Wanted Spyder Zetec Elan + 2

[spyderman]

I have just registered this evening and realise there are some pretty serious members out there, so not sure "Spyderman" was such a good choice of handle.

Anyway, I have some interest in buying a Spyder prepared Zetec Elan + 2.

I think that Spyder Eng have prepared about 100 of these over the years (maybe completely wrong) and am suprised there does not appear to be any form of Spyder Owners Club, formal or informal.

The guys in Peterborough seem reluctant to put me in touch with any past customers. This is maybe to protect their new sales market and I can understand to some degree, but if they want to sell a specialist niche product to a non techie like me they should realise that a 3rd party refenece or two is not an unreasonable request.

Look forward to any feedback

[Jason1]

Welcome to the forum Spyderman.

Congratulations on finding us, this is by far the best forum I have found for advice on Elans and +2.

There are members on here with Spyder conversions and some which are not fans of non-original cars; all opinions are welcome.
Me personally, I like the early original cars but I have Spyder parts and other non-original parts fitted to my +2 and feel that Sydercars provide a source of new manufactured parts that the owners of original cars would find it hard to do without. Also the Spyder conversions give people that are not technically minded a chance to own a very stylish car without the headache or constant breakdowns that some of us find quaint.

There are sometimes Spyder cars available in the 'For sale' section. It fact there was one a while ago; see elan-for-sale-f2/zetec-immaculate-t17815.html

It may be an idea to put your location in the description part so people can advise you of local members and suppliers that will help you out.

Feel free to ask any questions; there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Welcome

Jason

[memnon]

Welcome!

I'm becoming a more regualr poster at the minute, but I'm not a purist! A friend of mine has part completed spyder +2 in his garage, ask away and people will help. I will if I can, there are plenty of people here who have seen ar got zetec +2's

[spyderman]

Jason1,

Thanks for response.

I did in fact find the car you have highlighted, on ebay of all places.

I went to see/drive the car a week or so ago and was reasonably impressed with it.

I had a bit of a problem with it in so far as I am told it was the original prototype created by Mick Stott in conjunction with Spyder.

As I cannot be completely sure of its provenance/specification I am a bit uncertain and anyway it may not be available anymore.

I know they will be few and far between but feel I should see one or two and not just jump in and buy the first I see.

[richgilb]

This silver one seems like good enough value. I bought a 'second hand' one significantly cheaper than the one you saw but it needed a repsray and a new interior. I also got it off Andy at Spyder a year and a half ago. By the time I have sprayed it and retrimmed it, it will have cost significantly more than the one you have seen. If Spyder seems disinterested in helping you source one of the hundred or so out there, I would consider a few things:

1. he told me they very rarely come up for sale. I had been looking for six months before I bought from him and nothing had come up

2. he says many owners are never in touch with him once their car is up and running. You might be able to see from this forum that there are a few competent and knowledgeable owners that probably do the everything themselves.

3. the recession is likely to mean that the mid-priced classic car market will suffer. In addition to that, Zetec +2s that Spyder speciliase in are hardly as sound in investment terms as an original drophead baby Elan might be. So I can understand if Andy at Spyder is busy just trying to keep the company afloat at the moment. The upshot here might be that you go from seeing only around one for sale per year to a couple.

I reckon they come up so infrequently that if it were me, knowing what I know now about looking for one, I may get back in touch with the guy that has the silver one, since it did not sell on ebay a couple of weeks ago and put a keen offer in.

Chhers for now.
Richard

[cliveyboy]

If its the original Mick Stott Plus 2 it appeared in lots of magazines and there were links on Spyders website to articles about it, so provenance and specifications etc should be in there some where.
I even remember going to a talk by Mick about the car and writing an article for the local club magazine some years ago.
( I think I still have the article some where)

Clive

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

For what it's worth, I also think that the silver car mentioned would be a good one to go for.
My experience of Spyder is that they use sound manufacturing processes, so the fact that it was maybe the prototype should not detract from it.
If it didn't sell previously that puts you in quite a good bargaining position, provided that the present owner really wants to sell or was just "testing the market"
By the way, I have an S4 Elan with a Zetec. DIY job though

Good luck
John

[fitzy1]

Hi Spyderman and welcome.
I've got a zetec elan which I love and use as a regular drive.
You are welcome to have a look at it and go for a spin if you are up in the east midlands anytime It's not for sale , but it would perhaps broaden your experience of the cars.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Welcome to the club Fitzy1.

Did you do the job yourself?
Elans with Zetecs are very rare creatures. We should have a chat

Cheers
John

[richgilb]

I also reckon I would have more confidence in a Spyder built prototype than a home built recent one. No offense to those that self built - I just remember a few bits left over when I rebuilt a Shitfire some years ago! Cue defensive messages for home builders.....

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

I also reckon I would have more confidence in a Spyder built prototype than a home built recent one. No offense to those that self built - I just remember a few bits left over when I rebuilt a Shitfire some years ago! Cue defensive messages for home builders.....

Hi richgilb,

fistly welcome, I'm sure you'll have fun.
There are a load of guys on here that are well capable of doing great work on Elans but nevetheless your advice is good, however with regard to the acclaimed proffesionals, the keyword is still "buyer beware".
All that glitters is not Gold, is what my ol' Dad said

If there are any bits left over after an Elan rebuild report it to Colin, he'll give his "engineers" a good kicking for building the car too heavy in the first place

Cheers
John

[richgilb]

Now you mention it, I took mine out recently, from my home in Hull, and the fuel pipe started leaking in Coventry so badly it spluttered to a halt at rush hour on a roundabout on the A45 and wouldn't restart. The silencer then fell off on the M180 on the way home..... I really loved Andy that day.....all in a day's happy ownership.

Luckily, the leak was caused by the jubilee clip, so I cut the end off and reattached it with the traffic passing me by, probably all thinking about the old Loads Of Trouble cliche (as was I). I also went back down the M180 the next day in the comfort of my repmobile and trawled the hard shoulder illegally at 20mph looking for my 150 quid's worth of steel....and found it! Loads Of Trauma Usually Sortable

[Jason1]

I know they will be few and far between but feel I should see one or two and not just jump in and buy the first I see

I bought the first +2 I saw, a friend bought an Alfa on Ebay and I told him if he wanted a proper classic sports car he should buy a +2. I always wanted one but thought that I could not afford one, he found my one on Ebay and dared me to buy it. So I bought it unseen, jumped on a train to London with ?4,500 cash and tried to drive it away. Rear suspension wishbone broke on the test drive so had to leave it there and come back 2 weeks later. I picked it up and drove it for 18 months without any major dramas and do not regret a minute of buying it, I now own my dream car. If I had not bought this car I would have kept putting it off and never owned one.

The silver car looks stunning, you just have to accept that with a 30 to 40 year old car things are going to go wrong and that's part of the charm

Jason

[Elanintheforest]

Jason, I understand that with a bit of perseverance, a Spyder Zetec can be made as reliable as an original twincam Plus 2. It seems fanciful I know, but anything can be sorted.

I can understand someone wanting to build a Zetec car?a great challenge and a lot of fun getting it right. I can?t understand anybody wanting to buy one already done, at ?30k or thereabouts, from Spyder. For that sort of money you could get a mint and perfectly restored original Plus 2 AND a two seater convertible Elan for the weekend..

They are no different in reliability when maintained properly. The ventilation, air conditioning and safety aspects are identical. The performance may be up on the Zetec if it has a tweaked engine, but you can do most of that with a twincam. So it must come down to fuel consumption?for sure, a Zetec will return better mpg?is that the only motivation? Never heard of this in the context of a Lotus?.

What am I missing guys???

Mark

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Jason, I understand that with a bit of perseverance, a Spyder Zetec can be made as reliable as an original twincam Plus 2. It seems fanciful I know, but anything can be sorted.

I can understand someone wanting to build a Zetec car?a great challenge and a lot of fun getting it right. I can?t understand anybody wanting to buy one already done, at ?30k or thereabouts, from Spyder. For that sort of money you could get a mint and perfectly restored original Plus 2 AND a two seater convertible Elan for the weekend..

They are no different in reliability when maintained properly. The ventilation, air conditioning and safety aspects are identical. The performance may be up on the Zetec if it has a tweaked engine, but you can do most of that with a twincam. So it must come down to fuel consumption?for sure, a Zetec will return better mpg?is that the only motivation? Never heard of this in the context of a Lotus?.

What am I missing guys???

Mark

Well I should write, come on over & take mine for a nice little drive but having given it a bit of thought, someone who drives a BDA powered Elan would probably not need to have to change his underpants after the experience.
With the deepest of regret I have to hand it to you on each of your remarks Mark.
You're right on the money.
Well I'll be jiggered

Cheers
John