Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hello Everyone,

I would just like to introduce myself and to explain why I am here. I am in my seventies and have been involved with motorsport all my adult life. It was not until I turned sixty that I finally got round to having a go at metal shaping; something that had interested me for a number of years. My first project was to build a rear engined Classic Trials car with a lot of double curvature body work and my second project which I have just completed, an alloy bodied Triumph GT6. A couple of pictures attached.

Ever since I watched Harry Metacalfe's brilliant presentation of the Elan on a YouTube video I've been hooked. The car he describes so eloquently is everything I admire and have strived for. For anyone who has not seen the video, here is a link;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3KWU1qlfIM

My plan is to build an aluminium closed coup? body on an Elan chassis and running gear. What I am absolutely not going to do is to fit an existing car with a new body. If available, I could buy a chassis with a V5 and start from there or build a completely new car using a rolling Zetec chassis from Spyder.

I've only started seriously thinking about this project in the last few weeks but I wanted to share it with you and would be glad to hear your views. Just to reinforce what I said above. I am NOT going to modify an existing car. This was my approach when building the GT6 which was a basket case.

John

Be sure to post regular updates with lots of piccies...there will be a lot of interest..

John

Very early days yet John but I absolutely have to have a project on the go so will be looking to get it started in the Autumn . It would be nice if someone had a chassis and V5 which would be my preferred route and would avoid IVA. It is perfectly legal to re-body a car car with a chassis and is catered for by the Radically altered vehicle category in the DVLA regs providing it has the necessary eight qualifying points. On the other hand, starting with all new components has a lot of attractions not the least being reliability and a lot of performance. If I have to build new I'll see if I can contact Ant Anstead who builds new high end cars and ask his advice on IVA compliance. So all very exciting and plenty to think about.

rgds

John

hello john and welcome to the forum!

I heard about your project from my neighbour..... I mentioned that I would have a look for other ali-bodied elans, but the only one I could find was the IWR one......[enter IWR in the search box].......

you are welcome to use/inspect my car for any info you need......pop in when you're next passing!!

fred

Elanconvert wrote:hello john and welcome to the forum!

I heard about your project from my neighbour..... I mentioned that I would have a look for other ali-bodied elans, but the only one I could find was the IWR one......[enter IWR in the search box].......

you are welcome to use/inspect my car for any info you need......pop in when you're next passing!!

fred

That's really kind of you Fred. Thank you. I drool over your car every time we walk past you garage. Look forward to seeing you soon.

John

Hi

Come along to the local Club Lotus meetings, there's a few of us with Elans.
See http://www.clublotussouthwest.co.uk/ for venues.
On 17th April Brian Buckland is giving a talk about Elans at the SW Lotus Centre, contact Mick (details on website) if you want to go.

Cheers Gray

Thank you Gray, I cannot manage the next meeting but I might be up for the Bearslake one in May if they don't mind an interloper. I will of course make contact with Brian beforehand..

Fred thank you very much for the research. The Williams & Pritchard body of the Ian Walker car is pretty much what I had in mind. Like the bodywork on my GT6, although subtly different from the standard body it is still identifiable as a GT6 as is the IWR car to an Elan.

Welcome John

Thank you all for your very warm welcome and for your very positive response to my ideas. Should anyone have surplus an old rusty chassis with a V5 I'd be very pleased to hear from them.

John

Welcome John!

Sounds like a really interesting project whichever way you go with it- can't wait to see your future posts!

John,
this is fantastic, welcome to the forum.
Love the gt6.

What a fantastic welcome to what is quite clearly a very good and active forum. I feel at home already.

I'm under no illusions as to the cost of this project so sadly at the end of the Summer I shall have to move the GT6 on to provide the necessary funding. I absolutely love the car; the way it drives and the way it looks but a man has to have a project, well, this one does anyway

So to get the ball rolling I'm going to put an ad in the Wanted section for a chassis and V5. That would give me a terrific start so if anyone can help I'd really appreciate it; thank you.

John

john

this is indeed a very helpful, knowledgable and friendly forum ! [I bought my elan from a member]

I'm sure you are aware that an elan's 'identity' attaches to the 'body' [VIN plate/no.] rather than the 'chassis' which is regarded as a 'sub-frame'.......

fred

Elanconvert wrote:john

this is indeed a very helpful, knowledgable and friendly forum ! [I bought my elan from a member]

I'm sure you are aware that an elan's 'identity' attaches to the 'body' [VIN plate/no.] rather than the 'chassis' which is regarded as a 'sub-frame'.......

fred

Ah, well if that's right Fred and I don't doubt you, that could put the project in jeopardy. In that case it would have to be all new and go through IVA with a new registration. It doesn't sound as if a re-body would be an option if the Commission number is body rather than chassis related. In the case of the Triumph, although as with the Elan the Comm number is attached to the body, the identity is with the chassis. The chassis has no number at all. So the car can have a completely different body but providing the chassis has not been modified it retains the identity of the original car. I was hoping that this would be the same situation with the Elan.

Nothing is easy is it? Hey ho

john
don't give up ........just yet, anyway!
I have just looked at my V5C and it lists; "VIN/Chassis/Frame No."...705......2C, and I have no idea whether this number could be found on the chassis [replacement galvanised lotus one]

I am not at all sure about how the DVLA would approach your project. [I have heard of cars having A NEW BODY and A NEW CHASSIS and retained the same VIN no....!!!]

what I would say is that having had recent dealings with DVLA on another project, they have been helpful, flexible and sensible.......

others on here will be more knowledgable and experienced.......

fred