Safety??

PostPost by: NSLotus » Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:46 am

Okay I know this sounds a bit silly but how safe is an Elan plus 2? If I happen to get in an accident what are my chances of surviving :P
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PostPost by: 69S4 » Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:05 am

Blimey, that's cheerful topic for Christmas day! I think I'll go and watch the kids open some presents and not dwell on it till later.
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PostPost by: AussieJohn » Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:35 am

You might be dead but you've gone out in style!!!
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PostPost by: MickG » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:13 pm

NS Lotus wrote
Okay I know this sounds a bit silly but how safe is an Elan plus 2? If I happen to get in an accident what are my chances of surviving


How long is a piece of string :?:
I would say survival rates are anything from good :D to minimal :cry:
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PostPost by: garyeanderson » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:28 pm

I hit a dead skunk in the middle of the road and survived. I think that is an excellent record! :D
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PostPost by: cal44 » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:47 pm

Your chances are crap!............now, if you live in the states and have a Plus 2 for sale..........send me a PM

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PostPost by: types26/36 » Sun Dec 25, 2011 2:44 pm

Cant speak for plus two?s but I survived the aftermath of this one as they were sticking needles into me and jabbering away in Portuguese :roll:
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PostPost by: JJDraper » Sun Dec 25, 2011 4:00 pm

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PostPost by: oillite » Sun Dec 25, 2011 4:54 pm

Not a silly question. I had a very heavy crash in a 68 plus +2 IN 1978 when a guy jump the traffic lights in a Datsun 1600. I T-boned him at about 55mph on the N/S B post which was crushed right up to the drivers seat, the Datsun guy spent 2 mounths in hospital and a police prosecution. I walked away with graze on my nose and right leg and 22 eye witnesses.
I also later rebuilt the +2 which I still own, the insurance engineers inspected the car after the rebuild and issued a letter stating the car was now in their opinion better than new.

So in my experience they are very safe cars and mine is pre collapsible steering column model!
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PostPost by: msd1107 » Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:39 pm

I had a wrong way driver hit me literally head on at 35+ MPH. I walked away although next morning it was hard to do my marathon training run. Three point belts react the forces asymmetrically into the body, a good argument for four point seat belts. The car needed a new front clip, suspension and frame. The Mercedes had very little damage.

Fifteen years later, another wrong way driver got me. Another front clip, suspension and frame. This time, the other car, brand new, was totaled. I walked away again. Fiberglass absorbs impacts efficiently, much better than metal.

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PostPost by: bengalcharlie » Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:13 pm

being hit in the side would be a different story :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
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PostPost by: msd1107 » Sun Dec 25, 2011 8:07 pm

I was hit in the side the second time, fortunately forward enough to not crush me.

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PostPost by: UAB807F » Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:09 am

NSLotus wrote:Okay I know this sounds a bit silly but how safe is an Elan plus 2? If I happen to get in an accident what are my chances of surviving :P


I don't reckon that's a silly question if it concerns you enough to ask. Compared to modern cars of similar size/sportiness I'd guess that;

- in terms of hitting solid immovable objects, not good.
- in terms of being hit by moving large objects, again not good.

- in terms of avoiding hitting or being hit by said large objects, they're as good as anything else and better than most.

You have to remember they were designed in an era before safety became a major design feature and Lotus cars were all about performance and not about hitting other cars. So no airbags or significant side impact protection, but fortunately having a big steel beam running the length of the car means that a frontal impact resistance is probably better than you'd imagine for a car with a plastic body.

Personally I drive my Lotus with the frame of mind that in any collision I will come off worst. It stops me being too brave :D

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PostPost by: twincamman » Mon Dec 26, 2011 11:01 am

I would. Not worry about it. Dying doesn't hurt ..getting well ,that's what hurts ..Ed
dont close your eyes --you will miss the crash

Editor: On June 12, 2020, Edward Law, AKA TwinCamMan, passed away; his obituary can be read at https://www.friscolanti.com/obituary/edward-law. He will be missed.
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PostPost by: cbguerrajr » Fri Dec 30, 2011 4:55 pm

My Elan is probably safer than my Vulcan motorcycle.
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