Elan S1/S2 Hardtop

[archjim42]

Since I made my request, I visited the workshop of Todd Gerstenberger. He has both the 26 and the 26R hardtops. He told me that the 26Rs didn't come with a parcel shelf. They also didn't have the aluminum rain gutters. Furthermore, my car, a very early 64 Elan has a continuous groove in the top of the windscreen frame and no slots. This happens to mate with a continuous lip on the front of my hard top which he says is a 26R top. So I guess I was lucky to get the correct match (Thank you Dave Bean!).

Apparently the only hard top that would have fit my car when it was purchased in late 1963 was the 26R top - the only top initially available. Todd showed me the various versions of the tops he has including those for the later S-1 & S-2 Elans that have the two or three slots. The later style tops have parcel trays that are actually molded fibre glass pieces with a simulated leather finish bonded permanently to the shell of the top under the rear window. These may give it a lot more stiffness. But Todd said that the anchorage to the car body is the most important to the stiffness.

Todd also pointed out that to his knowledge, all 26R Elans came with hardtops. This was presumably for better aerodynamics and for racing in inclement weather. He has at least two and maybe three 26R cars, one of which has a later style hardtop with the parcel shelf which I have included photos. The other, the more pure race car painted red, has the windscreen removed and uses low plexiglass wind deflectors. It was under a car cover, though I copied a photo of it racing at Willow Springs. That car is matched with the Red 26R top mounted on the ceiling and is without the rain gutters (the other top has gutters). Here are photos I took of his various cars and hardtops and frames and engines and the amazing amount of spares he has, along with a complete engine shop:

[gino1]

Hello Frank,

I've not been following this thread for a while and just noticed that my hard top is in fact original

And now I know how you fit hard top fixing bits ... I will at a later date buy them from you as opposed to locking it down in some other incorrect way.
Very fortunate purchase as the PO just wanted rid of it as he had no use for it ...love those kind of deals..

Thanks for posting the internal headlining as mine has been ripped out and exchanged for some black carpet.
Gino

[rgh0]

According to Jim Clark the official Lotus factory seal for the front edge of the hard top appears to have been a strip of race tape

cheers
Rohan

[baileyman]

I could not find suitable top seal to the windscreen, but I thought I could make one out of bicycle inner tube, and it works.

Basically, start with a large section 700c tube, then slice it on the inner diameter to flatten. Fold it 1/2" from the edge and sew 1/4" from the fold. The tube section will then unfold into a "T".

Next, notice that the slots in the windscreen are tapered in depth. Thus a sheet of rubber wrapping both sides of the tab on the top will bottom out in the narrowing slot and jam tight, sealing nicely.

So, position the sewn seal against the top edge with the seam at the joint (the cut edge on the top, the folded edge hanging down) and wrap the flat section along the flat of the tab, then up around the edge, and along the top of the tab.

While this keeps water out at the windscreen, it pours in everywhere else, especially as the outside of tho windows are inside the car. What was the idea there, Ron?

John

[Certified Lotus]

I spent three years searching the planet for an original Elan S1 hardtop. I bought this hardtop from the original owner of an early S1 who rarely used the hardtop and had it stored in his basement. After I bought it I did a full restoration of it and sold it with my S1 last year.

Overall comments. After I spent thousands of dollars acquiring and restoring the hardtop it was oblivious that the design was never really “perfected”. The leading edge would leak air and rain water. The attachment points at the rear caused the hardtop to rub against the body and scratch the paint. The top creaked noise at every turn or bump.

In reality, I bought the hardtop to complete the car and would only have used it for car shows. After the fact, it was a wasted effort and expensive to boot. I would not do it again as the soft top was a better weather shield than the hardtop. And for those who “know” the S1 leaks like a sieve in heavy rain, especially through the door seams on the leading edge.

[archjim42]

Just curious. What did you get for your S-1 with hard top?