for not giving the elite it's due and mentioning the components assembled/tagged elites as well . one more move off base before I return - did the elites ever get the lotus engineering tag ?

No apology needed, this is the Elan and +2 discussion group after all. I have never heard of a Lotus Engineering plate on a Type 14 Elite. I'll sniff around though.

[cabc26b]

Russ,

that would be neat, i suspect these deviations are not minded by most. and the recording of ID is an enigma with these cars - Oh ya, I have amend my earlier post again. team did a few cars out side of f1's like a handful..

George

[twincamman]

George ----according to my letter from Lotus ---[as I read it]'47 cars were built by the factory and a similar number by team ' ----so theres around 94 cars --now that raises the question how many ' escaped ' out the back door without chassis numbers and\ or with duplicate numbers and as kits ???? --now I dont know if components was refered to as 'factory' or if we are dealing with more cars here!!--ed

[garyeanderson]

Late 1958 through November 1966, this was the Cheshunt factory where production cars (Elite, Elan and Lotus Cortina) were assembled. LoCorts were in the upper half factory (see ramp in photo). If I am wrong, there is no booby prize but I thought this was "Lotus Cars". Then there was "Team Lotus" in the building on the left side of the photo and Lotus Components up in the loft, which were "production race cars", Seven kits, Elan kits and early on Elite kits.

The only cars (LoCort and Elan) that Team Lotus would have built up would have been for the "works drivers" the likes of Jim Clark possibly several others.

I am pretty sure that "we" are talking about "Lotus Components" as the source of 26r's. I am not saying that "team Lotus" didn't build or sell any but they would have been for Clark or a few select few drivers/races. I am sure if you had asked (big fist of cash) for an 26r with LHD they would have built it up that way. I know of a person from Maryland that went to the Factory to order his Super 100 Elite, he had specified LHD and that?s the way it came. If you know much about Elites, there was a spacer collar on the springs on the right hand side of a RHD car that lifted that side to compensate for the driver?s weight. Well on the specially orders LHD version, guess which side they were on, you got it, they had jacked the right hand side. So in the first race it was promptly rolled and hasn't turned a wheel since, So yes Lotus would make anything you wanted if you had that cash.
Ed, weather you Elan is the only LHD 26r or one of several I don't know but its really not up to any of us to decide, the onus is upon you to prove it is what you say it is if you want those skeptical folks from this group to believe you.

[cabc26b]

Good stuff.

On team - My research and understanding on what they were about was the running and racing of "Team" cars . you know, Team Lotus, Gold leaf team lotus , JPS etc. If a car was to be run by Team Lotus , then they prepared and or build it and could/would use team drivers. The vast majority of their activities during the period we are talking about was open wheel cars. There are some exceptions. However, team did not campaign the elan/26R. Sorry the letter pointing to team for all those cars is flat out wrong. BTW, when Clark drove an elan it was for a privateer ( Chequered Flag?) , Now on the Cortina it was, I think, a combo between ford & team lotus, with Clark ( Hill etc) driving the "team car" but not being a Cortina guy can't tell who was making the cars in the UK ( when Clark raced here is the US I think the cars were ford prepared).

I will go back to the 47 to underscore - The two revealed on boxing day , run by components, says so on the cars. In 1968 team campaigned 2 gold leaf cars. these cars are not Id/sequenced like the other 47's they were painted in gold leaf colors. and noted as such, everywhere. ditto the 62's a year later. The other 47's running around now painted GLTL colors, not team cars.

George

[twincamman]

Gary I dont not wish to 'prove ' any thing ---my car IS WHAT IT IS --------A LHD OLD RACER WITH STRESSED CHASSIS -SLIP REAR AXLES A DIFF PUMP AND COOLER -ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS 6 INCH X 13 MINI LIGHTS ETC ETC with the numbers on it -- my car speaks for its self ---he object here is to try to dispel some of the myths that are are being perpetuated regarding this series of autos ---I dont care who thinks what about my car ---I am interested is some hard facts and hard copy reguarding these cars --and to prevent some poor soul from being defrauded --that gives everbody a black eye --ed ------------------------------------------------------------------- it was far more fun with Beau and tats ----ed

[garyeanderson]

[Pastapesto]

Gary, Ed & all, I'm really enjoying this thread. Pleases keep it going.

Gary, when I read the list it looked to me like "Developments" & not "Dave Clements". Not sure what that means but maybe it went off for some development testing work - racing stuff ?

Regards to you all.

Adam

[garyeanderson]

Gary, Ed & all, I'm really enjoying this thread. Pleases keep it going.

Gary, when I read the list it looked to me like "Developments" & not "Dave Clements". Not sure what that means but maybe it went off for some development testing work - racing stuff ?

Regards to you all.

Adam

Adam

I couldn't read it so I guessed, I looked at it for a few minutes and just gave up and posted it, I knew someone would be able to read it and thought it was better to post than to let the topic die down.

I believe there are several members of the group that have these cars and have yet to hear from them. I don't know what reasons they have, maybe they feel that they will be taken to task like Ed has and don't need the aggravation from all of us, I don't know. If you do not want to post here get in touch with Dave Hughes (private mail is bigvalvehead) and have a chat with him, He is currently in the U.S. and would love to hear from you.

Gary

[ppnelan]

3387 is invoived to Possiblly Dave Clements??

Nice one...

The 'customer' name is listed as 'M24 Dev' which sounds like a Lotus project code (M20 was the +2).
Any one know what M24 was

Matthew

[cabc26b]

Lotus projects were prefixed with M

M2 = Elan
M2E = twincam

Different pen and hand for the r/elans, different time to, after the fact, how long ?

[twincamman]

Gary this is such a learning experience for me --very exciting -as I have just really had this serious Elan exposure for the time I have been building and driving the car -[ 4 years ] a relatively short time compared to many of you-but like anything else I do in life I attack it with tenacity and intensity --- many thanks --Beau --tell Gary hes not just another Pretty face---ed

[Pastapesto]

Hi Gary, Ed, Beau & all

Just to pick up on that earlier point, according to Robinshaw & Ross (Ron Hickmans additional notes in the later edition), "M24" was the project/codename for the S3 elan coupe. Don't know if that helps at all but I just thought I'd put that bit in.

Gary, just like ED, I am learning so much info on the 26R that I did not know. Thanks for that.


Regards

Adam

[elansprint71]

Of the 97 ELAN 26r's built by the factory, just over 350 of them are still on the road.

I think that is a remarkable survival rate.

[twincamman]

what I find remarkable is that we only have Gary's list of chassis numbers and my letter from archives and people will spend 200 000 plus dollars to buy a car reputed to be a 26R with no more than the DPO say so or some other self appointed experts opinion ---when any pre 70s elan could be equiped and run with more reliablility for 1/4 of the cost ------scary stuff indeed ---ed