Hi all, just joined the forum as finally have the funds and time for an elan. My first encounter was over 40 years ago when chasing one down the M1 in my spitfire. I have owned an Eclat back in the 80s and a scimitar before moving to more modern cars such as Porsches, westfields, vx220 and more recently an A110. But as per title it’s time for me to go after the car I was chasing as 18 year old. Looking forward to future ownership.
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I’m an ex Spitfire owner (4 times over) and I can imagine the chase did not last long!
Welcome Tanxd
A good Elan is an absolute joy to own. You are doing the right thing by joining the forum and hopefully asking lots of questions so we can help you get the right Elan for you. Are you absolutely set on an S4/Sprint or would you consider earlier ones. Whilst I own a Sprint I dont actually think they are significantly better than any other Elan. You have more horse power (126bhp) but a lot of earlier Elans will have had engine rebuild to later “Big Valve” spec or more (150bhp).
Thanks for response, I am probably 70 to 80% set on S4 mainly from reading few articles/ you tube and they do seem to be more readily available. I would love a Sprint but not sure budget will stretch to a good one. I am going to look at a couple over the weekend both 1970 S4s. But wouldn’t stop me looking at earlier models if something came up.
Try to get an S4/SE. It only loses a few HP to the Sprint, and you can fit Mikuni carbs if you don’t like the Strombergs (or want more power / better flow). How to tell it’s SE spec? Here are some features to look out for: S4/SE badge on rear wing, side trims on the sills, orangey-red crackle finish on the cam cover, leather trimmed steeing wheel (with Colin Chapman signature), knock on wheels.
If the economics of the purchase matter to you, I would suggest you try to buy the best you can afford, and try to minimise the amount of restoration required. I am in the process of a complete ground up restoration of a Sprint, and I think I am likely to spend more than the car will be worth by the time the car is finished. That is without including the purchase price of the car, and with my time costed at zero. With the classic car market softening and parts and labour costs increasing, buying a good car that needs little work makes economic sense.
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