Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I thought I would share with you this mobilephone photo I snapped at my friend's place this afternoon. He is fabricating an Elan frame in brass sheet. This is the prototype, almost finished.

Andy

abstamaria wrote:I thought I would share with you this mobilephone photo I snapped at my friend's place this afternoon. He is fabricating an Elan frame in brass sheet. This is the prototype, almost finished.

Andy

20130126_161602.jpg

1/32nd scale no doubt

...as per the tape-measure in the background??

John

john.p.clegg wrote:...as per the tape-measure in the background??

John

Between us we've blown his cover, I think.
But no I was thinking of a fairly complex plastic kit with metal parts including an etched frame in brass; fold & solder along the seams job.
I sold one via this forum a few years ago; too much for my weary eyes to build.
John

GrUmPyBoDgEr wrote:1/32nd scale no doubt

Tasty though!!

GrUmPyBoDgEr wrote:1/32nd scale no doubt

Well I suppose it would be perfect for "Grumpy"

I have one of those kits with the brass chassis frame, and I think that it is about 1/32 scale. The frame in the picture looks to be about 12 inches long judging by the measuring tape in the background, which would make it 1/8 scale I guess.

John Larkin

types26/36 wrote:

GrUmPyBoDgEr wrote:1/32nd scale no doubt

Well I suppose it would be perfect for "Grumpy"

A "Gunzo" for "Grumpy"

I knew I'd remember the name sometime today.

On reflection that frame does look a lot more solid than the tiny Gunzo frame


Ooops did I remember be buggered!!

"Gunze Sangyo" is about the right name not bloomin' Gunzo

(with thanks to my guardian angel the "silent onlooker" )

Haha. Yes, you?ve blown my cover, John, John. It?s 1/8 scale and built from scratch by my friend of long standing. He is an engineer and, after early retirement, set up a shop to build very high-quality replica Sevens, Cobras, MG TCs, Porsche Speedsters, and others for a hobby. He started with MG TC replicas. He wanted to make as many parts as he can, so cast those wheels and carved the window frames by hand. It uses NOS Triumph Herald engines, with twin SUs, and also suspension, but it looks and feels like the real thing.

For context, I have included photos below of one of his TCs ....



one of the several Speedsters he made, next to my TC (an original one) ...



the interior of the Speedster ...



one of his Cobras at his shop, nearing completion ...



and, finally, at one of our hillclimbs, one of the 550 Spiders.



He sold his shop a year ago and, following a suggestion I made to him before, set about making the scale-model frame. My friend is turning 75 next week.

Andy

My friend wanted to surprise me when I visited, so I didn't bring a camera. But you can see the detail in this phone snapshot. It has taken him two years to plan and measure, and decide on the tools, like a small folding brake, for the job. I gave him my original Elan frame, which hangs in his garage, and he has the workshop manual drawings, so the measurements are pretty exact.



I just told him that the drain holes at the bottom the front turrets were my modification, so I am not sure he will incorporate those in the final models. He plans to use a thinner gauge, as the thicker gauge used here didn?t allow for the chassis holes to be dimpled in. He is making a die for that purpose.

This all began when told him it would be great to have a metal Elan frame on my office desk.

Best,

Andy

Hello Andy,
For something else...
I found your post as I was questing for references of my rare 1961 MGTC herald based replica, and lo and behold found a photo and discription of your friends tc replica and his building a.o. Tc replica history.
I've been trying very hard to find information already for a while on this greatly built replica and would appreciate if you could help me further in this, I am currently working on the car to address some technical issues and it has been imported from the US where it drove around in California.
Also for the dutch registration process any reference of it's history and make would be welcome.
Thanks, Len Andre, Netherlands