Silly Question - FHC Top

[ALC_63]

I bow humbly to the Elan owner community, which I hope soon to join.
I'm hoping to buy a DHC Elan, but good sense and wallet are heading me towards a more affordable FHC. However, living in Italy I would love to have the possibility to remove the top during the long warm months.
Now, is this feasible? I saw this week on eBay.UK a complete FHC roof for sale - stated as "carefully removed". This means the GRP bodytub is not a unique piece, hence the top can be taken off as a hard top.
Thing is - will be still the car driveable or it will bent as a banana?

Any suggestion greatly appreciated

[Emma-Knight]

Andrew, the bodies were produced in the same mould, the FHC top molded continously with the rest of the body (means one piece!), the DHC stopped at the rear deck. So a "carefully removed top" is a cut off top (with a saw or so) to do a DHC job to the car, or a body section from a broken car.
The car's frame work basically is the same DHC or FHC, as the static is not in the top (unlike other cars). A hard top is a top that can be fixed to a DHC car and so different from a cut off top from a FHC.

Anna

[ALC_63]

Thanks Anna,
I fully agree this is not the way it should be but in theory a FHC can thus be converted (quite easily) into a DHC..unfortantly it's quite a non reversible modification, and the you miss the soft top frames attachment, etc. etc.
For the curious the eBay top is still on sale, I tried to load the URL but was denied...

[types26/36]

I tried to load the URL but was denied...

Try this link
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/lotus-elan-fhc-ro ... QQssPageNa

[archigator]

I may be biased, but I really like the look of a FHC over a Drophead. The Elan's racing heritage revolves around the 26R (a FHC), and I think a brightly colored roof on such a low car makes it "pop" much more visually.

FHC's are more rare than the Dropheads, and if they keep getting chopped, will only become more so! (I read earlier on this site that only about 50 FHC Sprints were ever imported into the US... although I can't state that as fact.) A few years back, it was not uncommon to see a Ferrari Daytona coupe get the chop treatment to turn it into a more "desireable" spyder. Nowadays, such chopped spyders are shunned and relegated to the hinterlands of any self-respecting Ferrari concours...

I say, if you want a Drophead, buy one. Please don't chop a FHC (although it does "add lightness.")

Gary
'71 Elan Sprint FHC
Miami, Florida

[elj221c]

Gary,

I think you will find all 26Rs were DHC S1 or S2s except the likes of the odd Shapecraft special type of thing.

Roy
'65S2

[elansprint71]

Actually 26R's were roadsters, fitted with hard tops. A DHC has frames to the side windows, a roadster does not. S1/2 vs S3/4.

Check the archives.

[archigator]

You're right, I stand corrected. 26R's were roadsters, but I've always see them run with a "lid" on.

Gary
'71 Elan Sprint FHC
Miami, Florida

[1964 S1]

I agree with the above posts, if you want a dhc don't chop a fhc, they're too rare and pretty.
I've got a factory removable hardtop for my S1, the same as the 26R version. The profile is not great but ok, type 36 roof lines are much more attractive.
That "hardtop" for sale on eBay has one MAJOR problem, the bottom of the rear window frame. If someone wants to butcher a coupe, at least make the top re-usable and cut it off so the rear window is integral.

[Jolly Jumper]

Thanks Anna,
I fully agree this is not the way it should be but in theory a FHC can thus be converted (quite easily) into a DHC..unfortantly it's quite a non reversible modification, and the you miss the soft top frames attachment, etc. etc.
For the curious the eBay top is still on sale, I tried to load the URL but was denied...

If you chop the roof off a Elan FHC you don't get a Elan DHC. You get an Elan without any roof, and that is not a good thing.

Doing the conversion properly with hood frames etc. is rather expensive, so you might as well buy a DHC in the first place. There are enough Elans around, so take your time and pick the car which suits you best.

If money is an object, do take into consideration that only an original spec. Elan will hold it's value well. A DHC converted out of a FHC will be worth less than the FHC it once was. Buying an Elan is an investment, so why not do it properly?

As for values, a perfectly restored FHC is very close in price to a perfectly restored DHC. The FHC does not provide open top motoring pleasures but is much more practical, it's not so noisy inside, there are no leaks and droughts and so on. And it looks very neat. Fit a 5 Speed box and you may even use it for longer journeys. A 5 Speed-Coupe will cruise at 110 mph, no fuss, and still be brilliant on the b-roads like any Elan.

[bcmc33]

My Sprint started life as a FHC and was converted to a DHC by a well known London Lotus dealer. When I went to buy the car from a well known Lotus specialist, I noticed that the VIN plate said Type 36 and not Type 45 as expected. When commenting on this I was told that it?s quite common. I was so concerned about this I phoned two well known classic car insurers to ask their opinion on accepting a conversion and was told ?most DHC are conversions, and it does not affect the insurance?.
On reflection, it?s quite clear that the body is not a structural element in the same way as modern cars, and that?s why all the Lotus specialists sell conversion kits.

I agree with the comments that the FHC is the prettier car, (as was, in my opinion, the FHC ?E? type Jag), and is the one to use in serious competition, but I re-joined the Lotus community to enjoy the noisy, drafty and smelly open top motoring ? when I want fast closed-in motoring, I?ll stick to my Jag.

When I was doing the research for the Sprint it was clear that a FHC was much more available than a DHC, and the price difference reflected the supply and demand - on average, the like for like condition prices were significantly different with DHC demanding at least a 25% premium.

I stand to be corrected, but I was told that Lotus made twice as many FHC than DHC, and from the eBay picture, it looks as though another DHC is being born.


Brian Clarke

[archigator]

I re-joined the Lotus community to enjoy the noisy, drafty and smelly open top motoring ? when I want fast closed-in motoring, I?ll stick to my Jag.

... and who says that a Elan FHC is not noisy, drafty, and smelly?

I agree with the comments that the FHC is the prettier car, (as was, in my opinion, the FHC ?E? type Jag)

I agree with you, I prefer the appearance of the XK-E coupe as well, although the XK-E convertible is probably the more visceral driving experience. I also think the split-window Corvette coupe and the Cobra Daytona coupes are prettier cars than their convertible bretheren, but may offer a somewhat different experience behind the wheel. They're all great fun anyway, aren't they?

I checked my limited Lotus library, and I found no information on the production ratio of coupes to convertibles. I would guess that the dropheads were in the majority, but that's just a guess.

Gary
'71 Elan Sprint FHC
Miami, Florida

[Jolly Jumper]

... and who says that a Elan FHC is not noisy, drafty, and smelly?

Me.

No wind noise from the convertible top, much better sealing around the window frames. It quite obvious, isn`t it?

[paros]

I agree with all the comments. However modern hoods really are pretty good. So why not get a 'conversion kit' from Paul Matty or similar and go for a good hood. I lived in Greece until last month and planned to do this on my Elan but the coupe is so attractive I kept putting it off. And now bought an Elan copy for my wife [ MX5 of 1995 vintage ] to get the soft top bit!
Happy Christmas to all at LotusElan. net

Richard

[bcmc33]

I agree with you, I prefer the appearance of the XK-E coupe as well, although the XK-E convertible is probably the more visceral driving experience.

A visceral driving experience is the perfect description for owning an Elan DHC. No logical considerations allowed.

Now if it was down to pure logic, I would probably have chosen an M100 Elan for which I had some manufacturing design input, or the Elise for current "state-of-the-art" experience, or even (wash my mouth out), the latest MX5 with auto folding roof for convenience and sophistication.

By the way, when I said the FHC was prettier than the DHC, I meant with the hood up. My Sprint with the hood down is the best looking, and with the roll-bar, the most meaningful as a sports car.


Brian Clarke