Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hello, first of all confess I'm a Triumph man but please don't let that put you off - I may end up a member!

I'm looking at a rather sad Elan +2 thats been laid up under a tarpaulin for many tears, the bodywork is scruffy, pretty sure sills are shot, engine bay corroded (have yet to check it turns), windscreen delaminated, the interior looks bad etc! However I can't get inside, the (driver) lock turns, button goes in but doesn't unlock - door does move if rattled tho. Passenger, nothing moves. Is there an easy way of getting to the lock, like drilling a hole in the door?

Also Is there any way of finding out more on the car, I have the chassis and engine nr. They can't find log book (owner died last year) so unsure on reg.

And the silly question, what sort of value would it have?

Cheers

Paul

Hi Paul, Welcome to the forum.

"door does move if rattled tho."
Try pushing the door to fully engage the latch , then try to open.
Does the car you are looking at have locks integral with the handles (early car) or a separate lock lower down in the door (later car)? The door internals are very different between the two styles.
This is my early car:-

The chrome under the window just pops off, then you should be able to remove a few screws and other pieces. Then have decent space/view to go fishing in side the door for the rods.

Re value. Can you post some pictures? Body, engine, interior.

By the way I was aTriumph man when I got my Plus 2. The front suspension was very familiar... The main thing I miss is the hinge forward bonnet that gave superb engine access as well as something to sit on (a front wheel for anyone not familiar with Spitfires and Heralds). Oh happy days. Walking back from my garage with a tyre tread imprinted on the seat of my pants.

You’ll find the Plus 2 is way more refined than any Triumph.

Paul, let me know the Unit Number and I'll tell you what I have on the car in my records.

Tim

Hi all, many thanks fro your replies - very appreciated.

Its a 1970 and separate door lock and key, I have pushed the door in/out but nothing - there are some marks on the door almost as tho someone has had a go with a lever. Good point about taking the trim off but without knowing whats inside it will be just prod and hope? Pulling on top of door gives small gap - but interior handles can't get to of course.

Details I got off the plate are 7004080193L and F/22547, I'm assuming 1600 4 spd?

Maybe couple daft questions but does the body lift off chassis if needs replacing (friend wondered if bonded), and how do you get in the boot - interior release?

Couple of sorry pictures attached.......

Oh yes the Spitfire was a joy, most reliable car I ever owned and saw me thru 100k even with my tinkering... which was why I chose another Triumph

Many thanks for your advice.

paul

Paul,
Nothing bonded. Unbolts and lifts off.
Boot release is on driver side but door has to be open as it sits in the rear of the door aperture. Pull handle
Where are you in the country.
Cheers Mike

Hi Mike, thanks for that - I'm East in Suffolk.

Hope the pictures are typical of what they look like..... (I'm fine with DIY tho not fibreglass crazing) , would appreciate advice as it just looks a me a mess....and would like to get inside just to be sure. Trying to gauge a fair price if I take it on.....

One other thing forgot to ask - the windscreen is delaminating and surround is just plastic, stock photos show chrome/stainless? Maybe a small point but my Triumph experience says screen surround is priceless, are these parts ok?

Cheers

Paul

Paul

The surround on your car isn't original. As the real stainless steel surround is proper rare, plastic replacements were made. I have the same on mine. These are still too expensive IMHO, but don’t seem to affect values.

I’ll PM you with some approach to opening the boot.

Cheers
JonB

The bonded in wind screens with the plastic trim were standard on the '70 +2 US market cars. I'm not sure when the UK market cars switched over, but at some point around there didn't that became the standard for all markets?

Re-opening boot.
If you can't open the drivers door you can access the boot release operating outer cable by looking up under the o/s/r wheel arch. You could try giving it a good yank down and see if that opens the boot, it should do providing the pivot in the corner inside the boot and actuating mechanism itself isn't seized.

Alan.

Thanks Alan I'll give that a try altho looking at the cables under the bonnet doesn't give me hope for the one at the back...I was thinking might be able to access the door locks from boot but doesn't sound practical.

I probably will make an offer but no idea on value - just don't want it to sit in my garden under a cover, would be great to get it on the road (in memory of owner).

Cheers

Paul

Hi Paul,
Well looking at just the two pics there is obviously a lot of work to do and a lot of money to be spent just to get it into some sort of roadworthy condition. These cars can turn into a moneypit, enjoyable to do, but moneypit nevertheless!
On top of that separately will be the bodywork which will certainly consume the thick end of £10k to make it look nice.
So it seems to me that regardless of what you initially pay to own it, it will need to be thought of as a very long term ownership project and investment because in the short tem you will almost certainly spend more money than the finished car retailwise will be worth when finished. Longterm though who knows where the market will go....hopefully substantially up from where it is now!
Pure guesswork and gut feeling on my part of course but I tend to think that on ebay UK at the moment it would make £7.5k'ish.

Just my two pennyworth, make of it what you will!

Alan.

Bud English wrote:The bonded in wind screens with the plastic trim were standard on the '70 +2 US market cars. I'm not sure when the UK market cars switched over, but at some point around there didn't that became the standard for all markets?

The US market type 65 had the same type of bonded in screen.

Even if it was free, the cost of getting it up to any sort of acceptable, useable, state would cost more than its, then, value. Only buy it if you want the (expensive) fun of doing it.
Jim