Elans at Race Retro

[EnfoKen]

There were a couple of special Elans at Race Retro this year. Classic Team Lotus featured Jim CLark's S1 997 NUR. Also for sale if you have a spare GBP 140,000 this early 26R. I have more images of both cars to post once I am back in California but thought I would get these up now.

[Elanintheforest]

Great photos as usual. I spent a long time pouring over 997NUR...what a gorgeous car! I also spent a good time chatting with Andy, the owner of the Team Lotus race Lotus Cortina KPU396C. That's a group 5 car with the McPherson struts removed and replaced with F1 style wishbones with coilovers, and very trick 4 link axle in the back. But it wasn't always that way.

It stated out as Colin Chapman's company car in June 1965, but only lasted for a few weeks as he heavily rolled it at a place that became known as 'Chapman's Curve'. The remains were brought back to the factory, and it was re-shelled into a race spec car over the winter of 1965. It was built to the new Group 5 specification which allowed the trick suspension, but the same grouping also allowed 911s and Alfa GTCs to run as 'saloon cars', giving the poor old Cortina a hard time during the 1966 season. So for 1967, Lotus built 2 new Mk 2 Lotus Cortinas with FVA engines, just to make sure!!

Andy bought the car in the late 80s from a scrapyard in Scotland for a fairly large sum (at the time) of ?5000.....you can add 2 more zeros to that price now.

Mark

[trw99]

Yep, great shots, thanks Ken.

Mark, I thought Chapmans Curve was Hethel way. Am I getting confused? Entirely likely.

Tim

[Elanintheforest]

It could be Chapman's bend! Or Hill....or something like that. I'll dig it out, but of course, it was around Cheshunt somewhere.

Mark

[RedS4]

Am I seeing wheel nuts as well as spinners on the 26R?

[elansprint71]

997 NUR- amazing what can be done with a few bits and pieces from a scrap-yard.