Lotus Elan GTS by Craig Chima For Sale

[tvacc]

Hello all,
In 2015, my friend and I bought Craig Chima GTS or what I call almost GTS as what is a GTS, I sure do not know.
But you can see Craig's 2015 For Sale post here:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33658

The car is really about the same as when we bought it. I would say there is probaby less than 200 miles since we bought it. My friend Ron bought it first as I was over Lotused at the time. He had a Bean water pump cartridge front cover put in and bought a hard top (it needs a rear window and paint) for the car. Ron had Craig put in the plexi covered head lights. (old buckets go with car) I put in LED lights but they have never been tested as the has only been driven by me to 3 LOONY breakfasts and one car show, never at night and only about 50 miles. Ron was living in Florida when he owned and seldom drove it. I bought it from Ron a few years ago. It had a fuel cell leak right at the sending unit and the fuel cell foam started to deteriorate. The carbs got clogged so i had a local retiried Dentist who is a Datsun nut who now fixes sports cars in his spare time, go through the fuel system, remove the cell, rebuild the carbs, new fuel pump and put in a stock tank. Car is running great. It is the best Elan I have ever driven. I have owned more Elans than I can count on 2 maybe 3 hands.

I am selling it because I can no longer work on cars due to abdominal issues (turning wrenches, pulling motors etc...) so I am concentrating on newer Lotus cars. The clutch in this car is a racing clutch and I probably should not be pressing as much as you have to when you drive it.
It is in Buffalo NY.
Dont know much more to say about it other than IT IS THE BEST ELAN I HAVE EVER DRIVEN!

Price is $70,000 The TTR parts are worth that not to mention the labor involved. Both Ron and Craig are welcome to chime in. If you want to talk to Tom Bork who just did the fuel system work for me that is okay as well. I have nothing to hide. It is one heck of an Elan! You can contact me at tvacc*at*lotusowners*dot* you know where.


Craigs description when we bought it is below:

As many on the forum and the US motorsports community know, over the course of the past 8 years, I have built four ground-up 26R vintage race car "re-creations" (sometimes called GTS cars in Europe, I believe) for customers of mine. During that time I sought to create the ultimate road going Elan for myself, using essentially all new parts (mostly Tony Thompson). I believe that I succeeded in doing that but now it is time for another project and I have regretfully decided to sell my Elan. Longtime readers of this forum may recognize this car as the ex-Andy Dijak car and that is indeed the case. The car has been completely disassembled and rebuilt since in my ownership and has was built using the following Tony Thompson parts:

new chassis
new lightweight 26R body
complete suspension (upper and lower front a-arms, and lower rear arms - all nickel plated)
shocks all around - (adjustable ride height coil overs with street valving)
springs all around
front anti roll bar
front and rear axles
alloy radiator
alloy fuel cell (fits in stock location under the wood rear floor) EDIT by Tony...no longer in car.

The car has a Quaife limited slip diff with 3.9 final drive, CV joints, close ratio synchro gearbox (2.5 first gear), and freshly rebuilt twin cam with probably under 1500 miles on it. Twincam has Dave Bean cams with mild head porting, is 10.5:1 compression so still runs on premium pump gas and should make about 145bhp. The car is on 14" Panasports due to the poor availability of 13" street rubber in the U.S. but sits at stock ride height and got new rubber in 2014. Purists may cringe, but I had the interior and trunk area completely carpeted in the close loop black carpet that they did British cars in during the 60's and I really like the look as opposed to the original rubber mat and it really cuts down the interior noise. Car has stock seats that were re-covered 2 years ago. The windshield glass and side windows are perfect, and the soft top assembly has maybe been used 2 or 3 times in the past few years. The car is not for everyone (absolute purists) but is probably the best driving Elan anywhere. If you've every priced Tony Thompson stuff, you'll know that I am serious when I say that I have close to $75K in the car, not counting any of my labor.

[tedtaylor]

if you're seeking $70K, you ought to put it up for sale on Bring-a-trailer website. Only that venue can generate such high sale prices if competitive bidders are present.
GLWS

[tvacc]

Yes, I am asking 70K. I agree with you that BAT is the best place. But I also feel the owners on this site are knowledgeable enough to realize this car is worth it. Thought I would give it a shot.

But being involved in Lotus cars since I was 19 years old, 71 now. President of the USA Lotus club Lotus Ltd for many years, and I think I may be the most well known Lotus guy in the country I have owned more Elans than I can count on 3 hands, and if you include M100 Elans, more than 5 hands.

I know that old Lotus car owners are having a tough time coming to terms with the fact that the cars are on their way up. Bob H's cars sell now for in the 70's and 80's. It costs upwards of 30K or 40K to do a semi good restoration.

This is an unbelievable Elan. Best I have ever had, driven or seen outside of a real 26r and my friends 26r clone that Craig also built.

I am only selling it because I really cannot drive or work on the car any longer with my medical issues. If not for that it would never leave my warm, live hands.

[trw99]

Sorry to read about your health issues, Tony.

I find a glass of whisky to be good medicine!

Tim

[tvacc]

Tim,
Yeah, it is a pain as I finally got all my tools, all my tool boxes, just everything I ever wanted. And now I cant use them! I have had an ostomy from Crohns. I have had an ostomy for more than 40 years. By the way if anyone ever wants to talk about that I am always available. Anyways, I was turning wrenches back in the early 90s. I think it was the head on my 72 Sprint. I was really pulling...and I felt the "pop". I nursed that damn hernia for 30 years. With the last of the several repair procedures, my doc, who is a Ferrari nut came to my bedside and said "no more working on cars, no more pulling motors, turning wrenches, changing tires, you cannot come back here again"

It could be worse, I almost died. Then not only would I not be working on cars, I would not be driving them. My wife's new husband would be. She might enjoy that but I would hate it.

I will go have a Coke or Pepsi in that note.