Any nice Elans for sale?

[sammyb]

If anyone has been looking over on the Healey area, my brother and I decided to get my father a sports car (roadster) for his 70th birthday. Originally, I was going to fix a TR3 I fell into for him, but that project is behind schedule, and my brother suggested that we just buy something different (since I already have a nice TR3) and already restored. We had a line on a Healey 100, but that seemed to disappear.

My dad has always been a Lotus fan, being roomates in the late 50s and early 60s with Lotus racers.

An Elan seems a perfect gift -- comfortable, not too rare, not too plentiful. A 7 would be nice, but I don't think a good one will be too affordable or practical.

Anyone know of a very reliable, nice presenting Elan for sale? An older restoration is fine. Just has to look nice and be up for weekend cruises/tours and ocassional rush-hour traffic.

I'm talking to some collector car dealers with some, but I hate to go through dealers. I'd rather deal directly with more trustworthy hobbyists like those on the BCF.

If anyone has idea on a Lotus (or other comparable interesting sports car,) shoot me an email at sbarer@apexstrategy.com .

Thanks,
Sam

 

[AngliaGT]

How about more information on your Dad's roomates?

- Doug

 

[TypeRboy]

I've been toying with the idea of selling mine. It kind of breaks my heart to let it go, but the car has mostly sat since the restoration 4 years ago. It's languishing in the backyard under a tent, and really needs an owner who has time to enjoy it.

You might be better getting one that is more local, but if you are interested then I'm up in Abbotsford BC. Price wise
I'm into the car for over $35,000, but of course they are not worth that much. I'd have to get $23,000 US for it.

It still needs a few things, but that's the joy of Lotus ownership. The list is pretty short, and it goes like this...

Tach calibrated ( reads high..)
Windshield washer bottle installed
Speedo hooked up ( it's an Alfa 5 speed conversion, and despite my best efforts the speedo didn't work from the getgo. )
Hard top mouldings installed.
Soft top installed ( still new in the box )
Nwe e-brake handle ( my new cable has the wrong end to fit my pull handle, and I think my handle is the wrong one..)


The car has some photo's in the gallery ( it's the yellow one. )It's a 66 S2.

It has a 1700 tall block, bigger brakes, knock off wheels,GFI moulded interior. Car goes very well, steers straight ( that seems to be a bit of a problem for some owners who don't understand the Lotus steering quirks, I hear lot's of people complain about poor tracking )A lot of work went into the body to get the door and panel gaps perfect, which they are, so the car looks great!

Anyway, there is also a 63 Elan S1 here in Abby that is in our club. It's a lot older restoration with the stock 1558cc motor and 4 speed, and probably not the nicest one around, but it's a right hand drive, and low production number. It has no hard top, and bolt on wheels, but Doug only wants $20.000 US for it.

you can e-mail me at thegoodlife4us@shaw.ca if you are interested in either car. You can probably look at both of them in the same day. Not many places you can go to find two Elans for sale, that's for sure!

Mark /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

 

[sammyb]

[ QUOTE ]
How about more information on your Dad's roomates?

- Doug

[/ QUOTE ]

My dad's old roomates were Ron Lee and Roy Sender -- Ron drove a Healey 100, then a Lotus Elite (which he said was like racing in a garbage pail it was so loud,) and then he bought a Lotus Club Coupe (XI with solid axle.) He sold the Club Coupe to Roy, and Ron got an XI with a DeDion rear. They both raced extensively in Seattle, Shelton, Abbotsford, Portland and in California.

I go to the vintage races every year with Ron, who still lives in Bellevue, WA. Roy retired to AZ, but he was up here this summer for the vintage races, because they were invited to the release party for Martin Rudow's Long Straights and Hairpin Turns Vol I book covering racing in the 50s and first years of the 60s. (The book is a must for any vintage race car fanatic -- expensive but awesome!!!: https://www.rspubs.com/book.shtml) There are some great pictures of Ron and Roy in the book.

Ron was a car dealer for years, selling Fiat, Citroen, Borgward and all types of interesting stuff in Seattle. He has long since retired from autos...but if given the chance to race again, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

[AngliaGT]

I love this suff! - Thank You!

Mark,

I think I met Doug years ago when I had my Elan.
Does he live pretty close to the US Border.
If so I went there years ago after visiting with Bruce Patrick,who's not around anymore.

- Doug

 

[DrEntropy]

Mark, back-when, in the '70's there was an outfit called RRS Engineering, fella name-a Jim Lissner... do you know or know of him?

 

[coldplugs]

www.lotuselan.net usually has an active "For Sale" topic in their forum - I'd check there and/or Hemmings.

Just a thought - If any of my kids decide to buy me a car for my 70th (fat chance....) I think I'd want something a little less "nervous" than an Elan. What about an Elva Courier? It's no Elan but reasonably quick and a lot more robust. I haven't checked but expect prices are roughly comparable.

 

[sammyb]

John,
You bring up a very good point, and for a mere mortal 70 year old, I'd definitely agree. While my father is a horrible driver in general, he's amazing at driving nervous cars. His 1929 Franklin is big, has the blind spots of a panel van, has straight-cut gears and scary brakes -- plus the steering requires a daily dose of anabolic steriods. He handles it with grace -- driving it a heck of a lot better than I can.

We want to get him something that makes him feel alive every time he gets in it. He's always been a fan of Lotus and Allard. His dream cars are Lotus XI (because his friends had them,) and Allard J2. We can't afford to buy him those cars, so we'll "settle" for the Elan.

The Elva is a great car, just not as wonderful as the Elan -- plus it's not nearly as pretty. Although we'd all get to say "She Goes" every time we got in it.

 

[TypeRboy]

Ha ha ha ... I've had a lot of people drive my car, and 'nervous' is not something I've heard anyone say yet. It's very likely that that trait can be traced to the front rack geometry being wrong, but none of the cars I've personally been involved with have had that problem at all.

While it's true the Elan's react quickly to driver input, they are not an unforgiving car. All the ones I have driven have been easy to drive, tracked very straight, low wind buffeting ( for a 40 yr old sports car ) and had the added benefit of accelerating and stopping as good as a modern car. You really do notice the difference when you get right in another sports car... Makes you yearn for the Lotus back.

Oh and Yes that is Doug who lives here in Abbotsford right by the Sumas border. He is actually in a different house now, but still alive and kicking.( and still playing with Land Rovers... what up with dat?? )

And Bruce Patrick was my father in law. For those who never knew him, he was the president of the BC Lotus club for as long as I knew him. One of the great losses of my time was watching him pass away. He was such a gentleman, and did so much for our familly and for the lotus club and friends of Lotus, oh heck any car buff was like a long lost cousin to him. And I can't thank him enough for his daughter. ( my wife..) She's just like him...

This car of ours was his right up to his death, and was put together using the parts that he collected for the last 15 years or so before he died. There are more nos lotus parts on this car that probably any other. It was definately a labour of love!

Now I'm a bit depressed... I'm going to pour myself a drink.