I was sitting home Wednesday (snow turned to rain back to slush) and Thursday (slush turned to rock) and was working on the process of elimination. I started with Frank Bertrang’s Elan spreadsheet and eliminated all of the S3 on through the Sprint Elans and got 2811 rows (unit numbers) to look at. I then tried to fix the Date problem that was introduced when Frank did the conversion. I also added a column for Type 45, Type 36, and Type 26 Elans. Most were Type 26 Roadsters but at 36/4510 the Coupe (aka FHC) came into the Lotus lineup. At around 45/5701 the first S3 DHC was brought out and at 5810 last S2 was supposedly built. At the moment I have 22 entries for Coupes between 4510 and 5810, If anyone has a Coupe or DHC in this range and would like to offer that info to me I will add it. pm or email, there are no names wanted or needed.
Beau has to take a couple days off from chasing the slime ball. He was out on the frozen marsh playing mad dog and a tennis ball and ripped a toenail back. There are a couple of things I have found in hanging out on the Internet is “If you don’t ask a question, no one will answer it”. Sometimes, when you ask, you get more than you ask for and become conversant on the subject.
I am informed from another site that the latest issue of Motor Sport has the ex John Miles/Willment 26R and the snorkel 47(Europa) for sale at 175,000GBP.
why is 40 thousand pounds worth of parts now worth 175 thousand pounds ???One could buy an elan spend another 20 thousand on it and still have a fine time with the remaining few pence -----Granny always said that’ money was poorly distributed '–and the old adage about fools being parted from it appears truer than ever —Vintage racing is behind this horrible acceleration of price for these cars and its being used as a thinly disguised business hidden under the mantle of purist racing—disgusting - --ed
we all have a one that got away story ! Mine is when I could not put together a deal for my 67 Fiat 1500 for a europa in 69 or 70 —the dealer took me back in the ’ yard’ and offered me a DB 2 for the money and the trade I had —I walked away muttering about a bulbous old big sedan family car when I wanted a sleek europa----ed
My “one that got away” was a Ferrari Dino. When I bought my Sprint back in 1982 from a local dealer there was a red Dino in the showroom at the same time. I paid ?4k for the Sprint and I think the Dino was probably about 50 or 60 per cent dearer at ?7k. I couldn’t have afforded it at the time and anyway my heart was set on a Lotus Elan - but there is always a faint thought of “what if”!!
Yesterday I was shown photos of an unused factory 26R bodyshell, been in storage since manufacture. Chinese-eye headlamp apertures, none of the holes drilled for fixings.
Not a wind-up, not a repro, this one’s Kosher.
-ed
