1963 Elan Introduction
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| Magazine Title: | Road & Track |
|---|---|
| Published: | October 1962 |
Along about mid October, the first boat load of U.S. bound Elans will drop anchor in San Pedro and you can be sure that will be an occasion for considerable excitement. For most of us this will be our first real peek at Chapman's new roadster and we're anxious to kick the tires and crank the headlights up and down. Earlier this year, Bob Challman had a chance to tour one a bit while on his annual pilgrimage to Cheshunt, and his report is entirely too spirited for the public print. Reports from other (and probably less biased sources) leave us with the feeling that the Elan is truly a goer with very crisp performance and a riding and driving deportment not frequently found in fast and quick machines.
The Elan is by no means a truncated Elite. In fact under the unmistakably Lotus body lies a whole complex of new innards, not the least of which is the Lotus dual overhead cam, 1558cc engine with twin Weber carbs, developing 105hp at 5700 rpm for a top speed of 115 mph. Acceleration times 0 to 60 in 8 seconds flat, 80 in 14 and 100 in 20.
The suspension is, of course, Chapman all independent with disc brakes on all four. Internally the Elan boasts a new all steel chassis made up of deep box channels that form a solid backbone fore and aft. The ends split into forks, front and rear. The after fork holds the final drive and rear suspension and the Lotus dohc nestles snuggly in the front fork with suspension and steering mechanism sprouting from the ends. The Hobbes close-ratio four-speed synchro gear box and the propeller shaft sit inside the box channel backbone which results in sturdy construction plus a magnificent reduction in engine and drive noise. We are accepting prior orders now at $3,922 P.O.E. and if you are a "first on the block" type we will be happy to give you an up to date report on when to expect delivery.
BOB CHALLMAN Ecurie Shirlee Corporation
Showrooms and Service Facilities 2301 Sepulveda Boulevard Manhattan Beach, California FRONTIER 6-8833