S2 26R Front Bumper question...

PostPost by: Davidb » Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:10 pm

I didn't think that the 'normal' Elan S1 or S2 nomenclature applied to the 26R cars.

The S2 26R was a far more developed version of the S1 with far more commitment from Lotus: More magnesium parts, ex-F1 roller spline driveshafts, wider bodywork, more power etc.

The car pictured (in Japan) with 'normal' headlights, is probably an export car.
Last edited by Davidb on Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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PostPost by: Frogelan » Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:21 pm

David

My original post concerned the S2 26R shown at the London Racing Car show in 1965...

It featured "oval" headlamps (what some folk call "chinese eye")...standard bumpers and probably (not visible on the photo) narrow arches despite the 26R style wheels...

I do not want to reproduce the photo from the Harvey book here for copyright reasons.

This is quite an interesting headscratching subject !
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PostPost by: Davidb » Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:35 pm

Frogelan: I just edited my previous post so that people know which car I was referring to-(the one in Japan)

Chris Harvey has been dead for years and anyway, he would have approved I think!
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PostPost by: knockoffnut » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:33 pm

I agree with Davidb I have seen two different configurations of oval plexi covered headllamps in period photos. Can anyone tell us when the first widebody Elan was spotted? Can anyone tell us which company supplied the 26R bodies to Lotus? I am presently trying to compare S1, S2, and 26R body panels and trying to understand the variations.
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PostPost by: knockoffnut » Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:44 pm

BTW my understanding is that there was a run of about 25 of the 26R cars built during S1 production, and another, separate batch of a similar quantity of 26R cars built during the S2 production run, but details of the 26R cars don't seem to necessarily match the details of the S2 Elans which were built at the time of the second batch of 26R cars. I am wondering if all 26R cars' bodyshells were molded from 26R specific molds, which were based on a set of S1 molds, and maybe even the Bourne molds? Maybe the narrow body 26Rs in the second batch of 26Rs were molded from standard S2 body molds and the wide body 26R shells were molded from widened S1 molds? Does anyone have any knowledge of this? What I am theorizing is that later widebody S2 26Rs had S2 taillights, but used S1 bonnets and bootlids. Has anyone here ever tried to fit an S2 bonnet or bootlid or doors to an original 26R bodyshell?
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PostPost by: Davidb » Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:28 pm

According to RM/Sotheby this was the last 26R S1 and the prototype for the S2 26R:

https://www.rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ ... car/294015

Sothebys have been wrong before though...
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PostPost by: knockoffnut » Thu Jan 25, 2018 10:27 pm

Very interesting. This car has different door handles, flat bootlid, uncut scuttle vent, single wiper, different wide fender lines compared with other wide fender lines, and if my eyes don't deceive me it looks like the doors are a very early S1 style as well. The more I study the pictures, the more I wonder if it could be possible that the 26R body molds were made from the Bourne body molds?
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PostPost by: Frogelan » Fri Jan 26, 2018 9:50 am

The car has quite a few tweeks some smart, some less so.

I wonder where the door handles come from ?

Other mods include the shortened footwell box (passenger side on a RHD car) which helps the exhaust manifold (headers) to fit, the positioning of the temp sender (in the swirl pot / header tank), the combined oil / water overflow flask which is a Chapmanesque idea (but not necessarily one that scrutineers will like!), passing the HT leads around the back of the engine, reorganised indicators (no sidelights and brake vents), a tubular A-frame across the front suspension turrets (not very subtle!), huge radiator but no cold air box (why ?), a tandem master cylinder...
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PostPost by: nmauduit » Fri Jan 26, 2018 12:18 pm

Frogelan wrote:The car has quite a few tweeks some smart, some less so.

I wonder where the door handles come from ?

Other mods include [...] passing the HT leads around the back of the engine [...]


handles look like off a SWB E-type

There were obviously a number of modifications departing from original condition on that car (like on any race car), but spark plug cables through the back of the engine via the hole made to that end appears legit to me, a number of cars were delivered that way (though I cannot say if 26R were... a few grams may be gained by taking the shortest route even at the price of a bit more cluttered engine bay).
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PostPost by: vstibbard » Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:30 am

Hi, Can't get more original than the following, first two pictures are of my 26R which was delivered new to Bill Gates in Queensland via Australia Lotus Distributors. Bill Gates was a wild DJ in 60's together with co-driver/mechanic Jim Bertram who assembled the car in Sydney staying with my mothers maid of honour, we worked that out when I reunited the car with Bill and Jim on Bill's 80th birthday, Jim was reminiscing of the day he went to Sydney staying with friends Marj and Jim Eivers.
I still have the original chassis, body etc with the car.
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jim-l-bill-r-pushing-car-onto-trailer-for-maiden-drive.jpg and
26-S2-40 brand new the day it was taken to the track for first test at Lakeside

and
1st-run-in-pits.jpg and
26-S2-40 Lakeside pits before first test drive

and at Bill's 80th
dsc_0046.jpg and
Bill and Jim Lakeside Bill's 80th

dsc_0053.jpg and
Bill Gates at the wheel... made my day and the restoration worthwhile!
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PostPost by: Davidb » Tue Jan 30, 2018 4:34 pm

You seem to have uprated the roll bar a little!
It is wonderful to see such photos-few people have photos of their road car on its very first outing-never mind of an historic racing car.

Do you have any opinions on my comment that there was a difference between 26R series 1 and 26R series 2 "Chinese Eye" headlights? Which would mean there were four types of headlight treatments fitted to 26Rs.
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PostPost by: knockoffnut » Wed Jan 31, 2018 2:14 am

I was once told by a reliable source that the spark plug leads routed around the rear of the head casting was a feature of the optional kit to reduce radio interference, which also included a metal plate over the top of the plug well. My first few Elans had their plug wires routed that way when I got them. I have only seen the interference plate on a shelf, and in pictures of engines, never installed. likely too much hassle when changing plugs.

nmauduit wrote:There were obviously a number of modifications departing from original condition on that car (like on any race car), but spark plug cables through the back of the engine via the hole made to that end appears legit to me, a number of cars were delivered that way (though I cannot say if 26R were... a few grams may be gained by taking the shortest route even at the price of a bit more cluttered engine bay).
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PostPost by: elj221c » Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:00 am

Davidb wrote:You seem to have uprated the roll bar a little!

Ah, that brings back memories. We presented the ex IWR rally car for its first race scrutineering with the original driver only hoop and were advised that we wouldn't be able to race next time out without replacing it. Quite why the rally car didn't have a full width bar we didn't know. It would indicate that the navigator was expendable!

The replacement wouldn't pass muster today either. It wasn't cross braced as can be seen in Fred Scatly's picture at Silverstone.

BTW, just to stay on topic, this car didn't have a bumper as can be seen. Also still wearing the hardtop with the window!

dave-l-ex-iwr-rally-elan-silverstone-co-fred-scatly.jpg and


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PostPost by: nmauduit » Wed Jan 31, 2018 11:12 am

knockoffnut wrote:I was once told by a reliable source that the spark plug leads routed around the rear of the head casting was a feature of the optional kit to reduce radio interference, which also included a metal plate over the top of the plug well. My first few Elans had their plug wires routed that way when I got them. I have only seen the interference plate on a shelf, and in pictures of engines, never installed. likely too much hassle when changing plugs.

nmauduit wrote:There were obviously a number of modifications departing from original condition on that car (like on any race car), but spark plug cables through the back of the engine via the hole made to that end appears legit to me, a number of cars were delivered that way (though I cannot say if 26R were... a few grams may be gained by taking the shortest route even at the price of a bit more cluttered engine bay).


I got my 1968 Federal S4se equipped with both plates and the plug tunnel cover, together with some metallic mesh sleeves (similar material as chassis ground mesh) covering each HT leads that I have kept aside when I changed the HT leads for new ones. Only trick is to cut the new HT wires by one by one at the plug to get the right length, but I don't see any extra difficulty in changing plugs - only for taking out the head maybe (though you can take the distributor cover with it if it's for a simple operation like a head gasket). It could be that RF emissions were more drastically checked in the US... but I like the neatness of the bay without dangling HT wires anyway.
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PostPost by: 1owner69Elan » Wed Jan 31, 2018 9:03 pm

Minor note:

The factory option: "Radio Suppression Kit" included the aluminum spark plug recess covers (2 pieces, clipped/removable), a back plate affixed to the bell housing/engine block, an aluminum screening plate in the vicinity of the coil, and the routing of the wires around the back of the head and through the rear hole.

Factory invoice cost was 4 pound 10.

I still have the pieces, not used anymore, if anyone interested.
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