Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

As some of you are aware I'm researching what might be called "non-standard" Elans (back in the period, not modern repros, fakes or, what I'm now informed, we must call GTS cars).

Current historic rallying seems to have a crop of very quick Elans, (some unbelievably quick), given that, back in the day, there does not appear to have been much effort put into using these fragile plastic projectiles on rough roads.

I have seen the odd photo of Elans being rallied in books but there seems to be scanty information, so I thought that I would ask the assembled experts here to see what emerges from the fog.

Here are some photos that I took back in 2009 at the Race-Retro show:













If you have any info on rally Elans- back in the day, or modern shots of period cars, please pitch in.

Between Ian Pattie and Malcolm Rickets you can put David Lamyman.
He was the one (with a little assistance from me) who turned it into a race car.

1.0 There was this wot I done earlier:

free-parking-f19/rally-prepped-elan-described-t22785.html?hilit= rally

2.0 I have a pic of "7599 VC" in "Rally Trim" from a magazine (to be found). Have just noticed a photo of it in "Race Trim" is on offer on ebay at the moment:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230640543661? ... 1423.l2649

HIH - Cheers - Richard

Thanks chaps; I have a photo of LGX5D, which appears to be another Ian Walker rally car; in Chris Harvey's book on Lotus sports, GT and touring cars it is shown on the 66 Tulip rally; a standard-bodied car with soft top. Harvey says "The Gold Bug Elans did not confine themselves to the race track in competition" but it does not look like a Gold Bug to me!

Here are a couple to help you with your studies, Pete. Both from Lotus Magazine, September and November '67.

It's pretty remarkable that an Elan could take on the Tulip at all, let alone achieve what David did on the rally. Note that the car was prepared at Hethel.

Even more remarkable is the Elan winning the Autocross championship in '67. It was the Players No6 championship that was entered by many of the ex-works Lotus Cortinas, and which killed most of them off. The bodyshells looked like they'd been in a giant cement mixer by the end of the season, and the roofs were rippled with fatigue cracks covering the bodywork. I guess that the lighter fibreglass body of the Elan probably faired a little better. I bet he got through a few chassis though!





Mark

Thanks Mark.
Shirley part of that "slightly modified" auto-crosser must have been a limited-slip (or locked?) differential?

I believe that locking the diff was quite normal on Autocross as the terrain was either gravel or mud, or the car was sideways anyway!

Mark

elansprint71 wrote:Thanks Mark.
Shirley part of that "slightly modified" auto-crosser must have been a limited-slip (or locked?) differential?

Hey Pete

The spelling police are watching

Shirley is my moms name and thats one I can spell, I think you mean surely

http://www.google.com/search?q=surely&h ... .5-3.1l6l0

And there was this, of course:

download/file.php?id=11619

Richard

piss-ant wrote:

elansprint71 wrote:Thanks Mark.
Shirley part of that "slightly modified" auto-crosser must have been a limited-slip (or locked?) differential?

Hey Pete

The spelling police are watching

Shirley is my moms name and thats one I can spell, I think you mean surely

http://www.google.com/search?q=surely&h ... .5-3.1l6l0

It's an English joke.... don't call me Shirley.

Pete,

No technical information, but an early rally Elan.

That car on the Autosport magazine is doing a rally in France, on the D1201 Route de Geneve, near Allonzier la Caille.
I used to crossed this bridge twice a month, beautifull scenery.

elj221c wrote:Between Ian Pattie and Malcolm Rickets you can put David Lamyman.
He was the one (with a little assistance from me) who turned it into a race car.

Thanks for filling in that gap, Roy.

I have got some results on rally Elans from another website but I don't know how to get the photos over here without breaching copyright! I'll see what can be done.

piss-ant wrote:
Shirley is my moms name and thats one I can spell, I think you mean surely

Never watched the film 'Airplane' Gary?

ardee_selby wrote: I have a pic of "7599 VC" in "Rally Trim" from a magazine (to be found).

Found it!


Hope it's legible.

Cheers - Richard