1966 elan coupe
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:01 am
Ive been meaning to post this and say hello for a few weeks now but middle age , christmas and lots of other excuses have prevented me from doing so , but the time has come!
My lotus history such as it is, was that I bought a series 4 elan probably 25 years ago. Being young(ish) and stupid I bought completely the wrong car for me. For a start I like series 3 cars and the car I had bought ( apart from being an s4) had been in a head on accident , the front end had been ripped off completely and the remains had been left outside, uncovered for a number of years. But I trailered the sorry remains home to my parents house and left it on their driveway .Over the next couple of years I spent money on it ,replacing this or repairing that but it was well beyond my abilities and in the end I sold it on and bought my first house.
So , 25 years later, round 2 of Lotus ownership. I wasnt actually looking to buy an elan at the time and if I had been it would have been a fully restored '67( year I was born) coupe se.But looking through classic and sportcars ad's last september I spotted a car that had my name written all over it . A 1966 coupe , partially dismantled, missing some big ticket items and sitting in Uxbridge , Massachusetts - perfect , not what I was looking for at all especially since I live in the UK. So of course I bought it . I bought it from Blackstone Motorcars who were brilliant and arranged the transport and shipping back to the UK. Its a right hand drive, according to Andy Graham sold to a Mr. J.Oldham in March 1966 ( 36/5468) , no engine number, body colour, registration number on their files sadly. Somehow it then ended up in the States , possibly since the early '70s and was sold only when the previous owner passed away and his brother sold the car to Blackstone motor cars.
Obviously the plan is to restore it fully , will need a new chassis the old one has been repaired and is missing the lower front brace , drivers side door is just a bare shell , wrong steering wheel and a million and one other things but it should keep me occupied for a while!
IMG_1948_1 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1952_1 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1998 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1973 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1953_1 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
My lotus history such as it is, was that I bought a series 4 elan probably 25 years ago. Being young(ish) and stupid I bought completely the wrong car for me. For a start I like series 3 cars and the car I had bought ( apart from being an s4) had been in a head on accident , the front end had been ripped off completely and the remains had been left outside, uncovered for a number of years. But I trailered the sorry remains home to my parents house and left it on their driveway .Over the next couple of years I spent money on it ,replacing this or repairing that but it was well beyond my abilities and in the end I sold it on and bought my first house.
So , 25 years later, round 2 of Lotus ownership. I wasnt actually looking to buy an elan at the time and if I had been it would have been a fully restored '67( year I was born) coupe se.But looking through classic and sportcars ad's last september I spotted a car that had my name written all over it . A 1966 coupe , partially dismantled, missing some big ticket items and sitting in Uxbridge , Massachusetts - perfect , not what I was looking for at all especially since I live in the UK. So of course I bought it . I bought it from Blackstone Motorcars who were brilliant and arranged the transport and shipping back to the UK. Its a right hand drive, according to Andy Graham sold to a Mr. J.Oldham in March 1966 ( 36/5468) , no engine number, body colour, registration number on their files sadly. Somehow it then ended up in the States , possibly since the early '70s and was sold only when the previous owner passed away and his brother sold the car to Blackstone motor cars.
Obviously the plan is to restore it fully , will need a new chassis the old one has been repaired and is missing the lower front brace , drivers side door is just a bare shell , wrong steering wheel and a million and one other things but it should keep me occupied for a while!
IMG_1948_1 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1952_1 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1998 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1973 by phil blackwell, on Flickr
IMG_1953_1 by phil blackwell, on Flickr