Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Oh Tim,

It was only a bite........ You haven't landed this old trout

Retaliation will follow when I have researched S4 and Sprint on Google, maybe do a quick search yourself, are all those people wrong?

Landed, cleaned and in the pan I think!

For someone who likes to try and wind people up, Alan, you seem to have a very large key on your side which can just be a little too tempting!!

Mark

Must be the time of year or something I was thinking that many here are working on all of the angles that they have to get some springs wound taught. I was hoping that the forum would get over its MOD WARS and everyone would embrace all Elans and Plus 2's for what they are.

Silly me

Gary

Elanintheforest wrote:Landed, cleaned and in the pan I think!

For someone who likes to try and wind people up, Alan, you seem to have a very large key on your side which can just be a little too tempting!!

Mark

I was tempted to do a Pete and say YAWN! but then my vanity got the better of me......... One Nil to Tim I think.

At least it keeps people amused and at times we do manage to actually discuss interesting issues or things like how to properly apply sidewinders.

There'll always be MOD wars, Gary. And S1 vs Sprint, 2 seat vs Plus 2, red vs blue and every other tribal nuance we can think of. On many forums the individuals aren't allowed to express such opinions, or the culture is such that differences of opinion just get brushed aside or folks get put down by the 'holders of the knowledge'....you know about which forum I speak!!

On this forum it usually turn into a bit of banter, and is pretty light hearted because, in reality, nobody really cares if somebody else has painted their car purple with green spots, or has just created a 100% original specification Mini 850. Reading both viewpoints has genuinely made me think about mods vs originality, and it's all very clear now.....to me at least

Mark

I'm gonna have to buy me a beachcaster, multiplier lots of lead & fresh squid but maybe forget about the keepnet.
C'mon lads forget the explanations let's get the purists out of the damned way & talk about how brilliant an Elan really can be.
That popcorn & the beer's still waiting for the main show to start

Oh by the way, my old Chapman signature steering wheel will soon be replaced by a much better Motolita 11,5" Jobby, that will make it handle much more like a "Go-Kart"
Just a little tweek on the wheel then plough the right foot into the loud pedal:- Corner done!
Dontcha love these cars when they've got the right bits on 'em!

No stripes on mine though Alan, I'm sticking to the "original" Opel Mica Blue colour.

Dear piss-ant don't lose touch with your sense of humour mate

Cheers
John

Oh by the way, my old Chapman signature steering wheel will soon be replaced by a much better Motolita 11,5" Jobby, that will make it handle much more like a "Go-Kart"
Just a little tweek on the wheel then plough the right foot into the loud pedal:- Corner done!

John,

I swapped/sold my Chapman signed wheel to Mark in exchange for a very nice proper D section hood frame and a few beer vouchers. The Motolita is already sitting on the shelf waiting to be fitted. I inherited a Motolita on the +2 when I bought it, I can't imagine driving it with the original bus steering wheel.

The S4 (SUPERSPRINT) will most likely take over from the +2 for track day duty, I'm very interested to see if a road setup on the smaller car will be useable on track in the same way as on the +2. I get a lot of Body roll on the +2 but it hangs on nicely although the Yokohama AO48's overheated a little last time out, not sure if the pressures were too high or too low or if I just took too much out of them chasing the Lotus on track boys.

I agree..... stop arguing with the purists, lets just enjoy the cars.

Speaking purely as an "observer" having watched many different Elans driving through the difficult Silverstone "complex". The well sorted ones go through it looking great but the less well sorted retain the characteristic Elan body roll.
I think that your Elan will really need a fair bit of suspension work done to make it just right.
A rear anti-roll bar combined with a stiffer front one will dial out a lot a lot of the body roll.
Lowering the ride height will also improve things.

The racers on here will certainly be able to provide the right answers if they can overcome any prejudices they might hold

Do you know what the final weight distribution will be?
Mine weighs in at 720 Kg with almost exactly 50/50

Hi John,
700 kilos, there or thereabouts is what is being aimed for, but the roll cage adds a fair bit of weight so maybe 720 like yours, the Duratec is lighter than a twincam but it's sitting slightly forward of the normal position so hopefully we have 50/50. Do you experience any front end lift at speed in your car? Andy at Spyder is trying to talk me into fitting the Europa style bib spoiler to keep it in check, but I'm too much of a purist regarding the bodywork (apart from stripes and doors that fit) and don't really want to fit one in case it looks naff.

I really like driving my cars on the road, the track day things are once or twice a year so the only changes I make are ride height via the spring platforms and one or two clicks on the shock absorbers. I know people who have uprated their springs and added stiffer anti roll bars to their road cars, it totally ruins the ride and any enjoyment on the road. Most of the fun I have at the Club Lotus trackday results from the general level of inexperience of the other drivers, most of whom are driving modern Lotus cars with no track upgrades, just knowing the right lines and using all of the track is enough to embarrass them without using a lot of effort. The charity run cars from Lotus on Track are in a different league, it's totally pointless trying to mix it with them.

An M100 would make a good trackday weapon, cheap to buy at the moment and relatively straightforward to make properly quick. The S1 Elise is also a good prospect, but they are increasing in value now.

Regards

I'm ashamed to admit that I have, due to circumstances beyond my control, not done very many miles in my car.
The fastest I've been was just above 135 MPH on a fairly straight bit of motorway.
The car felt very stable & I felt confident that it would remain that way at possibly higher speeds.
The engine had about another 1000 revs in it at that speed & didn't seem to be running out of steam.
My old Mk 14 Elite was however quite different at similar speeds even though it had a heavy 1650cc Cosworth pre-crossflow engine instead of the very light Climax lump.
At around 130 MPH the front end went very light indicating to me that any attempt to steer the car may end up in tears.

My advice it to give it a try as is.
The Evante had a bib on it IIRC but it had lots of ugly bits; who knows if they were necessary or even did what they were expected to do.
The Europa has a bib but there we are talking about a totally different beast.

Castle Combe is a darned sight more difficult to drive than it appears & I know it can catch a lot of drivers out. It is indeed a circuit that really needs to be learned in order to go fast.

Must dash!
Cheers
John

Spyder fan wrote: At least it keeps people amused and at times we do manage to actually discuss interesting issues or things like how to properly apply sidewinders.

"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about" (Oscar Wilde 1890)

Back on topic, this was spotted at Donington. The doors offended Mrs T and me, so they are probably correct, but the stripe over the rear bumper maybe needs attention?



For comparison, here's how I think it should be done?

I think that you're probably right that the last one looks better, but still doesn't look too good, really.

The Sprint stripe looks like a bit of an afterthought....it doesn't allign between the front and back bumpers no matter how you fit it on, and, to me, upsets the lovely simple but elegant lines of the Elan. Maybe it would look better without that little bit at the rear bumper...it's the strange intersecting lines of that and the bumper that look wrong.

Or is it just me? Am I the only one who would have bought a mono-coloured Sprint?

Nothing controversial there then?!!

Mark

Elanintheforest wrote:I think that you're probably right that the last one looks better, but still doesn't look too good, really.

The Sprint stripe looks like a bit of an afterthought....it doesn't allign between the front and back bumpers no matter how you fit it on, and, to me, upsets the lovely simple but elegant lines of the Elan. Maybe it would look better without that little bit at the rear bumper...it's the strange intersecting lines of that and the bumper that look wrong.

Or is it just me? Am I the only one who would have bought a mono-coloured Sprint?

Nothing controversial there then?!!

Mark

I'm with you.

Sprint stripes look c---p any way they're put on!
Elans painted just one colour for me every time.