+ 2 BRM

[Craven]

For those still interested in the Elan BRM story, came across this ad in my continuing research into the Mike Spence cars.
+2 in foreground shows the BRM logo below Lotus badge. Text list this as Lotus Elan + 2 BRM White ?1850.

[Peter +2]

Fascinating archive, do you have anything more on the +2 BRM's?

As an owner I would love to find out more about these cars. So far I have come across evidence of three:

1) The white one referred to in the picture.
2) A restoration project advertised on eBay about five years ago. From memory the colour may have been maroon or orange / reddish.
3) My 1968 car. It was green but now blue.

Do let me know if you have more information.

Best regards

Peter

[types26/36]

A 1967 silver blue one was advertised in this ad (as well as a green two seater Elan.)

[stugilmour]

Can you figure out the VIN from the plate number?

Stu

[Peter +2]

Brian,

So that?s potentially four cars.

Stu,

Can you expand on your question, do you have any records of the cars for cross checking?

Best

Peter

[Craven]

Only in black & white but the car in foreground does not appear to be white, its Reg number looks like OBL 313 F. DVLA gives LOTUS Yellow 1st Reg Nov 1967 last Tax 2004.
White car in text is given as 1967 car, so both early for any BRM Elan.
Sorry Peter, It?s quite rare to see +2 BRM, hence post.

[The Veg]

OK, what's different about these cars? A quick search told me nothing.

[trw99]

There is a difference between the 1967 Spence Elan BRMs and the later Spence Specification cars.

The Spence Elan BRM was the iconic green and orange version, which were made up from new, fitted with an exchange engine unit from BRM and sold to the Mike Spence garage?s customer to order. I have records of 10 such Elans and one +2

The Spence Specification cars came without the iconic paint job, but were S3, S4 and +2 Elans fitted with the Spence BRM tuned engine, following Spence?s death, by Mike Spence Developments Ltd. I have records of only 8 of these, but I know there are more. They break down as 5 Elans, two +2s and one Europa.

The essential identifier is the Spence BRM engine, each of which had an engine plaque attached to the cam cover. Some of the Spence Specification cars had the crackle orange BRM cam covers fitted. The highest Spence BRM engine number I know of is 38, though I do not necessarily believe that Spence fitted out 38 cars; it was quite probably a lot less!

The +2 that was advertised for sale in 2012 (?) was registered SRX ###F. I do not have the numbers or a copy of the advert. If anyone kept that info I'd be grateful for it.

Tim

[Donels]

I have a +2 originally owned by Mike Spence. It?s a 1972 registered HJB267K, so after his death. The first owner is Mike Spence and the 2nd is Mike Spence Ltd.

It left the factory maroon in colour but was first registered as blue! It?s now in bits undergoing full restoration and having removed 10 layers of paint I have found the original maroon and the blue. It was a sort of metallic turquoise. I suspect it was a demonstrator for the dealership.

Dave

[normanjsmith]

In 1972 I came across a BRM Elan +2 in a workshop attached to a service station in Liverpool, an outer suburb of Sydney, Australia. It had the BRM script on its nose and appeared to be bronze in colour. (night time)
I have been a member of Club Lotus Australia since 1973 but have never seen or heard anything about this car.
Does it still exist?

Norm

[stugilmour]

Stu,

Can you expand on your question, do you have any records of the cars for cross checking?

Best

Peter

Nothing concrete on BRM Plus 2?s to add Peter, but here is the story promoting my question....

A friend of mine in Vancouver BC had a very early White Plus 2; IIRC serial number was 0017 or 0019. It was RHD and ex Mike Spence ownership (he had a copy of the UK Registration; thought it was Mike Spence personally not the dealership). It was an uncommonly light and quick Plus 2. Our local Lotus dealer thought it was a special demonstrator of some kind. Unfortunately I don?t recall any BRM identifiers on the car like Tim describes, but it is possible my memory is weak on that detail.

I assume the car has left the mortal coil. Last I saw it was mid 70?s, sadly derelict and moss covered beside an independent shop in North Vancouver, having succumbed to a severe engine bay fire. I don?t see anything in the Elan Registry on this one.

Of course, all this was pre-Internet. Everything we knew about the cars in the Colonies eight time zones away was largely a combination of apocryphal legend, wishful enthusiasm, and myth.

Last time I saw my friend was several years ago at the VanDusen ABFM. Would be great to re-connect and get some more details on his car.

Stu

[elansprint71]

Back in 2013 I had two lengthy conversations with Alan Rigarlsford about Mike Spence BRMs. Alan was their painter and painted all of the dealership cars, most of which arrived from Lotus unpainted; he kept a meticulous notebook, which detailed all the Spence supplied cars (70+ in total); his red 6x3 notebook was lent to Robin Alabaster, who refused to return it.

Alan told me there were plans for fifteen BRM Elans but, in the event only ten were made, he thinks there were both S3 and S4 cars and they were both FHC and DHC, approximately 50/50, two were LHD. Apart from one, which was painted Dark Jaguar blue with orange dayglo bumpers they were all Polychromatic Green with dayglo. The green paint came from BRM at Bourne, which was unusual!

In addition there was one (only) +2, painted blue, the registration was OVL313F, as in that advert and two Europas, one purple with black roof (registration UJB????) and another which was metal-flake green on Minilite wheels. His memory was remarkably sharp, even without his stolen note book, and he told me more interesting facts about the other BRM engined cars (customers asking for BRM engines to be retro-fitted, as is possibly the case with the white +2 in the advert) and the many Formula 3 BRM Twin-Cam engines produced by Mike Spence Developments.

Interesting he said Mike Spence were not the only people who fitted BRM engines, he mentioned IWR and thought there was at least one other supplier.

[Mazzini]

Thanks Pete, that was really interesting.

I have some BRM paperwork somewhere I must scan and post it.

[types26/36]

Another Mike Spence ad. and you can even have a tow bar.

[trw99]

Do you have a journal, month and year for that, please?

Tim