Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hello everyone

I have recently taken delivery of a 1970 S4 which was the subject of an owner / specialist restoration some years ago.

Having seen a number of candidate cars before settling on this one, I'm happy with my choice. Originally starting it's life in Cirrus White it was repainted in 'red' in 1976 and then later (by the immediate previous owner during his restoration) in Carnival Red.

The car has had what I'd consider to be a number of sensible modifications mainly aimed at improving reliability and safety and came with an extensive history file dating back to the mid-late seventies. Since buying the car I've had a couple of further items replaced again in the interest of usability, namely fitting three point retractable belts and an electronic ignition system with work carried out by the guys at Lakeside engineering.

This is my first classic car, having already owned two modern elans (still have one) and really developed a passion for the mk1 golf gti, of which I have owned many and currently run an original (non-tinkered with) 1983 model.

I'm sure I will have lots of reasons to contact forum users as I learn more about the car so thanks in advance for having me here

Jim

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome to the forum Jim, hope you enjoy the car, however we really need to see some pictures of the new arrival

Welcome!

Rob P wrote:Welcome to the forum Jim, hope you enjoy the car, however we really need to see some pictures of the new arrival

Thanks very much, here's a few shots to start with. The last one show's the S2 being piloted by my two year old daughter.

A bit more info on the car:

- 1970 S4 SE
- Bought by me from Christopher Neil / Oakmere
- Recorded as 20,600miles (directly traceable to about 1977/78)
- Converted to Dellortos
- Strong engine compression, minimal cylinder leakage (based on test results from Lakeside)
- Improved cooling system with electric fan
- Tidy example, needs a few bits of brightwork replacing, nothing too significant

I really went to town on the the Green M100 pictured in the middle shot which features every acceptable upgrade imaginable (including entire retrim) plus a few performance related ones that I wanted to add (nothing silly). Naturally these things tend to run away from your original ideas in terms of time, effort and cost so when looking for an original Elan I wanted something I could buy and enjoy without having to carry out all of the 'small jobs' (which never are) in the first few years at least.

I found Steve and Simon at Christopher Neil very nice people to deal with, very straightforward and helpful.

I look forward to meeting some of you guys in the future and learning from your ownership experiences.

Jim

Lovely motor Jim and pleased to see another Lakeside man here.
You should sign up for the TLF day at Brooklands.
JP

Looks great. Welcome to the group. Just remember not to call it a "baby" elan.

Art

By the way, soon you will need a plus 2 for the family

Nice looking Car you have there Jim, Nice looking Elan M100 as well I see, clearly you are a man with good taste

Welcome Jim!

Welcome, Jim! Congratulations on the great looking Elan. I'm a relatively new Elan owner as well (2 years) and this site and the folks on it have been invaluable to me in learning about the car and troubleshooting.

Rich