Oblique Elan reference on TV
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I was watching a US TV show: "Real Time with Bill Mahre" which is a political satire show and Bill was making a. point about how people(in particular politicians) and things evolve and we shouldn't take people to task for changing their earlier positions and becoming more enlightened over time.
All of a sudden to prove this point, they show an 8-track cassette player in a dash and declare you don't castigate this for not being a satellite radio. The 8 track was consistent with the times and widely accepted.
Sure looks like an Elan dash to me. Am I wrong?
BTW: I did have an 8 track in my Elan (positioned in the back board behind the seats). The hole is still there but carpeted over. Now, having evolved, I have a bluetooth player hidden in the trunk - driven by my iPhone. But, I don't really listen to it much, preferring just to listen to the car.
All of a sudden to prove this point, they show an 8-track cassette player in a dash and declare you don't castigate this for not being a satellite radio. The 8 track was consistent with the times and widely accepted.
Sure looks like an Elan dash to me. Am I wrong?
BTW: I did have an 8 track in my Elan (positioned in the back board behind the seats). The hole is still there but carpeted over. Now, having evolved, I have a bluetooth player hidden in the trunk - driven by my iPhone. But, I don't really listen to it much, preferring just to listen to the car.
'69 Elan S4 SE
Street 181 BHP
Original owner
Street 181 BHP
Original owner
- 1owner69Elan
- Fourth Gear
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- Joined: 16 Jun 2015
- Location: Napa, California
8 tracks - great big clunky things. I remember my father buying a secondhand car that had one fitted and my brother buying one tape (all he could afford). Everywhere we went in the car that tape was played non stop. Drove us all mad to the point where I blanked it out and now can't even remember what it was. Cassette tapes were almost as bad but at least you could record your own.
Stuart Holding
Thame UK / Alpe D'Huez France
69 S4 FHC
Honda GoldWing 1800
Honda CBX1000
Kawasaki H1 500
Yamaha XS2
Thame UK / Alpe D'Huez France
69 S4 FHC
Honda GoldWing 1800
Honda CBX1000
Kawasaki H1 500
Yamaha XS2
- 69S4
- Coveted Fifth Gear
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- Location: nr Oxford UK
I actually had a rare 8 track recorder so I could make my own tapes. Problematic and troublesome but sort of worked.
More evidence of a lifelong problem of being on the ?bleeding edge? of technology.
More evidence of a lifelong problem of being on the ?bleeding edge? of technology.
'69 Elan S4 SE
Street 181 BHP
Original owner
Street 181 BHP
Original owner
- 1owner69Elan
- Fourth Gear
- Posts: 874
- Joined: 16 Jun 2015
- Location: Napa, California
Sure does look like an Elan dashboard, with a white ashtray and tan colored under dash valance. And
right hand drive. Maybe an English advert?
right hand drive. Maybe an English advert?
Greg Z
45/0243K Sprint
36/5727 pre airflow coupe
45/0243K Sprint
36/5727 pre airflow coupe
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gjz30075 - Coveted Fifth Gear
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- Location: Roswell, Georgia, USA
what goes around....comes around! you just watch, wait and see....
LP vinyl albums are back
cassettes are back
who knows, maybe 8-tracks will return??

LP vinyl albums are back
cassettes are back
who knows, maybe 8-tracks will return??

TED
"Driving a Lotus is a triumph of bravery over intelligence." Stirling Moss
"TaylorMadeClassicCars" on WWW and Facebook
"Driving a Lotus is a triumph of bravery over intelligence." Stirling Moss
"TaylorMadeClassicCars" on WWW and Facebook
- tedtaylor
- Fourth Gear
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- Location: Smyrna, Delaware, USA
For me 8 tracks were the worst format ever. But there is still some love for them and a search of the internet brings up a few sites that celebrate, buy and sell tapes and players.
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Fred Talmadge - Third Gear
- Posts: 409
- Joined: 24 Sep 2003
- Location: Bellville, TX USA
Looks to me like an Elan Series 3 dash. Interesting that the under dash plastic trim and ashtray are tan. Usually those pieces are black.
Steve
Elan S1 1963-Bourne bodied
Elan S3 1967 FHC pre airflow
Formerly:
Elan S1 1964
Elan S3 1966 FHC pre airflow
Elan S3 1967 FHC airflow
Elan S4 1969 FHC
Europa S2 1970
Esprit S2 1979
Elan S1 1963-Bourne bodied
Elan S3 1967 FHC pre airflow
Formerly:
Elan S1 1964
Elan S3 1966 FHC pre airflow
Elan S3 1967 FHC airflow
Elan S4 1969 FHC
Europa S2 1970
Esprit S2 1979
- bitsobrits
- Third Gear
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- Location: Omaha, NE area
tedtaylor wrote:what goes around....comes around! you just watch, wait and see....
LP vinyl albums are back
cassettes are back
who knows, maybe 8-tracks will return??
I'm banking on minidiscs

Stuart Holding
Thame UK / Alpe D'Huez France
69 S4 FHC
Honda GoldWing 1800
Honda CBX1000
Kawasaki H1 500
Yamaha XS2
Thame UK / Alpe D'Huez France
69 S4 FHC
Honda GoldWing 1800
Honda CBX1000
Kawasaki H1 500
Yamaha XS2
- 69S4
- Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 1250
- Joined: 23 Sep 2004
- Location: nr Oxford UK
1owner69Elan wrote:I actually had a rare 8 track recorder so I could make my own tapes. Problematic and troublesome but sort of worked.
More evidence of a lifelong problem of being on the ?bleeding edge? of technology.
Could have been worse - you could have bought into laserdiscs

Stuart Holding
Thame UK / Alpe D'Huez France
69 S4 FHC
Honda GoldWing 1800
Honda CBX1000
Kawasaki H1 500
Yamaha XS2
Thame UK / Alpe D'Huez France
69 S4 FHC
Honda GoldWing 1800
Honda CBX1000
Kawasaki H1 500
Yamaha XS2
- 69S4
- Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 1250
- Joined: 23 Sep 2004
- Location: nr Oxford UK
1owner69Elan wrote:I actually had a rare 8 track recorder so I could make my own tapes. Problematic and troublesome but sort of worked.
More evidence of a lifelong problem of being on the ?bleeding edge? of technology.
My type 75 Elite stereo radio/cassette came with a microphone to allow potentially pretentious dictation to my non-existent secretary - and yes it worked.
Don't miss it.

- Slowtus
- Third Gear
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- Joined: 22 Sep 2017
- Location: Canada
Wow. I watched that episode but didn't pick up on this - must have been looking away.
Looks like an RHD S3 Elan dash to me - it's the reverse of my own, but with customized with tan colored lower valances and white ashtray.
Bizarre.
Looks like an RHD S3 Elan dash to me - it's the reverse of my own, but with customized with tan colored lower valances and white ashtray.
Bizarre.
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elangtv2000 - Third Gear
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- Location: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Turns out that was a stock image they must have paid for, since the watermarks are removed:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 3242976554
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 3242976554
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elangtv2000 - Third Gear
- Posts: 240
- Joined: 07 Jun 2006
- Location: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Is that leather wrapped steering wheel from an S4? Definitely an S3 dash, I jammed an 8 track player in mine after a rebuild in ~1970/1.
Jerry:
'65 S2 Elan 26R | '69 S4 Elan FHC | '00 S1 Elise Sport 190
'65 S2 Elan 26R | '69 S4 Elan FHC | '00 S1 Elise Sport 190
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jabingb - Third Gear
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- Location: Marin County, California
There?s a Jensen Interceptor that comes to most of the British car shows in the Atlanta area, and it has an 8-track player that looks pretty close to period-correct; could be original equipment I suppose. The silly thing is that every time I see this car it has the same Stevie Nicks tape in the player! 

1969/70 Elan Plus 2 (not S) 50/2036
"It just wouldn't be a complete day if I didn't forget something!" -Me
"It just wouldn't be a complete day if I didn't forget something!" -Me
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The Veg - Coveted Fifth Gear
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