Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

What no more info? It has all gone quiet.

I am restoring 26-S2-37 in Australia.
We also have 26-S2-40 down-under and also a couple of 26R S1's. We've recently lost one to the UK.
I think a total of 6 came to Australia. My car did European ( Nurburgring, Montlehery) and UK (Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Snetterton) duty before being imported to Australia in 1967.

Regards
Andrew

Hi Andrew


That was started in the For Sale section. It belonged here so thats where I put it. A lot has happened since it was started. The forum has had its ups and downs and some of the contributers have come and gone, I have changed my user name and Pete thinks I should be elsewhere doing something completely different. Please do add some more to this topic as it have been well received and has been viewed by many that have a passing interest in the history of the Elan and the 26r (all 500 by now).

Gary E. Anderson

we seem to have a lot of self appointed experts and personal vendettas but little real knowledge in this thread. it is little wonder that i have not had a single helpful reply to my appeals for information about our elan (club lotus ,of which i am a long time member, were much better). since discovering the car i have unwittingly been involved in the sort of unpleasantness seen in this thread and were the car not such a unique little thing i would wish that i had never seen it.
come on guys, grow up, leave the personal feuds out and if you know anything about the subject post it and don't go off subject.

elj221c wrote::shock:

Indeed!

The ex-Ian Walker car has a new owner in Brazil, he raced it at Laguna Seca towards the end of last year; good to see that it has not retired to a museum.

http://www.dave-anderson-photo.com/Cars/Racing/Monterey-Historics-at/18793405_9PtzFP/1583115874_RpWd4SP#!i=1583119734&k=3qqDKw5

A local guy Marc Schagen has just published a book on all the Lotus historic sports and racing car in Australia after many years of research.

The five 26R's he lists are as follows with the orginal and current owners. The book has all the details in between

26-R-25 Imported by the Georghegans in 64 one of the orginal lotus racers and dealers here for another racer Fred Gibson. Last owner he lists is Peter Backhouse a local twin cam parts supplier and restorer here in Melbourne. i have never seen the car in his workshop or seen it race so I dont know if he still has it.
26-R-48 Imported by Georghegans in 65, rebuilt from damage when burnt in factory fire in 1972 and lives in Perth WA
26-R-49 Imported by Georgehans and sold to Bob Jane another well known Australian racer. car went back to the Uk post 2001
26-S2-37 Bought by Doug Macarthur from Peter Mould in Uk in 67 and brought out to Australia. Andrew who posted on this thread has this one
26-S2-40 Imported by Georghegans for Bill Gates ( not the current one, an Australian radio personality) Vaughan who posts here has this.

regards
Rohan

PS you will find my S4 FHC 36/8555 on page 161

Hi all especially Ed

Att'd are copies of a letter and build cards recieved by a current owner of a 26R direct from the Lotus Factory archivist in 1984!!!!!!


I think you will all agree that this proves beyond doubt that the factory DID have records of production for the 26R's and the details on the cards, which are identical to the cards used for the Lotus 7 and 23's had been transferred to a hand written list.

Unfotunately Peter Brand the then historian has sadly passed away and the wherabouts of the cards is unclear. However it appears that the list I have a copy of was probably prepared by Peter as a qick reference as it includes all the details from the cards.

Hopefully this should put to bed the assumption by some members of the forum that these records never existed.
regards
Dave

twincamman wrote: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

I rest my case
Dave

Well that seems pretty conclusive to me - actual documents from the Lotus Archivist at the time. Pretty difficult to argue with though I am sure it will be tried.

and true to my word Im outa here ed 26 2 33 but just so you dont sleep too soundly 26R s2 33 is still regestered with the govenment the number on the tag READS THAT and the ownership still reads that number and is legit ----- it never fails to amaze me at the sudden access to these records that suddenly appear to support your claims when no one else in the world ' Lotus included ' seem to have acess to them you guys must be getting writers cramp -ed-- HAVE A GOOD DAY

elanfan1 wrote:Well that seems pretty conclusive to me - actual documents from the Lotus Archivist at the time. Pretty difficult to argue with though I am sure it will be tried.

Well 19 years after the time actually ! - and how many owners and rebuilds will an old racing car have had after 19 years let alone 49 years to muddy the waters with its identiy trail of bits scattered about. I personally have trouble remembering what I did last week but I know you could build at least 2 cars from the bits of my Elan that have come and gone in the last 30 years of racing and claim them both as genuine.

Not trying to argue the point just trying to highlight that you need to not take all of this to seriously, we are not in a court of law here.


cheers
Rohan

Rohan - I'm not sure what having a collection of parts sufficient to build 2 cars from has to do with the factory themselves having records of 26R cars. This is about the factory being proven to have had 26R records from the period and not whatever shennanigins take place in the murky world of replicas at a later date. Sure you could create 2 cars and muddy the history of a particular car but that does not in itself change the fact that Lotus had an original record of the original car.

Steve

Hi Rohan

I agree
The very nature of a race car means that it spends a lot of time being rebuilt, modified with usually at least 1 spare engine and in the case of most Elans not even looking remotely like they did when they left the factory.

That is why most of the 26R's still around have new shells,chassis and suspension components.

The only reason I posted this information, which was recently sent to me by another member of the forum, was to show that the factory did possess Production records for these cars.

Dave

twincamman wrote:and true to my word Im outa here ed 26 2 33 but just so you dont sleep too soundly 26R s2 33 is still regestered with the govenment the number on the tag READS THAT and the ownership still reads that number and is legit ----- it never fails to amaze me at the sudden access to these records that suddenly appear to support your claims when no one else in the world ' Lotus included ' seem to have acess to them you guys must be getting writers cramp -ed-- HAVE A GOOD DAY

Posted as a matter of record before Ed decides to edit again! Bordering on libelous I'd say!

what is the point of all this bickering, i suspect it is money, a 26r is not going to go any better or win more than a carefully constructed s1 or 2 gts, but as an original it worth more therefore people are desperate to prove that theirs left the factory as a 26r. i think that some of the posts on this thread say a lot more about the posters than they do about elans.