About three days before heading on a trip to Traverse City, Michigan, we got a call from a reader who had just bought a Lotus Europa from a guy near that town. He told us that in the field next to where the Europa had been stored there sat a real Lotus Cortina and an early Series 1 Elan.
He asked i…
Tim,
Many years ago the following was written on the fender of an early Jaguar XJE roadster in need of every conceivable type of restoration,
"Jesus saves, we restore".
Thank you for all you get done at the expense of bloodied hands and untold splinters of steel or fiberglass.
This one is going to be epic.
Thanks jr.
An update on this, assuming we can make the car look the part, we have it accepted at the Amelia Island Concours for 2017.
To me, if regular guys with day jobs, can restore this horrible. horrible car at reasonable expense and then get it into Amelia, that is a story I would want to read. But, maybe I am just weird!
And don't think we are going to build a concours queen. Once done with that event, we want to rally and run track days with the car.
In reply to Tim Suddard:
Tim, had they see the "before" pics when they said yes???
Makes me think of Graveyard Carz 'Phantom 'Cuda' and the cars they rolled down the mountain in 'The Italian Job'.
Hi TIm,
So I assume that the Elan will need a new frame after sitting in a field exposed to Michigan weather. So will you be going with a factory replacement frame or a Spyder frame? My brother Chris went with a factory frame for his restoration. Sometime I think he wished he went with the Spyder frame. There are a lot of options with the spider frame.
What series is the Elan? My guess is a series 2.
Cheers,
Bob
Bob_S wrote: What series is the Elan? My guess is a series 2. Cheers, Bob
It's an early series 1 car (from the article).
Actually it is a pretty late Series 1. The frame seems to be pretty good, unlike the rest of the car, And Bill Warner of Amelia did see the before pictures, but also saw the Tornado when we started, so knows we can pull it off.
I am trying not to make this a George Washington's axe, where you replace everything and then attach the original shift knob to the recreation. The shift knob is screwed up anyway!
I recently (this spring) completed an early S1 frame off rebuild. My car was in far better condition then yours but it had its issues and I wanted 26R components for the increased HP I had in my built twin cam.
You can follow the detailed build at http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/lotus-elan-f19/elan-rebuild-story-t34178.html
I'm really looking forward to this series of articles! Glad you're doing a track/rally build, too.
I am trying to get started around X-mas, as I now have most of the parts I need. Still need to finish a few more things on the ramp truck and get our TR3 back together. No rest for the wicked.
If you don't mind the thread jack, what's doing with the TR3? You took a win in that car at Lime Rock.
We are going entirely through the TR and kind of refurbishing everything for the car's 20th anniversary in my care.
Found another Elan in CT that was hit in the front for $1250 (minus engine and trans). Winning! This will make this crazy project much more doable, as now I have all the fiberglass I need and a good left rear corner.
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