Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Holy cow !!

JimE wrote:The one and only time I was at Paul Mattys (several years ago) he was saying you were looking at ?50k for full restoration so call that ?60K now.

<Gulp!>

JimE wrote:The one and only time I was at Paul Mattys (several years ago) he was saying you were looking at ?50k for full restoration so call that ?60K now.

A full and proper restoration to a car cherished by the owner to his or her taste has got to be worth ?60,000. Personally now that I have the time and soon will have the garage resources I would do most of the work myself and save ?30,000 at least.

Today I heard somebody moan about spending ?2500 on an old Scimitar to get it roadworthy, I was a bit jealous at how thrifty that is. Then I realised that it was an old Scimitar and not an Elan........ no comparison

Hey Alan, be careful !! I have a Scimitar GTE too. It was our family car in the 70s, first bought in 1972, so a bit special for us. I re-bought it 5 years ago as a wreck and completely rebuilt it at a cost of nearly ?9k. It drives beautifully, almost as well as the +2 it replaced..... really I know I won't get my money back.... yet, whereas the Elan was rebuilt for less than that and is worth maybe twice what it cost me and is still appreciating. Just making the point that I think 'old Scimitars' are very under-valued

Geoffers71 wrote:Hey Alan, be careful !! I have a Scimitar GTE too. It was our family car in the 70s, first bought in 1972, so a bit special for us. I re-bought it 5 years ago as a wreck and completely rebuilt it at a cost of nearly ?9k. It drives beautifully, almost as well as the +2 it replaced..... really I know I won't get my money back.... yet, whereas the Elan was rebuilt for less than that and is worth maybe twice what it cost me and is still appreciating. Just making the point that I think 'old Scimitars' are very under-valued

If they were good enough for Princess Ann!

Wish I had a quid for everytime someone told me that Oh, and they catch fire too

Geoffers71 wrote:Wish I had a quid for everytime someone told me that Oh, and they catch fire too

An old boy ( must have been at least 50) was lusting over Kermit today, he told me he owned a Marcos back in the day and was following a Scimitar into Eastbourne when it burst into flames ( the Scimitar not the Marcos)

Thanks for all the good advice, both here and in PM's.
Here are a few more pics...

If originality is important to you then you need to change the 1978 world championship badge for a 1972 one. Same for the dashboard where yours as an extra instrument bezel on the left of the radio which is not on original cars. It's a personal choice at the end of the day. JIm

Originality is one thing, but history is another.

It looks a great project, I like the confirmed Lotus involvement to update, improve or just alter to a customers taste.

Just handing the car to a restorer with an open cheque book would not be my advice. Rather I would advise project managing the rebuild, it may seem daunting but you will save all the little unique features and add to the history rather than wiping everything and starting with a clean sheet.

A careful dismantling and storing of the interior followed by separating the body from the chassis would be the first stage, the rolling chassis could then be consigned to a specialist for checking/repairing/replacing, the body could go off for a respray, the big mechanical parts could be reconditioned. Then put it all back together in the knowledge that your door cards, dash switches, instruments, window frames, whatever are actually the parts you started with and that any replaced parts were your choice due to the existing genuinely being past saving.

All that said, it's not an easy task, so the alternative would be to choose a specialist that you can work with who will be sympathetic to the car and its history. Paul Matty would be a good starting point to go and discuss, it costs nothing at that stage.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Hi to all,
I have had an Elan in my life in various forms,I have raced them,restored them,and generally loved them throughout my adult life.When the subject of a Sprint 5 came up here,due to some of the replies here,I felt compelled to write a response,which is a first for me.I have a genuine Sprint 5,which is thought to be the Earls Court show car of 72,although not confirmed.There is no doubt over the provenance of the car,so why is it,that some people still doubt or question the existence of these rare examples.I am privileged to be able to start a full sympathetic restoration of my Sprint 5,which remains largely original,unrestored, and in excellent pre-restoration condition.Interestingly the Sprint 5 badge that my car came with from the factory,is not the one that we are all traditionally used to seeing,and seems to lend credence to the fact that this car,was a last minute thought by Lotus to throw a car together for an event like the motor show.This car is on the original chassis,which will be interesting to see how it was modified for the 5 speed gearbox,as I have not yet had time to really work on the car as yet,due to other work commitments.The engine has never been apart,and the gearbox functions perfectly,and the car has covered approximately 100k kilometres, as it is a left hand drive,European spec car.If it is of interest to the enthusiasts here,I would be willing to share the restoration process,in picture format, if people are interested.
Regards,Roy.

Roy, please start a new thread for the restoration of your Sprint. I'm definitely interested and especially
interested in how Lotus modified the car for the 5 speed gearbox. Thanks.

The only significant change needed to the chassis is a second set of captured nuts for the different gearbox rear mounting bracket location. The replacement Elan Chassis i got from Lotus in the early 80's had both sets and the 5 speed box could have gone straight in with the same gearbox mount that was on my 5 speed +2.

The other changes to fit the 5 speed are around the clutch and tail shaft not the chassis itself, though the chassis and body and trim cutout around the gear lever may need some subtle changing as the clearances required for the longer throw 5 speed box are a little different.

cheers
Rohan