First post! On a car hunt.

[soggster]

Hello folks,

I'm new here, please be gentle.....

My name is Andy Stokes, in an ex racer & hillclimb sprint chap, and my (interesting recent) car history has been, caterham monster, S1 Exige. I'm now on the lookout for an Elan Sprint DHC to cruise around in, maybe the odd trackday once the car has been prepared it.

Anyway, I've had my eye on this one

carandclassic.co.uk/car/C19078

I've seen lots an lots of photos of it, and have agreed a more acceptable price with the vendor.

I was wondering if anyone knows the history of the car, or knows any reason why I shouldn't drive 500miles round trip with a trailer next week to have a butchers, and/or buy it.

I'm genuinely excited about the prospect of being an Elan owner. Luckily my dad owns a garage/car dealers, so I get labor for free, and we have all the equipment and stuff for big and small jobs.

Thanks,

Andy Stokes

[richardcox_lotus]

Hi Andy

Good to hear from you.

I don't know the car, but they seem to be asking top top top money at that price. 1971 Elan with a bonnet bulge & silver wheels may not be an original Sprint. Best to check the paper work.

UK Sports Cars do have a certain.....notorierty(sic)....with regard to aftersales support etc, but if you're going to have the car re-prepared then maybe that won't be an issue.

Maybe others may know the car better.

Regardless of whether you get this car or not, welcome to the forum !

[soggster]

Hello,

The VIN no. is 7006140141E

I have a feeling that this makes it a S4 FHC which is a little worrying. If anyone can shed any light on this that'd be great.

Andy.

[Elanintheforest]

Hi Andy. It's a fab looking car (from the pictures) and it will have to be mint to command that sort of price. The paint should be perfect, as should the interior & dash, and there should be documented evidence of large recent spend on engine, chassis etc. Ask them for the chassis number, and check it out against this site:

http://www.lotuselansprint.com/index.asp?pageid=41772

Have a look at the section 'unit numbers' to check out the chassis details, and have a look at the rest of the site so you can check that it has all the right bits.

The Sprint site is run by another LotusElan.net contributor, and there isn't much he doesn't know about Sprints! I'm sure he will comment as soon as he spots your thread.

Good luck...Mark

[Elanintheforest]

Our responses crossed...it IS a S4, and it IS a FHC...walk away!!

Interesting that UK Sportscars call it a Sprint, say it's a 1971 car to make people believe it's a Sprint , and make no mention that it's a chopped S4 fhc. And they are asking top Sprint money for the car. They absolutely would know what it is.....these guys make me sick

Mark

[512BB]

Good afternoon Gentlemen..........and Ladys

This car was featured in Classic & Sportscar magazine earlier in the year, maybe 3-4 months ago. One of the hacks visits a garage that has a car for sale, and assess the various merits and drawbacks of the car being offered for sale. I remember them saying that it was very expensive for a car where the front section around the nose badge was covered in stonechips! but concluded that someone should buy it. Well i wouldnt. They have had this car for at least 6 months, and im pretty sure that most of their cars are on sale or return. Why would a DECENT garage leave all the work required on a car, until after they have secured a sale on it? Possibly because they dont want to do the work, and then have to return it to its owner if they then cannot sell it. Find yourself one from a private seller my friend, and as Mark says, walk away from this one.

All the best
Leslie

[steveww]

Looks to be top money for a Sprint.

Have you checked the classified adds on www.pistonheads.com

An other good source for cars is to join Club Lotus then look in the small adds in the back of the club magazine.

[denicholls2]

Good afternoon Gentlemen..........and Ladys

This car was featured in Classic & Sportscar magazine earlier in the year, maybe 3-4 months ago. One of the hacks visits a garage that has a car for sale, and assess the various merits and drawbacks of the car being offered for sale. I remember them saying that it was very expensive for a car where the front section around the nose badge was covered in stonechips! but concluded that someone should buy it. Well i wouldnt. They have had this car for at least 6 months, and im pretty sure that most of their cars are on sale or return. Why would a DECENT garage leave all the work required on a car, until after they have secured a sale on it? Possibly because they dont want to do the work, and then have to return it to its owner if they then cannot sell it. Find yourself one from a private seller my friend, and as Mark says, walk away from this one.

All the best
Leslie

I'm with 512BB. Except run, don't walk. I understand you've agreed what you think is a much better price, but from what I've seen in the posts above you'll still be spending large coin to make this car right.

In watching several Lotus-related forums over several years and buying from more than a few listers, one thing I've noticed consistently is that private sales are usually agreeable ones, brokered sales are often not. This is not to cast aspersions on those gold-plated dealerships serving this community, but frankly, some dealers have very little in the way of integrity. And dealers uniformly get higher markup than private sales, so a quality car is a reasonable expectation.

At the very least, have the car checked out by a local lister. These cars are simple enough that except for engine and transmission internals, they show most of their warts to savvy examiners. Apparently, this car has more than a few.

[bcmc33]

What I found odd was that the car left the factory on June 1970 and was registered in 1971. However, when I re-read the Lotus Elan Sprint.com account of the S4Sprint, it does not appear all that odd.
http://www.lotuselansprint.com/index.asp?pageid=41810

The fact that it is a converted DHC is not really a bad thing as long as it was done professionally. I drive one, and apart fron the VIN plate, defy anyone to tell the difference.

However, the price is top-wack for a Sprint and being an S4Sprint should not command so much money unless an extraordinary amount of work has been done to the engine, suspension and interior - all backed-up by receipts.

In conclusion - without a positive inspection report by some knowledgeable Elan specialist/owner, I would not offer more than 75% of the asking price.

My advice is to have patience - study the market and look at as many cars as you can - particularly in the private zone.

Ask Club Lotus to send you a copy of the latest news magazine as there is often a good choice of enthusiasts cars for sale.

[robcall]

I view the S4/sprint as one of those transition models-like the s1 1/2 etc.You'll see them at each stage of series model change.
It had the diff strengthening bar and big valve fitted as standard and kept the dash ignition,tip-up seats ,better hood spring position and under dash release of the S4-nicer features in my opinion.
Very hard to prove if genuine-as noted the registration date gives a clue.
I quite like the S4/sprint-and rarer too

At those prices I'd look at Paul Mattys-at least they have a good aftersales record-and they know the're stuff!

[trw99]

Andy

As others have said, this car has been for sale for well over 6 months. It was given the once over the other month by Classic & Sportscar, probably because it was not selling. It is certainly over-priced in this market.

It was for sale by Kent Sports Cars in 1996. Though UK Sportscars' Mr Clugston says it is the correct S4 wheel, it would have had the earlier horn push. It is also on Dellortos, which were not introduced until around May 1972. It was first registered on 1 Aug 70, well before the announcement of the Sprint by Lotus in Oct 70.

It is my belief that this is a S4 Elan, which has been chopped and Sprinted. Of course, it is your choice, but if you want a genuine Sprint, walk away from this car.

There is another Sprint, though again it is in my opinion way too expensive, here: http://www.beaulieugarage.co.uk/stock/e ... ndex.html#
I do not know the car or dealer. It does not have the correct black wheels or blacked out lower bodywork under the sill, both easliy rectified. If you want to go the whole hog you will also have to find an extra few hundred pounds for the correct steering wheel!

Your best bet is asking around the local Lotus clubs, you will be more likely to find an honest car at a realistic price.

Tim

[soggster]

Yes I have looked a the blue one, and it's out of my price range. I'll join the Lotus club on advice from you kind fellows, and have a look in their magazine.

I really want a DHC for days out etc, but then I also have the aim of light track days, so do I go for a mint Sprint, or a sorted road and track ready Elan?

Any advice on this?

Cheers

Andy.

[richardcox_lotus]

Ah, now that last question is one only you can answer

In my opinion, though, if you want to trackday the car then you should make some changes to an original car, to ensure reliability & safety, namely:

Consider replacement of any original (steel) wheels - old ones are known to crack. If then going to something like minilites, you may want to consider adjustable spring platforms to help to get them to fit.

Consider installation of a roll-over bar.

Consider replacement of rotoflex's for Solid Drive shaft conversion - modern doughnut rubber is a concern & will not last too long if thrashed on the track (IMHO)

If you think these changes will take it too far away from an original car, then you'd be better off looking for something like an S4 which has already had these modifications made.

[LoTex]

It seems to me that if Andy is going to make a number of modifications to make her track-ready, then the whole discussion about S4 or Sprint is moot- other than that they are asking Sprint price and clearly should not get it


Steve

[soggster]

Aha I see

So if you were going to do some mods to make it track ready, I might as well not bother buying a Sprint anyway but an S4.

If done correctly and sympathetically, will track mods reduce or increase the value of the car?

This obviously will have a bearing on my Sprint hunt, if I'm basically in the eyes of the world going to wreck a Sprint by tracking it.

Cheers for your input

Andy.