Value of an Elan Sprint project please

[twincamman]

AS ARRIVED

45OO DOLLARS

[pharriso]

WELL---- THERES THE CAR ---4500 DOLLARS ?ED

Sold!

Ed I'll pick it up at the weekend!

[jimj]

But not recently for $4500 and not in the UK.
Jim

[twincamman]

OK 1 nobody in their right mind wants a torn apart Lotus 2 only a masochist would subject his money and copious amounts of time and heart break to reclaim an old elan to drivability [mine was 5 years and 5000 dollars plus the purchase price and it still goes on and on ] 2 any one who does restore a Lotus faces the?... [ ?oh my thats not correct or in 19whatever Lotus did it this way bullspit ] 3 and you wont have to pay through the nose for a dash lamp for your dash that says ?you engine expired two seconds ago because it once fell into a 26R??.Really go and buy a Mazda Miata ?its a lotus the Japanese bought and copied and it works and wont break down in East Overshoe anyplace at 2 in the morning, and if it does you can get parts !.They are reliable as an anvil and work 10 times better . Alas I know you will disregard the words of wisdom here ?.DONT DO IT ?all the hours I spent in the garage my friends with Miatas were driving and doing far more interesting things than laying in a garage floor in oil spills and their hands and finger nails were always clean and never bleeding ?..ed

[prezoom]

Bargins are still out there. Thanks to Cal44 for the heads up, I owe him big time, this last Tuesday, I purchased a 1965 S2 project. The car was a stalled/abandoned mod, from a street car to what was to be a dedicated autocross vehicle. The body now has very large flares, front and rear, and has been sort of sanded down to the original color in some places. Other than that and a broken front bumper, a dash that will have to be replaced, and of course a complete interior make over, and a new top/hood, the car is remarkable shape.

Apparently, the mod progression started while the car was still a street car, with the engine turned into a tall block conversion with a ported Weber cylinder head and cam shafts of an unknown origin. The compression ratio had also been raised to another unknown number. The engine and transmission have not been disassembled or removed from the car, and the engine is complete with Weber carbs, airbox, intake hose and stock air cleaner assembly still intact. Turns out, I have known he engine builder for over 40 years and a call to him to turn on the "way back machine", got him to vaguely remember the build, but not the source of cams and the compression ratio. About 5k miles were put on the engine prior to its 25 year hibernation. The standard close ratio transmission remains, and the differential appears to be the stock 3.9.

The car is remarkably complete, with only one S2 emblem, the main top hoop (the other two are there along with the cant rails) and a single windshield washer arm are missing. Rough shape but nothing some loving care wouldn't make right.

The only niggly problem I can see, which is of little consequence, is that prior to the decision to turn into an autocross car, the original subframe was replaced with a new frame of Lotus origin. The PO, did not understand the difference between the subframe and the chassis and the vehicle's title was changed and a Kalifornia VIN was assigned, and the original chassis/engine number plate is missing. But that will not be a problem. The existing title has turned up missing, but the PO has the last registration slip, so a new title can be issued to the PO and then transferred to me. In looking through a box with some of the removed parts, the camshaft specification card was found with all the cams data. One step out of the way.

The best part was this package was obtained for less than $3500 and only 25 miles from home.

Rob Walker
26-4889

[AHM]

Even a sprint Yeh?

So, it's a Sprint...look at it this way - that means it was the last of the line that wouldn't sell so they spruced it up a bit...... an S4 with a sticker down the door! so er yeah! and especially one in boxes!

The S3 is probably the prettiest, and the S2 probably the purest design but oooh the S1 rear lights.... choices choices!

Ed. You should put that up as a poll - Should have bought a Miata /MX5

[twincamman]

Well I just wanted to give a heads up .Otherwise it will just be another abandon project . I have done a lotus 7 a Europa and a Bug eye and the ?lan was the most difficult and time and money consuming Much more than than my daughters 65 VW or my sons mini ......Ed

[Messer]

Whilst I appreciate all advice if I wanted a mazda I would buy one but I don't

It won't be an abandoned project either. My cortina I took a great deal of care to restore and retain as much of its originality as possible for example I sold a lotus twincam to help pay for the ?2000 rebuild of its original GT pre crossflow engine. The cortina was a wreck when I got it having been stood since 1979 and was a main front page feature car this year in classic Ford magazine. I also restored to a very high standard a 1966 vw splitscreen camper so42 westfalia and imported small parts from all over the world at high expense to maintain its original features.

I'm saying this as it's easy to think this guy doesn't have a clue and has no chance, I didn't know a thing about the GT when I started but I'm pretty thorough with my research.

So this would never be another abandoned project if it does land in to my possession.

[jimj]

Messer, I`m intrigued by your farmer pal who goes to Japan in august. Does he grow Christmas trees? Back on track; values in the Uk are much stronger than the USA and whatever personal preferences it does seem that Sprint values are a bit higher.
The sort of restoration you`re contemplating will, clearly, be first class and you`ll have a top end car. With future values in mind it`s even more important at the top end that everything is right. Any old complete car, even a complete mess, will sell for ?10K plus. A complete basket case Sprint is rarer so add some if it`s all genuine. It will be expensive to do but the value will be there at the end these days.
Jim

[Messer]

Ha ha. He imports motorbikes mainly classic 2 strokes.

The restoration will be first class I take my time to try to ensure all of the small details are done right as that is what makes the difference.

I just don't like being out of pocket at the end hence I don't want to pay over the odds for the initial project.

Queue the comments that you never get back what you put in to a car but I beg to differ if you buy smartly. I have an eye for a bargain and always hunt for the best prices for parts that's what I enjoy doing plus I run my own company so van spend as much time on my pc scouring the Internet as I please

I was thinking of offering him about 7k and seeing where we go from there he can only tell me to get lost.