Which Elan is this?

[Sarah Ryan]

Hi the tail lights are from a 69 fiat 850 sports coupe!

[Sarah Ryan]

Hi the rear lights are from a 69 Fiat 850 coupe.

[franciscolalas]

Thanks a lot for you replies!

To the present date we know the following:

- Rusty chassis (thanks Bart Jan)

- Fiat 850 sports coupe rear lights

- Probably a S2 and 1/2

- Non standard air box and 26R rear arches

I've never seen an Elan S2 and 1/2, does anybody have more details about this series? And photos?

Do S2 and 1/2 have the window frame, electric windows and the S3 boot lid?

Francisco

[garyeanderson]

Thanks a lot for you replies!

To the present date we know the following:

- Rusty chassis (thanks Bart Jan)

- Fiat 850 sports coupe rear lights

- Probably a S2 and 1/2

- Non standard air box and 26R rear arches

I've never seen an Elan S2 and 1/2, does anybody have more details about this series? And photos?

Do S2 and 1/2 have the window frame, electric windows and the S3 boot lid?

Francisco

Eric, your up...

Gary

[1964 S1]

Yep, I'm currently answering Francisco's pm, apologizing and explaining that the 1/2 designation is a small joke.
I think it's just an S3 or S4 that's been messed with... (windscreen is not type 26.) I haven't looked at the links but it would help tremendously to get some vin/unit number.
Eric

[garyeanderson]

Below is what was gleaned from several different sources, some of it may even be correct. One thing that is correct is that the engine number given in the advertizment on ebay. There is somthing funny about this one, What happened between 1967 and 1973? dealers car, accident, theft recovery, who knows...
Gary

Early cam cover and early(er) rear view mirror... as far as i can see, maybe S3 or S2 arches. flat bonnet, maybe S3 door handles. All suggesting Series 3.

...but

Advertiser says it's an S3 produced in 1973(?!) registered in 1980.

Away from home now but how do the engine/chassis No.s tally:
ENGINE No LP7879LA/A CHAS No TWI4154

Not indignant, just curious about history.

unit number 7014
Engine number LP7879
invoiced 7-Nov-67 (or 11-Jul-67 depending on if date month was swapped) according to Sports Car World Elan listing.

Looks like a small discrepency

[Bart Jan van der Ceelen]

When I looked at this car last year, I browsed the documentation that came with the car. I think I remember seeing a bill indicating that the chassis was replaced mid- or late 1980's.

This could explain the TW14154 chassis number?

[ppnelan]

Geez you guys, if you look closely at the tailights, headrests, center console and gauge placement it's easy to tell it's an S 2 and 1/2.

I think the tail lights look more Italian than Lucas...
And the transmission tunnel 'trim'(?!) looks rather home-made !
Would make a good project for someone if the price was right, but that 'V' registration is off-putting. Perhaps it is a 'Bitsa' - a 1970s write-off reincarnated in 1980 with a 'new' rear end and any other parts that were close to hand

Matthew

[franciscolalas]

No worries Eric!

I've sent an email to Lotus and was something like this:

"Hi, I'm about to import a Lotus Elan to Portugal. The car does not have a Homolgation here. Can you provide the homolgation form?

The chassis number is TW14154 and engine number is LP-7879-LA/A.

Can you also find the date of manufacture and the model.

Best regards

Francsico Figueiredo"

Let's see what they have for us!

Probably will be something like the chassis was replaced, and the original chassis number was 45/7014 and that was manufactured on the 11th of June 1967!

Let's wait! Any bets?

[billwill]

I suppose the REAL question, is not so much how the car got like it is today, but is it worth buying?


Already it is pretty obvious it is no good to anyone who wants an exact classic Elan.

I'd want an independent inspection (AA or RAC) since there seems to be a suspicion that the chassis is rusty. That's not a problem unless it has rusted LOTS. A good cleanup, anti-rust (CuRust) treatment and good paint will stop it rusting further.

Even if the chassis was changed in the late 70s (as seems highly likely) that chassis will have rusted a bit since then (30 YEARS). Mine has, despite me putting 6-layers of Hammerite on the new chassis at the time. [ I got mine just BEFORE, Lotus started galvanising the replacement chassises.

And then I'd want a really good test drive, to see whether that wider rear axle handles OK on the twists. [ What did they do? Fit the wider A-frames and half-shafts from a Plus 2 ? ]

Has it got a doughnut rear axle or a non-standard sliding splines one?

[franciscolalas]

Hi Bill, from what I've seen only the wheel offset is responsible for the increase in width.

Francisco

[billwill]

Hi Bill, from what I've seen only the wheel offset is responsible for the increase in width.

Francisco

Oh, I see, A relatively minor change, compared to what I was thinking.

[garyeanderson]

The rear width can be increased with the use of the Plus2 rear hubs and will add a full inch to the rear track with just that swap. I forget what the offset difference is between the plus 2 wheels (5 1/2 inch) and the stock Elan wheel (4 1/2 inch) but it does push things out some. I had them on my S4 DHC with small diameter springs and 175/70 x 13 Goodyear tires. The back was tight but took some 36 grit sandpaper on the tires to make enough clearence so they wouldn't foul the arch. The fronts were more troublesome and I tore off the arch return lip reversing with the wheel turned. Here is a photo of the Elan with the Plus 2 wheels

S4 with Plus 2 wheels minimal arch clearance with 175/70 x 13 Goodyear Eagle ST


shows relitive height (width on Elan) differences between the type 36 hubs and type 50 hubs.


getting technical with the tape measure, just ove 1/2 inch


The green car under discussion hear has at the least plus2 wheels in the back, the fronts are stock Elan wheels. If, when they put the arches on the back and it needed more width to fill them then possibly it has had the plus 2 hubs in the back. I don't know about the front but I believe Russ Newton told me the Plus 2 front hubs are also wider.

[billwill]

Cooo!

Had you been looking last Sept, & knew where to look you could have bought this Evante with only 1,285 miles on the clock for less than they are asking for the Elan of this topic.

http://www.motorbase.com/auctionlot/by-id/1411807866/


In fact this one might still be for sale:
http://www.carandclassic.com/car/C39389
The dealer clearly does not quite understand what he has got as he says it has a 1700 Venture twin cam engine; that clearly should be VEGANTUNE not Venture (OTOH, it was probably a Microsoft Spell Chucker that substituted Venture )

[robcall]

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.s ... ectionNo=2

This car has had the original engine replaced.The chassis no. is suss.
Not much Lotus will be able to tell you...