"New" 1967 Coupe

[PDXjunkman]

Greetings Lotus experts,

I just picked up a new garage mate for my S1. I have only had it for 6 hours but thought I would post a few known details and see if anyone else can ad to my limited research thus far.
The car is titled as a 1967 Elan coupe and the unit number is 5889. The car has a Weber head but ironically a power bulge hood as well.
I purchased the car from an older gentleman that has owned the car for 40 years. Among the history he related to me was that when he first purchased the car?.an insurance repossession it was painted red and white and that the valve cover had an emblem that read? This engine race prepared by Cosworth?
The car would not idle at all so the PO checked the cam timing he discovered that the car had Cosworth cams that were to radical for his purposes so he removed them and installed Piper II 8FY2.
Years later when he rebuilt the engine he recalls that it had a steel crank and very robust non-stock connecting rods.
The chassis appears very clean and rust free. The body and interior need complete restoration and the engine is currently not running but I am still pretty thrilled.
If I can recall how to post pics I will do so.
Thanks Silas

[StressCraxx]

Hello Silas,

Congrats on your new Elan. No worries about the bonnet. Some owners lost the bonnet if the latches were not adjusted correctly and they lost it from a passing truck's wake. The bonnet is likely a replacement.

Regards,
Dan Wise

[rgh0]

In late 67 and 68 many / most Elans came with the bonnet bulge regardless of whether they were Stromberg cars for the US market of Weber cars for other markets. My August 68 Elan which was originally a UK car and always with a Weber head came that way. With Lotus anything is possible as they would have fitted what they had in stock to get a car out the door but it appears that they standardised on the bonnet bulge for all Elans for a period there so it is probably original.

cheers
Rohan

[trw99]

Hi Silas

Your new acquisition came off the production line at Lotus on 24 June 1966. It obviously took a while to cross the pond!

Whilst Rohan is quite right about the use of anything that came to hand at Lotus, as we have all discussed before, Strombergs were not fitted until 1968 and it is therefore more than certain your bulged bonnet is a replacement, as Dan says.

For the sake of clarity, here is what I wrote in Feb last year: I get easily confused now! We discussed the Weber/Stromberg issue recently under the 'When did the bulged bonnet first appear' thread; 'fraid I haven't got time to dig it out of the archives right now. That's because I have just been checking the data. I can tell you the following:

The first car listed with the G type Federal Stromberg engine was 7691 of 27 May 68 with engine no 16000. This accords with the Service Parts List
The first K type domestic standard Stromberg engine was 8641 of 31 Jan 69 with engine no 17654
The first L type domestic SE Stromberg engine was 8600 of 1 Jan 69 with engine no 17653
The L & K have been transposed in the Service Parts List

The G type was fitted to all Federal S4s up to the introduction of the Federal Big Valve engine for production Sprints, two of which were made in Apr 71, series production getting underway in Jun 71
The last K type domestic standard Stromberg engine was car 0128C of 12 Feb 71 with engine no 23951
The last L type domestic SE Stromberg engine was car 9812 of 6 Aug 70 with engine no 22071.

The bonnet reverted to a flat design during the early months of Sprint production (Jan - Jun-ish 71), losing the bulge. Some of the S4/Sprints retained the bulged bonnet and as we know, so did some early Sprints, clearly as stock got used up at the factory. Having said that of course, all Federal Sprints had bulged bonnets as they retained Strombergs until the end of their production.

Tim

[Elanintheforest]

A great find Silas. 5889 was dispatched from the factory on 24th June '66, and the original engine number was LP6184...does it still have that engine?

I don't think that the bulge in the bonnet had been created then as no Stromberg cars were yet being produced, but if you're painting the car it's an easy fix to flatten it out if you want it to be as original. The bulge does look good though.

It's just a week or so earlier than the first S/E model for the type 36 as well, and a Pre-Aeroflow model (without the eyeball vents on the dash or the grilles on the rear roof pillars).

A very desirable model, and it would look quite special back in it's original red colour.

Mark

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Sounds like the "original" engine really was something very special.
Do you know if that crank & rods are still in it?

You new car sounds like it will be a bundle of fun when sorted.

Cheers
John

[Old English White]

Greetings Lotus experts,

I just picked up a new garage mate for my S1. I have only had it for 6 hours but thought I would post a few known details and see if anyone else can ad to my limited research thus far.
The car is titled as a 1967 Elan coupe and the unit number is 5889.
Thanks Silas

Hi Silas,
Happy to hear about a (so) close car from mine...
Pre-airflow cars seems to have a good chance of survey...
"OEW" chassis #36/5881.
Christian.

[Elan45]

Congrats on your new coupe. I love the pre-airflo coupes. Mine is about 300 units earlier.

I also have one of the Super Safety models made before 7400 when the manuals say SS model started. S3 Super Safety's still have Weber carbs but appear to be the first Elans to wear the bubble bonnet. If you ever decide to replace the bonnet with a flat one, I'd be interested in your bubble bonnet since a deer left mine with more cracks than I seem to be able to correct. Are you in North America.

Roger

[PDXjunkman]

Greetings,
Did some more cleaning and inspecting here is my brief update. Block is not stamped but it is a 116E casting. Head is stamped LP087. The chissis is numbers matching 36/5889.
Will try and post some new photos soon.
Cheers Silas