Uggh...The "new" Elan hits the wall at 60mph!

[sammyb]

My dad called about ten minutes ago. He was taking the Elan S1 my brother and I gave him for his 70th birthday (on April 1st) down to Pacific Raceways (vintage racing going on today.) As he entered I-405 from 520, he went to merge out of the exit only lane. It was clear, and he was half-way into the lane when someone two lanes over decided to enter the same lane.

My dad was in his blind spot, so the guy kept coming. My dad slammed on the brakes and swerved, which must have locked up the rears. It's cold and slippery out today, so it sent him spinning across the lanes.

Luckily, he missed all the traffic. He said he thought he got it back into control, but at the last second some final momentum got him into the barrier. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif

The driver's side front wheel was bent, and some fiberglass broke. The bumper also has some cracks. Luckily, the old man is totally fine, other than his blood pressure and spirits.

No...the guy who caused the accident didn't stop. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif But there was a flatbed tow truck directly in front of my dad when it happened that did. Turned out to be "Classic Charley" the guy he uses to tow his Franklin. (Who said "Hey, I know you. I tow your Franklin...and this Lotus has been down at Randall Fehrs place.) Charley taped up the trim and broken fiberglass and my dad limped the car home.

He just called my brother, which means he's off the phone with Haggerty.

I'll send Haggerty the attached picture to show that this is what the car looked like on Thursday when I last drove it.

 

[DrEntropy]

Glad YOM is okay! Shame about the car, but it's just shiny frozen snot. It'll repair. Check the upright and the fulcrum thru-pins for stress evidence when you look it over, too.

 

[Deleted member 3577]

Yipes......Glad to hear your Dad is OK........Cars can be fixed.

Doesn't sound too bad except the Elan is kind of fragile.

Check the suspension & let us know.

 

[AngliaGT]

That's really sad to hear.
What's wrong with people?I'll bet he didn't even make sure that your Dad was OK.Creep!

- Doug

 

[JamesWilson]

Glad your father's OK, and I hope the car "heals" well too.

 

[coldplugs]

I'm happy to hear he's ok. My Elan had a set of horns that could be heard 3 states away - might be something to consider during the repair job. It shouldn't be too hard to fix, as long as the frame didn't get rapped too hard. As Doc mentioned, the front suspension uprights need to be checked and to that I'd add the front tubular crossmember, which needs to be able to hold a vacuum.

 

[sammyb]

Here's a picture of the damage. Not too bad considering the speed at which control was lost!

 

[aeronca65t]

Sorry to hear this, but I'm glad Dear-Old-Dad is OK
(and I admire the fact that he's still driving a cool car.....my D-O-D drives a Buick).

 

[sammyb]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry to hear this, but I'm glad Dear-Old-Dad is OK
(and I admire the fact that he's still driving a cool car.....my D-O-D drives a Buick).

[/ QUOTE ]

His other car is actually a Cadillac (with a license plate that says "My other car is a Franklin.") /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Actually, it was my mom's car, and then she got a Lexus. The Caddy is a 1995, so it's about ready to be replaced.

My father was talking about buying a Porsche Boxster S.

 

[DART]

Hey guys, he's only 70...which I hit Easter...so what is all this surprise about wanting a fiberglass, limited production british sports car? Give us a break!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[DrEntropy]

"Surprise"???

Hardly. I ~expect~ I'll be pedaling mine about, well into my 70's and beyond!

 

[TypeRboy]

Glad he's ok.. We forgot to mention how invisible Elan's are to regular traffic. Kind of like a motorcycle. You can make up for it by driving agressively ( don't give the other guy any chance to catch you ) but you do need to watch out!