Elan Sprint Roll Bar

[Bahamayellow]

Views please should I keep the roll bar or ditch it?

I think it spoils the looks and as someone pointed out on here a while ago unless I was wearing a helmet the roll bar would probably do more damage to my head than not having it. Its a Safety Devices one fitted by the PO and has no attachment for head restraint as opposed to the Spyder roll bar which does.

Mines the one with the roll bar the other is up for sale but both are early Sprints in Bahama Yellow

[tedtaylor]

my Sprint had a roll bar installed by original owner. the very 1st thing that I removed from the car. i'm 6'6" and need all the leg room possible. I could not put the car seat all the way back due to the rollbar in place.
yes, I thought they look cool, but I like originality and love the looks of the car without it. I've never looked back since....

[Davidb]

I am normal height and the first thing I added was a roll bar identical to yours!
One extra advantage is that you can easily attach a rear wind deflector to it.
Another is you add a high mounted brake light-those SUVs just look over you and don;t see you!

[pharriso]

my Sprint had a roll bar installed by original owner. the very 1st thing that I removed from the car. i'm 6'6" and need all the leg room possible. I could not put the car seat all the way back due to the rollbar in place.
yes, I thought they look cool, but I like originality and love the looks of the car without it. I've never looked back since....

I bought Ted's roll bar for my Sprint... haven't fitted it yet though...

[Europatc]

Surely its a no brainer. How can looks be more important than safety

[JimE]

The Elan looks much better without a roll bar which looks out of place. Can understand owners fitting them from a safety point of view.

On an unrelated point, the H registration 1970 car can't be a Sprint as the Sprint didn't appear until J reg in 1971. I believe it's currently up for sale for ?60k and the advert is misleading on this point.

[Davidb]

Fit a hard top! No problem!

[seniorchristo]

Is an aluminum roll bar an alternative? I remember Porsche using them in their 70's race cars.

[m750rider]

Great rid of the roll bar, it looks much better without it.

And really, if the accident is so severe the car ends up skidding upside down, your probaly dead anyway as fiberglass and other parts will be flying everywhere.

Might as well go out looking good.

[Andy8421]

Rolled a S3 a Lavant corner at Goodwood. Full harness, roll bar and side impact bars, and I am still posting on this forum. Not sure I would still be here without the bars.

As a result, fitted same to my road going Sprint.

[rgh0]

Is an aluminum roll bar an alternative? I remember Porsche using them in their 70's race cars.

Aluminium bars are certainly an alternative if you can get someone to make them these days. They have generally been banned in racing now for no good reason but they work well IMHO especially on a light car like the Elan. I still have mine in the Elan as when they were banned back in the 90's for racing here in Australia they allowed Historic race cars with previously approved Aluminium bars to continue to use them.

In an Elan its how you attach the bar to the body and sub-frame that counts not what the bar is made off.

cheers
Rohan

[elancoupe]

Rolled a S3 a Lavant corner at Goodwood. Full harness, roll bar and side impact bars, and I am still posting on this forum. Not sure I would still be here without the bars.

As a result, fitted same to my road going Sprint.

Indeed, a friend was driving his S2, and did a lower speed rollover. His passenger was killed and I have little doubt that a bar would have saved his life.

[Elan Peter]

Hello, I think the rollover bar makes you're car look cool, I have always preferred functionality to looks and do my best to persuade anyone who is thinking about getting one, to get one.
Not that anyone plans to have a crash but if you have a roll bar you will always know that you will be safe if the worst comes to the worst!
Hope that helped.
Best regards, P

[Spyder fan]

I have the Spyder roll bar and footwell intrusion bars fitted to my S4, I hope to never having the need to test whether it works but I do wonder if the bar is high enough as it?s only 3 - 4 inches above the top of my head and the screen pillars would no doubt just collapse if the car rolled. The footwell intrusion bars would hopefully prevent the wheels from making a mess of drivers and passengers feet, ankles and lower legs.

I always think ?boy racer? whenever I see a roll bar/cage on a road car, it depends on your own taste as to whether it enhances or detracts from a specific cars looks. Maybe not too out of place on a ?look at me!? type of car like a Sprint?

[stovekjj]

I installed a similar roll bar in my S3 shortly after some smushed the back of my Jetta not stopping for the stoplight I was third in line for..

That incident, coupled with the number of large pickup trucks around my home outside of Toronto CA convinced me I wanted something other than my head to stop the truck's bumper..

Subsequently I added a couple of LED brake lights on the two supports that look ugly but get attention..

I voted for safety over beauty...