Elan vs Plus 2

PostPost by: DJW » Mon Jul 13, 2020 9:10 pm

Sounds like I need a 3 car garage.

- Plus 2 for GT duties
- Elan for local hoons
- Europa for classic mid engine experience

How do I explain to the missus I need to extend the garage rather than complete house renovation after 5 years slow progress to date ;)
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PostPost by: Spyder fan » Tue Jul 14, 2020 6:21 am

TBG wrote:"I blame the helicopter pilots"

These ones?

Wessex port.jpg


That’s them! Seeding the clouds with spilling mishtakes.

PS: they all appear to have roofs this Shirley is a mistake, Chapman would have done away with the roof and dual purposed the rotors as hair trimmers.
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PostPost by: alanr » Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:19 am

Maybe it's just me but just getting out of an Elan I find can be a challenge. If you park alongside a high kerb or pavement you either can't open the door or even if you can open the door you have to roll out on to the floor!

Alan.
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PostPost by: alan.barker » Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:26 am

At least the doors are long on the Elans so you don't need to bend your legs much.
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PostPost by: TBG » Tue Jul 14, 2020 9:20 am

I find getting in and out no problem - as long as the roof is down. How come we have three Alans on here? Some of them must be quite old................................ :lol: :lol:
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PostPost by: rgh0 » Tue Jul 14, 2020 9:47 am

Driven my S4 Elan and Plus 2S 130/5 for 40 years.

The Plus 2 is a superb GT touring car that loves fast sweeping bends. It has rock solid handling stability but is still sensitive and responsive to throttle and steering input. Loaded with 2 people and luggage in standard form it could do with a little more power but what car could you not say that about :lol:

The Elan is the purest of sports cars where every input is felt. It makes you pay attention to every second of driving and rewards you when you do it 10 times. Not a relaxing tourer but for a blast down a winding road absolutely and totally embracing you.

Driven a few Europas and my S1 Esprit a lot for 40 years ( which is a lot like a Europa twin cam except better !) and I find mid engine cars fun and different and in good conditions ultimately more capable but in the end not so engaging across the whole range of road driving conditions. A Europa going fast into a wet downhill corner is certainly interesting

cheers
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PostPost by: TBG » Tue Jul 14, 2020 1:43 pm

"Not a relaxing tourer"

Wait a bit. I am expecting my 3:1 cwp any day soon - let us see what that brings to the party! - using a tuned 1700. :wink:
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PostPost by: alan.barker » Tue Jul 14, 2020 3:48 pm

I agree the +2 is the relaxed tourer sitting in the armchair type seats. I've had 3 different +2s and driven many many miles.
My sprint is not a relaxed tourer but it doesn't pretend to be and i wouldn't want it to be. It's nimble, cheeky, agile and seat of the pants driving. Also sooo small like a second skin. It's like being in an egg shell and not a lot stronger :shock:
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PostPost by: mark030358 » Tue Jul 14, 2020 4:18 pm

Go for it Dave, you wont be disappointed...
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PostPost by: Donels » Tue Jul 14, 2020 9:22 pm

Get a series 1 Elise while they’re still reasonably cheap. They’re a brilliant modern mid engined alternative to an Elan. Starting to appreciate and people are now restoring them.

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PostPost by: Slowtus » Wed Jul 15, 2020 12:31 am

Donels wrote:Get a series 1 Elise while they’re still reasonably cheap. They’re a brilliant modern mid engined alternative to an Elan. Starting to appreciate and people are now restoring them.

Dave


Nah.

You are talking apples and aspidistras here.

The Elise is a wonderful machine and is of the age wherein it was born..crisp, decisive, reliable and easily decipherable when something goes wrong.

But we are talking about the Elan/Plus 2 here and while the Elan is what gave birth to ALL that followed for decades, we are talkng about cars of THAT era and not the era of the Elise, Exige Etc

So, having owned both the Elan and the Plus 2...the Elan is a thoroughbred, the Plus 2 is intended to go a little further with much more decorum.

The rationale for the Plus 2 was that those who had experienced the Elan but could not possibly justify a 2 seater sports car given their enlargement of family - could now buy a car which could house that enlarged family, father, mother, 2 offspring and leave the dog at home.

The Elan stands alone.

The Plus 2 also stands...not so much alone but...it did set a supreme example.
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PostPost by: DJW » Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:47 am

Donels wrote:Get a series 1 Elise while they’re still reasonably cheap. They’re a brilliant modern mid engined alternative to an Elan. Starting to appreciate and people are now restoring them.

Dave


Done the modern stuff with 3x Exige, 2x Evora , Esprit and 2-11, so slowly working myself back to the older stuff :mrgreen: That said, scary how old the first Elises are now.
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PostPost by: denicholls2 » Wed Jul 15, 2020 7:08 pm

My Elan experience is limited to the passenger seat with Gary Anderson as pilot, but I was looking seriously at the time and he drives as to ensure his Elan doesn't get better mileage than his Ford pickup. To get a very different but still intense experience, a Europa might interest you, particularly an S2. Mine is a Federal Type 54, meaning the older fender lines but the newer engine without the Siamesed intake ports. And it has a Hermes kit, DCOE 45 and headers, which dynoed a little above the stock Twincam on the dyno day I attended, computed to about 110 at the flywheel vs. 80ish for the stock Europa.

The Renault engine (or at least my Hermes) has a flatter torque curve, so it comes on the power faster and spins to wherever you'd like to shift very swiftly and smoothly. Until I saw the torque curve on the dyno sheet, I couldn't understand why in club meets I always out-accelerated the Twincams without pressing it.

I believe my handling preference would be for the Elan, which is softer while still offering fantastic grip. But I believe the limits are equal or higher in the Europa until you start driving sideways. It's just less elegant and more go-carty while you're about it. As a left-hand drive Hermes, the DCOE throats are about eight inches behind my ears through the firewall, so on the throttle you don't hear much more than induction roar. No radio required.
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PostPost by: au-yt » Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:38 pm

Just found this thread and have been offered a Plus2 and yet to drive it however having read the comments
I'm not sure I need want another tourer. With an EVORA 400 and a Caterham 7 and previously owned having two Elans , Im starting to get a hankering for another early elan, owning Lotus is definitely a disease
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..................................................Age doesn't matter unless you are a cheese................................................
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