Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hello everybody.
This is my first post , I have recently joined Elan.net as I am sort of interested in an Elan (I currently have an early S1 Elise which I love). Anyway a guy local to me has some wishbones steering column and rack from a Triumph Herald or Vitesse which he thinks would also fit a baby Elan.
Does anyone know if this is true?
Also is there a list somewhere indicating where the many non Lotus specific parts were originally sourced from for the Elan?

Welcome!

There is a book by Robinshaw and Ross that has a list. Otherwise try the Golden Gate Lotus Club.

Wishbones No
The Rack is the basis for the elan rack, but there are modified bits and the trackrods are different - search and read on this site.

leader400 wrote:baby Elan

What is one of those?
Do you mean an Elan?

Some of that information is in the book:
"Authentic Lotus Elan and Plus 2 1962-1974" by Paul Robinshaw and Christopher Ross

Published by: Motor Racing Publications Ltd, Unit 6 The Pilton Estate, 46 Pitlake, Croydon VR0 3RY

ISBN 0-947981-95-0

AHM wrote:Welcome!

There is a book by Robinshaw and Ross that has a list. Otherwise try the Golden Gate Lotus Club.

Wishbones No
The Rack is the basis for the elan rack, but there are modified bits and the trackrods are different - search and read on this site.

leader400 wrote:baby Elan

What is one of those?
Do you mean an Elan?

Thanks for the welcome and the info.
I refer to the car as a Baby Elan to separate it from the +2 and the M100

"Baby Elan" tends to grate on Elan owners, some of us prefer just "Elan" as it is the first of them or "Two-seater Elan" if you really need to distinguish it from the Plus 2 varieties.

Until I joined this forum I'd never come across the term "baby Elan"; it does not particularly bother me but it does, imho, put folks who use it into the category of people who have never (by accident of design) been in one of these fragile devices sideways at over 100mph on a wet road.

Where and why did this expression come into being?

leader400 wrote:I refer to the car as a Baby Elan to separate it from the +2 and the M100

Exactly!
Elan, +2, M100

Hi,
I first heard/saw this term for an Elan way back in the early 1980?s. An up and coming pair of lads later to be known as Christopher Neil used it to distinguish parts in their spares list.
Ron.

Craven wrote:Hi,
I first heard/saw this term for an Elan way back in the early 1980?s. An up and coming pair of lads later to be known as Christopher Neil used it to distinguish parts in their spares list.
Ron.

Me too & doesn't bother me in the slightest

Maybe we should start using the term " Grown-up Elan " for the Plus2...it could have an effect on the current under valuation?

John

lets put it this way: they all are babies! when we think about 'em every one is our lil BABY (elan, +2 and m100). 36/4982 sandy

Yes, let`s call 2 seater E types babyE types or 911 RSs baby. I`m Jim and not very tall and I know another Jim, about my age who is, but no-one calls me baby, as far as I know.
J

jimj wrote:Yes, let`s call 2 seater E types babyE types or 911 RSs baby. I`m Jim and not very tall and I know another Jim, about my age who is, but no-one calls me baby, as far as I know.
J

Who loves ya, Baby?

I always assumed that the term "Baby" was used to refer to the smallest car in the range or smallest anything in any range. It has nothing to do with age or precedence.

Is this thread eligible for the "Topic Drift Of The Week" award?

Welcome Leader400, it's fun here isn't it!