Overpriced? Sprints, & Register of Dodgy Stripes, Arches & D

PostPost by: ardee_selby » Mon Aug 08, 2011 9:56 pm

Sorry Alan, Tim et al :oops:

Richard
Last edited by ardee_selby on Tue Aug 09, 2011 12:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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PostPost by: trw99 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:04 am

Richard - Change the title. I believe only the person who started the thread can subsequently change the thread title.

Pete - Red car. That photo is taken from the front of the Lotus produced Sprint brochure and shows the car on the track at Hethel. It was clearly one of the very first Sprint liveried cars and they just hadn't sorted out the height of the rear stripe. The similar press car FHC, tested by Autocar, also had a high rear stripe. See http://www.lotuselansprint.com/Document ... rJun71.pdf

Whilst the Harvey book blue over white is my favorite shot, there is no attribution to it, so we can not take it that the car is in original factory condition. Having said that, it is a good reference shot of where the stripe looks best. If you look at the last Sprint road test in Autosport, you will see where the factory ended up being happy placing the stripe: http://www.lotuselansprint.com/Document ... tFeb73.pdf

I agree with the comments about the Ward book dust cover. Just so wrong.

Tim
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PostPost by: reb53 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:14 am

trw99 wrote: In the attached photos, the red car is the early factory press car, an S4 converted to Sprint spec (hence the silver wheels).

Tim


As you know a bit about this stuff Tim I was wondering what you would regard this car as.
Bearing in mind that the factory did it, ( and not someone 20 years down the line ), is it a S4, or A Sprint ?

I have a small vested interest in your answer as I have one of these "in between' cars.
My thoughts are that if the factory calls it a "Sprint", then it is, but I'm not concerned either way as my car isn't for sale and I'm not trying to talk up the price ! :)

Cheers
Ralph.
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PostPost by: trw99 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:17 am

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PostPost by: reb53 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:34 am

Thanks Tim,
I see my car, complete with backwards lettering on the cam cover, is rarer than a mere old "Sprint" :)

Cheers
Ralph.
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PostPost by: Spyder fan » Tue Aug 09, 2011 8:34 am

elansprint71 wrote:Hey- neat change of thread title... how do you do that?

Here are two more variations on a theme. Both wrong. Let's not even get into ride-heights.

http://www.uksportscars.com/view/lotus-elan-s4-dhc-rebuilt-on-spyder-chassis-engine-rebuilt-800-miles-ago-1970/

http://www.uksportscars.com/view/lotus-elan-sprint-dhc-with-zetec-engine-5-speed-gearbox-model-year-1972/


Pete,
Providing you started the thread yourself, just go to the first post and click on the EDIT button on the bottom right next to the Quote button. You will then see the options to edit the body of the message and the thread title, you can also delete the entire thread if you wish, deleting the thread might be useful for the FOR SALE forum, but probably a bit anti-social where other members have contributed to one of the mainstream forums.

Looks like Cluggy has finally sold the Zetec Elan then, I saw this at Donnington 2 years or was it 3 years ago and it just proved to me that modified cars are a very personal taste and that if I wanted one it was going to have to be bespoke.

I know I must not mention ride height :mrgreen: but the official line from Spyder is that most original cars are running low on sagging suspension. The spaceframe chassis is dimensionally equal to the folded metal chassis in all respects, using new original pattern components to complete the car will result in a higher ride height than the tired springs and dampers on the chassis that is being replaced. My +2 rides a lot higher than original, but that's to cope with a slightly reduced ground clearance due to the larger diameter of the downpipe and exhaust and also to cope with the awful state of our roads and the local councils insistence on fitting illegal speed humps everywhere they can (over 80mm high). With most present day car designs sporting 17 inch + wheel diameters that seem to fill the complete wheel arch we may be victims of fashion if we think that some cars ride too high, when I see 60's and 70's saloon cars at shows these days they all look ridiculously high on quite fragile looking wheels and skinny rubber. Most people know me at the shows and gatherings now, and no one has mentioned the ride height looking wrong, being polite about another enthusiasts pride and joy doesn't seem to be a virtue given some of the comments I have had over the years :roll:

BTW: I'm now getting paranoid about my side stripes being properly fitted............. I might bring the car home without them and drive straight round to Adam to get them done proper.
Kindest regards

Alan Thomas
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PostPost by: elansprint71 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 8:48 am

reb53 wrote:Thanks Tim,
I see my car, complete with backwards lettering on the cam cover, is rarer than a mere old "Sprint" :)

Cheers
Ralph.


What does it say? SUTOL or EVLAV GIB ? :roll:
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PostPost by: reb53 » Tue Aug 09, 2011 9:27 pm

elansprint71 wrote:
What does it say? SUTOL or EVLAV GIB ? :roll:


Very llord... :)

Just in case anyone doesn't know what we are talking about, ( and to get even further off topic..sorry), a few, ( 50 ?), big valves had the writing on the cover readable from the front of the car. i.e. the reverse of usual.

I can't remember where I saw this so I stand to be corrected as the "b*llocks" responses come in.....

Cheers
Ralph.
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PostPost by: Spyder fan » Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:59 am

ardee_selby wrote:Sorry Alan, Tim et al :oops:

Richard


Richard,
You edited your post too quickly..... now I don't know what you are sorry about? :mrgreen:

We are in Free Parking, so anything goes including off topic, general rants and mild insults. I liked Pete's sidewinder pictures, so I changed the thread title to suit.

Regards & !OOT OUY KCUF
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PostPost by: nebogipfel » Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:17 am

reb53 wrote:.......My thoughts are that if the factory calls it a "Sprint"...........



Of course it is :wink:

Eh Tim :lol:
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PostPost by: Spyder fan » Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:40 am

A previous owner painted my S4 in Gold Leaf livery complete with ELAN SPRINT sidewinders, according to Tim's website Lotus were not above doing this either and there were a number of factory converted S4's built/rebuilt that Tim likes to refer to as as S4/Sprint's (possibly 200 Tim?).
The Elan Sprint was a run out model that was probably just designed to clear the stock of parts so that Lotus could move on to the next big thing. I think that they must have been a little shocked when the sales picked up dramatically, but in period this was probably the coolest car you could buy especially in a bright colour, very 70's.

If I was looking for originality I wouldn't overlook one of these factory converted cars especially if it had been reasonably unmolested since built.
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PostPost by: nebogipfel » Wed Aug 10, 2011 8:13 am

I know Tim's view on this but if a car left the Factory/Dealers as a Sprint, it's a Sprint IMO All Sprints are S4 Sprints, there was no S5 Elan.

The Sprint spec' minor details changed slightly as production continued as it does with many cars and would almost certainly done so if Lotus had continued to build the standard S4 for another couple of years. (locking steering columns, for example, were increasingly being seen in an effort to improve security)

This has nothing to do with high priced cars or dodgy stripes of course :wink:
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PostPost by: elansprint71 » Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:46 pm

I was going to mention 26/Rs which did not leave the factory as such... but I thought better of it. :wink:
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PostPost by: Spyder fan » Wed Aug 10, 2011 5:42 pm

elansprint71 wrote:I was going to mention 26/Rs which did not leave the factory as such... but I thought better of it. :wink:


I thought Lotus still made the 26R? :shock: Where does Tony Thompson buy his genuine parts from otherwise?
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PostPost by: elanfan1 » Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:29 pm

Spyder fan wrote:
elansprint71 wrote:I was going to mention 26/Rs which did not leave the factory as such... but I thought better of it. :wink:


I thought Lotus still made the 26R? :shock: Where does Tony Thompson buy his genuine parts from otherwise?


From Shapecraft innit! :roll:
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