Elan in the Dolomites

[Jas]

I thought I would share some pictures with you of the wife and mine trip to the Dolomites this may.
We drove from Copenhagen to Hamburg where we took the Autozug from Hamburg and it left us the next morning in Munich with blue skies and ready to head for the Stelvio pas. We only made it half way up the pas, as it was closed due to snow on the top. We camped at San Costantino near Bolzano and spend the next days touring some of the different passes in the area like Canazei Sella at 2240 meters.
We then travelled south a bit down to Riva at the Garda Sea and from there to Venice, it was our wedding anniversary after all?
After some days in the narrow and wet streets of Venice, it was nice to get back into the Elan again and head for the mountains. We had some days in the Cortina area and enjoyed the roads there, before heading for Munich and the train back home.

We did about 1800 miles and the car behaved better than expected, the engine got hot on the steep up hills of 10-17% when the temperature hit 100?C it was time for a picture break, but the weather was 30+?C.
The car only used 0.5 litres of engine oil, but 0.8 litres of diff. oil until I noticed and then it was too late, so now I waiting for a new diff. from Leslie of this forum.

[Old English White]

A long way for 10 very nice pictures ... This tell us that it's possible ...
Who's next !?!
Christian.

[69S4]

Your pictures certainly woke me up on a routine Thursday morning as I'm planning to do much the same in the next few weeks.

We have a flat in the mountains south of Grenoble and my project for the year is to get down there (and hopefully back) in the elan.
It'll be its first time out of the country - certainly in the 27yrs that I've owned it and knowing the po probably ever. All I've got to do is rebuild both sides of the rear suspension, change the water pump, convert the dynamo to an alternator, fit a new pre engaged starter and a new cooling fan. A quick run round the block to make sure it's reliable and I'm off.

Last summer I did the trip on one of my classic bikes but had my wife following in a Land Rover with a bike trailer! This year it's a solo effort.

Attached is a picture of the Honda last year near the col de Galibier .

Stuart

[Elanintheforest]

One of my favorite bikes EVER Stuart!
One of those sat alongside an H2 Kawasaki triple for those mad smokey moments would be perhaps my perfect classic pairing. What else is in the bike stable?

If there's an H2 I'm coming over for a looksee!
Mark

[jimj]

It`s great to hear (and see) of an Elan being really used. I`m always dismayed when I hear of Elans, or any old cars, just doing a few hundred miles between MOTs. Apart from wear and tear you have far fewer, hardly any, problems if the car is well maintained and well used.
Jim

[69S4]

No H2 in the stable, but I can do you an early psychotic H1

Sadly it was a choice between the H1 or the elan on the road this year as they both needed quite a bit of work.
Next year they should both be running and we've talked about retro touring in France with my wife /daughter in the Lotus
and my son and I on the Kawasaki.


Stuart

[andyelan]

Hi there

Six cylinder bikes, Kawasaki . Forget Zetecs, I wonder if a bored out Z1300 motor would go in my Plus 2

Andy

[collins_dan]

Jannik, The pictures are great. I sent them to my wife to inspire her. Also, how did you know you needed oil in the diff? This is something I would never think to check. Thanks. Dan

[Vanden Perre]

Jannik,
Congratulation.This is great. You did what I' am dreaming about since several years!!! Touring the Alps and on top of it the Stelvio. Tell me how is the road on the Stelvio Pass (at least what you have done). I read it was in bad state in some places. Is it true? Doesn't look to be the case on your photo but it is difficult to see.
Cheers.
Olivier.

[Jas]

Jannik, The pictures are great. I sent them to my wife to inspire her. Also, how did you know you needed oil in the diff? This is something I would never think to check. Thanks. Dan

I knew when I on the motorway back home heard a noise like a tram or straight cut gears.
I had changed
d the diff. seals this winter, so didn't think to check the diff. oil during the trip.
It turned out that the eight bolts that hold the two halves together had loosened up, and yes I had torqued them properly when doing the diff.
When we got home the oil and fuel pump had also loosened, will be sure to use Locktight next time.

[Jas]

Jannik,
I read it was in bad state in some places. Is it true? Doesn't look to be the case on your photo but it is difficult to see.
Cheers.
Olivier.

The road up Stilvio vas the narrowest and the one with the most holes that we went up, but not to bad to drive. But I could imagine that it would be a bit crowed during the season, since it is so popular and narrow.
We thought that the road up Sella was the prettiest, and it was wider and with good pavement, almost like a race track... there wasn't mush traffic when we were there.

[Jas]

We took the Wine Route from the Dolomites to the Garda Sea.
Great flowing roads not much traffic, apparently most people want to go on the motorway...
Here are some more pics.

[alaric]

Love the pictures. Once my car's on the road I'm keen to take it on similar trips. I was in the Cortina area a few years back climbing the via ferrata. There are some scary paths round that area - very high, very exposed, hanging on to a rusty old piece of metal driven into the rock. It was fun though.

Could we add a great drives section to the forum?

Sean.

[Carlos A]

Grest pictures, car and trip!