A new home for the Elanbulance ...

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

That picture reminds me of the Buildings that were remaining at the "Miramas" circuit (not far from Marseilles / Arle).
When BMW built their High speed & Handling testing tracks there they were in the process of ripping down all of the old buildings.
I told the management that it was sacrilege to do so & did manage to get the Grandstand saved.
I hope that something can be done to save those historic Buildings at Riems & that they could be put to some sort of associated use.

Cheers
John

[barefoot]

I see someone has a CCM there! I used to run the rideouts in the Lakes and the supermoto track days with Austin Clews had lots of fun great bikes.

Kev

[69S4]

I see someone has a CCM there! I used to run the rideouts in the Lakes and the supermoto track days with Austin Clews had lots of fun great bikes.
Kev

I did one of the Lake District rideouts about 10yrs ago. Great value and a really great day despite managing to break my thumb I was impressed with the bikes and when I wanted to replace a Honda XR600 that I'd used for a couple of overland trips to West Africa the CCM ticked most of the boxes - particularly the one labeled price! In the pic the bike was in "desert shakedown mode" as I was intending overlanding to Mali on it last Dec /Jan but a foot injury put that on hold.

Just about everyone warned me that CCMs were so unreliable that it'd breakdown before I got off my drive but after a bit of post purchase fettling it's been exactly the opposite, virtually nothing has gone wrong in 5 yrs. Just as well, trying to keep the Elan going


Stuart

[barefoot]

Stuart

I most prob led your group or the other I had a TVR at the time was it on White X Bay campsite at the log cabins that we set off from?

Kev

[69S4]

Hi Kev

It was a long time ago - can hardly remember the year nevermind the details. I'm pretty certain it was '98. I was working at Silverstone at the time and there was bunch of us who went - mainly instructors but some others - mechanics etc. I was the circuit photographer at the time. We were split into two groups as some them had an mx background and they set off on one wheel up a vertical cliff face while the rest of us went round and round the car park singing nursery rhymes for a while before you took the training wheels off

We stayed in the log cabins I seem to remember. It was April and the cabins were bl**dy freezing

I managed to break my thumb by getting it trapped in the stand hinge as it swung up. I was lying across the bike recovering after pushing it out of yet another bog and took too much weight off of it so the stand automatically came up. A stupid system that I've changed on my bike.

That not withstanding I had a great day and learnt a lot, much of which got put to good use in the Sahara a few years later. I still can't ride in deep sand though and have to get off and push.

And now back to the main topic ......


Stuart

[barefoot]

Stuart

Yeah I remember you guys from Silverstone if memory serves me correctly you brought a couple of women with you that worked there. I took out the "good" group a couple of them had MX experience and were pretty good they really enjoyed the day though a couple were well and truly knackered when we got back to camp!

Happy days....sorry for taking the topic so far astray !

Kev

[trw99]

For sale again. It really is a nice Elan and tastefully reupholstered when Malcolm owned it. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1971-Lotus-El ... 9892909255

Tim

PS I rather enjoyed the way this thread drifted. And now it's back on topic. Just shows it can work!

PPS Some old names on this thread; sadly we see very little of them these days.

[elansprint71]

Anyone know where the other one is?

[trw99]

Yes Pete, the blue one JLX 629K is in Sweden and owned by a Mr Lief Ohlsen.

Tim

[elansprint71]

Yes Pete, the blue one JLX 629K is in Sweden and owned by a Mr Lief Ohlsen.

Tim

Thanks Tim, I was just wondering if it was in the shed at the bottom of my garden with those 26/Rs, Shapecrafts and BRMs.

[Spyder fan]

For sale again. It really is a nice Elan and tastefully reupholstered when Malcolm owned it. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1971-Lotus-El ... 9892909255

Tim

PS I rather enjoyed the way this thread drifted. And now it's back on topic. Just shows it can work!

PPS Some old names on this thread; sadly we see very little of them these days.

Tim,
I spotted the Ebay ad on one of my regular weekly searches for Lotus & Elan. I like my cars to be at least a little bit unique or exclusive and I was just thinking to myself, that's one of 2 cars recently for sale that I would have liked in my garage, the other one was the Metier +2 prototype that was for sale through Paul Matty, both ex Malcolm Ricketts cars. Although both cars have a price tag the wrong side of 50k GBP, we may all be kicking ourselves in the next few years that we didn't re-mortgage the house and say to hell with marital relationships, I don't think they will ever be this "cheap" again.

[trw99]

Alan

You would end up living in that smart new garage of yours! And you would have swapped SWMBO for Cars What Must Be Cherished...

May be we will kick ourselves. On the other hand, as long as cars like the Elanbulance, the Metier and that rather good BRM Elan go to the right owners, who look after them, use them and come to the occasional Lotus function, we should be okay.

Tim

[Spyder fan]

Tim,
This is about as close as I'm going to get this side of a d-i-v-o-r-c-e

[elansprint71]

Isn't the Metier in Japan now?

[Spyder fan]

Isn't the Metier in Japan now?

Off to Japan? That's a shame it's now so far away.

I have the VIN plate and log book for it, do you want to help me make a clone?

Seriously, it wasn't for sale for a whole lot of money, but I would have had to sell the zetec +2 to raise some of the cash and make room in the garaging department. I just don't like the car that much and the Elanbulance leaves me a little cold as well, they are curiousities rather than must haves.