Lotus Cars

2017 Caterham Seven Sprint

Something Colin Chapman would recognise – and appreciate.

Handling: ★★★★★ Performance: ★★★★☆ Usability: ★★☆☆☆ Feelgood Factor: ★★★★★

By Ben Whitworth – Contributing CAR Magazine UK editor.

In 2017, the venerable Caterham – née Lotus – Seven will turn 60. Always keen to exploit a marketing opportunity, Caterham is marking the anniversary with this, the Seven Sprint. Chiming in with the anniversary, only 60 will be made.

Caterham has successfully recaptured the mood of the Swinging Sixties with the Sprint. The front wings, grey powder-coated chassis, chromed wheelcaps and bubbled rear lamps, wrapped up in a choice of yesteryear hues all sit comfortably together without the slightest whiff of retro cheesiness.

Ditto the cabin. Flip back the cream-trimmed vinyl roof and the delightfully thin Moto-Lita wooden steering wheel, red Muirhead leather dash and seats and chrome braceleted Smiths dials complete with coloured bands, all convincingly transport you back to those good old bad old days.

Does it come with a crank arm for hand starts?

Oh, you’re a card. No, don’t be fooled by the Sprint’s yesteryear camouflage – that heritage styling, chrome-and-leather detailing and bespoke paintwork is underpinned by Caterham’s nifty 160. So, no asthmatic 40bhp 1.2-litre Ford lump under that louvred bonnet, but rather a dinky turbocharged 660cc triple from Suzuki, a five-speed manual gearbox, wishbones up front and a live rear axle.

We’re very familiar with the 160 – we ran one a while back as a long-termer for a year – and dropping down into the Sprint’s plump seat and firing the thrummy three-pot into life brought back a flood of warm memories.

A 660cc engine? Surely it would be quicker to jog?

Suzuki’s K6A may only develop a modest 80bhp at 7000rpm and 79lb ft at 3400rpm but with just 490kg to push around, performance within its 100mph envelope is brisk and perky enough to instantly plaster a grin across your face.

The engine’s eagerness and mid-range zing is complemented by the snickety gearbox – you measure the throw of the chrome-topped gear lever in millimetres – while the wooden rim of the large-diameter wheel overloads your palms with front-wheel chatter.

What’s it like to drive then?

Despite those spacesaver-thin 155/65 R14 Avons, grip and traction levels are excellent. You can slingshot the Sprint through a string of bends at speeds and angles completely at odds with the diminutive deeply-treaded rubber at each corner. Like the 160, the Sprint encourages you to wring it all the time everywhere, and rewards you with an intensely visceral and engaging driving experience.

Despite that live rear axle and firm suspension set-up, the Sprint rides with an impressive compliancy – it’s only over really intrusive and abrupt bumps and lumps that the chassis bucks and moves about. Distilled automotive joy? We wouldn’t disagree.

Verdict

So, the Sprint is a great car to look at, and an even better one to drive – but you pay for the privilege. Even when viewed through the prism of the Sprint’s limited-edition collectability, nigh on £28k is a big chunk of money for a second car/toy/indulgence.

That hasn’t stopped all sixty models being snapped up, though, and there’s a waiting list for cancelled orders. But the news is not all bad if the Sprint features large on your radar – a ready-to-drive Caterham-built 160 is around £8500 cheaper than a Sprint. Using your imagination could save you a lot of money.

Specs

Price when new:	£27,995
On sale in the UK:	Sold out
Engine:	660cc 16v turbocharged 4-cyl petrol, 80bhp @ 7000rpm, 79lb ft @ 3400rpm
Transmission:	Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Performance:	6.5sec 0-62mph, 100mph, 57.6 mpg, 114g/km CO2
Weight / material:	490kg/steel
Dimensions (mm):	3100 length, 1575 width, 1140 height

Where to for Lotus in 2017?

By James Taylor – CAR Magazine UK.

Lotus boss Jean-Marc Gales has shed more light on the Norfolk sports car maker’s future product plans, including the upcoming open-topped Evora Roadster and the crucial new Elise for 2020.

An open-top Evora?

As revealed by CAR Magazine UK in 2014, Lotus plans to make the most of the Evora’s wobble-free structure and make a roadster variant, scheduled for reveal in 2017.

Talking at the launch of the Evora Sport 410 in late October 2016, Gales said: “An Evora Roadster – we will do that. It is so solid structurally. An open version will not add weight. The engineers have a clear target – don’t add weight.”

“How it will look I will leave to your imagination, but it’s a bit more than just opening the roof.”

What else is in store for the Evora?

The Evora Sport 410 has wrung almost every drop of dynamic potential from the Evora coupe for now. That variant goes on sale in the USA in July 2017, with slightly heavier doors and seats than the UK cars, to meet side airbag regulations.

As for further down the performance scale: “We thought about a lower-power version, but people don’t want that,” Gales said. “Customers never say no to extra power. Even if people won’t use it, they want it.”

That said, Lotus says it will continue to pursue gains from reducing weight and aerodynamic lift rather than prioritising power outputs. The raised-up, Stratos-style Evora Crossover previously mooted was canned in 2015.

Lotus 4-Eleven – a less hardcore sibling to the 3-Eleven in 2017?

While this project is yet to be confirmed officially, Gales says: “We’re thinking about a 4-Eleven – it might be a little bit less raw [than the 3-Eleven].”

For ‘thinking’, read ‘working on’, and expect it to surface in the latter part of 2017.

What’s the story on the next Elise for 2020?

Much of Lotus’s development muscle is currently hard at work on the next-generation Elise, scheduled for launch early in 2020.

It will have a new chassis built to meet USA homologation regulations – crucial for future profitability – and will share that structure with the next-generation Exige. While it will move on stylistically from the current car, Gales says it will still be unmistakable as anything other than a Lotus: “You can recognise it at 20m.”

What about the SUV project?

“Work in progress,” Gales says. “We need technical partners, which we are currently looking for. We are building a prototype, for testing at the end of this year [2016]. But for now we are working flat out on the sports cars.”

And what about the current-gen Exige?

Following the recent launch of the lighter, faster Sport 380 variant, “there is nothing more to come from the Exige”, Gales says, although he allows there are still ideas for an increased downforce bodywork package, which may find its way onto a track-only version in the near future.

As late as July 2016, Lotus engineers were still working on aero development ideas ahead of the Sport 380’s November press launch.

“This is the advantage of a small company – it can be agile, and take a decision instantly,” says Gales. And cost effectively too, it seems: “We did this car [the Exige Sport 380] for £1m.”

A new-generation Exige will be developed together with the new Elise.

Is the lukewarm press reception to the Porsche 718’s new four-cylinder boxer engine music to Lotus’s ears?

“We are working very hard on our sound,” Gales says. “We basically sound-engineered the Evora 400 from the start. It is the same with the Exige 380 [which features a new optional titanium exhaust system].”

“We are working on making the Elise 250 sound throatier too. It will get a titanium exhaust in around six months time”, he said, speaking in late October 2016. Without naming any car makers specifically, and perhaps with tongue slightly in cheek, Gales says: “Sound is so important. I don’t know why companies say they prioritise CO2 over sound. None of our customers ask for lower CO2.”

More specifically, he adds: “Some of the new German offerings are missing the steering feel [of hydraulic power steering, which Lotus continues to fit to its cars rather than electrically assisted systems] – some customers say they miss the steering feel, and connection with inputs, and return to Lotus from Porsche.

“Our unique product difference is connection, response – immediacy between input and what you feel on the road is unique to Lotus.”

Gales cites three further specific attributes as being unique and important to the Lotus ethos: lightweight design, its treatment of aerodynamics, and communicative handling.

“We absolutely refuse to make our cars bigger. In fact, we make them lighter.”

Lotus in 2016: in profit at last!

Speaking to CAR Magazine UK at the closely spaced launches of the Evora Sport 410 and Exige Sport 380 in winter 2016, Gales stated that Lotus has been “cashflow positive” from August to the end of November 2016. (Figures for December were unavailable at the time of writing.)

Its entry to the USA with the Lotus Evora 400 in August 2016 has played a key role in making the company operationally profitable.

The Evora 400 is currently the car with the highest profit margin in Lotus’s range, and gaining federal approval for the US is considered ‘the biggest breakthrough’ on that front.

Since the car’s August US launch, Lotus had taken 300 orders as of October 2016, and has been exporting cars at a rate of 50 a month.

That compares with a less rosy 200 orders across the Lotus range as a whole in 2014, and 250 in 2015. By the end of 2016, Lotus has forecast around 700 orders. In 2018 it ideally aims to hit 2400-2500 cars, and in 2020 4000 cars a year is the goal – “the new Elise in the US can do that for us,” Gales says. “We are here to stay. We can afford the development.”

Becoming operationally profitable hasn’t come without hardship, however, with staff redundancies made shortly after Gales took over as CEO. It was a process he describes as “painful”. “We had to sacrifice jobs in order to save 850 jobs [overall, in Lotus’s core workforce]”, he says.

For the first time in some years, Lotus does not plan to attend the Geneva Motor Show in 2017. “We will put the money into the cars,” Gales says.

A Caterham Day at Silverstone

By Jason McGarry.

The first Saturday of October I was fortunate enough to be able to do a track day with Book a Track at Silverstone. Driving a well setup Caterham race car on a F1 track had been on my radar for some time. I arrived at the Silverstone around 7am. It was cool and very foggy. Book a Track was able to secure space in Pit Bays 1 and 2 – used by teams during the British F1 race.

We were sharing the track with a Porsche driving experience day so the usual artillery of 911, GT3’s and Caymans were out in force. There were also Aston Martins and Ferraris using the track at the same time. Being at Silverstone with this sort of company just added to the wow factor!

We were using the Academy’s Caterhams that were in the S3 and SV chassis so the engines were around the 140hp with the 6 speed gearbox. After the normal briefing session and waving all your legal rights away it was time to hit the track. I was there for the full day and shared the car with two other guys who also owned Caterhams, but had never been on a race track.

On track days, Silverstone only allow people on to the track with an instructor sitting in the passenger seat, so it was time for my first session. Driving out of the pit lane and up the hill onto the track for the first time was an experience that I will never forget. My heart was pumping and sweat seemed to be pouring out of my body. Adrenalin was high. The track was beautifully smooth and wide, but this was deceptive, as the corners that seemed to be quite wide were in fact very tight, especially as you came onto main straight. This run was to be my only run in the dry for the day – a shame as I hoped the English weather would be nice to me.

From 10am to 4pm the rain set in and at one point the track was closed due to the volume of water. Although it would have been good to have a dry day on the track, if you were ever going to be instructed how to drive in wet this was the moment. The instructors were very patient with us all and showed us how to pick the lines that would provide the most grip and taught us how to squeeze the power – avoiding spins.

The Aston Martins, Porsches and Ferraris were going a lot quicker than us, however we were driving these Caterhams with none of the modern aids those cars have.

I would recommend anyone that loves the thrill of driving a Caterham or Lotus to give it a go. They run many different types of driving experiences including drifting days, which I hope to do in May. You can also hire a 620R for track days, as long as you book it well in advance.

Duratec Madness – Part 1

By Joe Arico.

Mike Moore and I have been busy putting Duratec’s into our Elise’s. You will know Mike’s install well from all the great articles he’s written. While our builds use common components, they do differ quite a bit. The most essential ingredient though is the same – they are both built by a couple of car nuts in a shed.

After 18 months of work the car has been a runner now for about 4 months. The first couple of months were painful, sorting out teething issues with the tune. Fortunately, I did get it ready for the final round of the QLD Super Sprints in September (literally the night before!). It was a baptism of fire for the car but I’m glad to report that it survived a 400km round trip to the track and competed all weekend without issue. I even came away with a trophy.

So, let’s rewind back to the beginning. One of the biggest goals when I set out to do the conversion was to be able to retain the air conditioning. In the 8+ years I’ve owned the Elise I’ve put a lot of time into getting the AC to work effectively. I wasn’t going to let all that work go to waste! Besides, if you realistically want to use the car in summer in QLD you really don’t have a choice.

It very quickly became apparent that keeping the AC wasn’t going to be easy though. It was clear I was going to have to think outside the box and do something a bit different. The only way I could fit everything in was to move the alternator to the back of the engine and run it on a shaft. The AC compressor was easy – a standard Mazda 6 compressor bolts straight up to the engine block. I wasn’t making life easy for myself but I was determined not to give up on the idea and give it a go! I just had to make sure that everything else I did supported this design goal.

While I worked out what to do with the AC it also became clear (to both Mike and I) that the partial “kit” purchased out of the UK was not engineered to the level required. Most of the components supplied were good quality but the mounts put the engine in a position that was most definitely going to be problematic. To get acceptable clearance around the front of the engine they needed to be redesigned. This is where the project suddenly got a lot more complicated!

It’s worth saying at this point that when I set out to design all these parts I had none of the CAD skills required. I have a long engineering background but I had never used a 3D design package before. However, I had always wanted to learn. I was fortunate to have access to such a package through my work. It was a steep learning curve but after some head banging I eventually got the hang of it. It really is amazing what you can do with the technology available today!

I was also fortunate to have a good friend at work with a 3D printer so I prototyped many of the parts in plastic before committing to manufacturing in aluminum. After a bit of careful measuring I ended up redesigning the mounts to lower the engine 13mm in the car. This may not sound like a lot but it made a massive difference.

Anyway that’s where I’ll sign off for this issue. I’ll leave you with some pictures of early prototype plastic mounts.

The Plus 2 that was meant to be

Story and photos by Vyvyan Black.

Sometime last year I remember seeing an ad on CarSales.com for an Elan Plus 2. It happened to catch my eye because of the fact that the photo of the car’s engine showed a mass of aluminium where the carbs should be, emblazoned with bright red lettering that read: Lotus EFI by Racecraft. Huh?

Out of curiosity I actually enquired with Racecraft about the cost of EFI for my own Elan FHC (not a Plus 2), but the $10k price left me a little shocked to be honest. I’m getting better at judging the cost of decent performance upgrades and now I don’t even consider such extravagances!

At this point I should say that the reason I was looking at CarSales ads is that I was kind of, sort of, vaguely thinking about selling my own Elan. And though the Plus 2 with EFI piqued my interest, I didn’t follow-up because, well, because it was a Plus 2. And I wasn’t in the market for a Plus 2. It was a good price though.

In truth, I was in a bit of a bind … my car needed some money spent on it but I just didn’t want to go there. I would endure sleepless nights wondering how I could possibly fix everything I’d like to without spending any more cash.

Then I went overseas for 3 months.

That period of time away from your everyday surroundings tends to change your perspective somewhat. I made up my mind to sell my car when I got back. After all, it was a toy that I didn’t really, really absolutely have to have and I could put all the stress aside. About a week after I got back I thought I’d test the waters. Most people don’t sell their cars that quickly, there’ll be plenty of time to get used to the whole idea. I decided on a slightly weighted price and put it up on CarSales about 6pm on a Thursday night.

7am in the morning the phone was running hot. I ended up with two guys telling me that they’ll give me cash money at a price I was happy to get – no questions about the state of the car and no need for registration certificates etc. Next thing I know it was around noon on the Saturday that I sat looking at a vacant spot in my garage.

What have I done?! As Greg Bray said, “Hard to find, easy to lose.” I was disconsolate. Not only that, I hadn’t really thought about the things I need a car for. There was only one thing to do – find a replacement. But what?

An Elan like mine in much better condition was just too expensive and too hard to find at a price I could even consider going to. But other options were possible. Months went by as I looked at old Elises, Europas that needed work and Lotus 7 variants. What I really wanted was something that I could use on all kinds of Club events from long day runs through to race days. Most importantly, I’m a classic-not-plastic guy, it has to be a 1960s model or thereabouts. I put the word out and hoped.

At one point I drove the wife’s 2012 Mini Clubman at the Lakeside Timed Laps (DTC). That was fun. But even a mini towers over Lotuses and it looked wildly out of place.

Then, at a Club meeting I was talking to Craig Wilson who suggested a Plus 2.

“They’re a great car you know and much better priced than a normal Elan. Some people even say they are better to drive.”

Not long after our conversation Craig dropped over to pick up some Club flags and mentioned that there was a Plus 2 for sale that he knew was a good car, restored and sold by Tony Galletly some 16 years ago.

“I didn’t see it on CarSales,” I said, “Let’s look online now.”

We found it on Gumtree. I’ve never looked on Gumtree for cars, but there it was. The same one I’d seen with the EFI, but now in Perth. This car was bought from Tony by John Luckie and his partner on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. They had sold it to Mean Machines (a new classic car/restaurant concept) in Perth.

So now it’s mine. And I couldn’t be happier.

The car is wonderful to drive, it’s in great condition, everything works and I cannot enthuse more about it. But best of all it gives me everything I want at a price I can afford!

I’ve since done some more research on the Plus 2. See my story on our website here.

[Show slideshow]

A Definite Plus – the Elan Plus 2

The much underrated Plus 2 is more than just an Elan with an extra pair of seats.

“While arguably the best Elan produced, the Plus 2 has never been as favoured as the two-seater. That’s a mistake because it has a style and character of its own and offers everything you could want from a classic Lotus as well as improved build quality and better value.” – Classic Car

A few facts

Engine: Ford-based 1558cc twin-cam

Gearbox: Four-speed Ford

Dimensions (mm): L 14’ x W 5’3.5” (2S)

Tyres: 155 x 13

Weight: 2086 lb

Price on release: £1223 (£500 less than an E-Type Jag)

Good buy or goodbye?: Arguably the best Elan produced.

History

In late 1967 the Lotus Elan range was well established when Colin Chapman introduced the addition of the family friendly Plus 2. It had taken five years to iron out the initial niggles before releasing this more spacious derivative. With its Ford-based 1558cc twin-cam engine, the Plus 2 was brisk, but it had the handling to match the power, thanks to front Triumph Vitesse and Lotus’ own brand rear disc brakes and brake servos, Triumph rack-and-pinion steering and new chassis settings as the chassis was wider by seven inches and the wheelbase lengthened 12 inches.

Early on in the design days there was a mooted merger of Lotus with Jaguar as William Lyons saw Colin Chapman as the heir apparent which meant the Plus 2 could even have been powered by the lightweight Daimler V8 engine that Jaguar owned! It would have been a whole lot better than other units Chapman considered at the time, such as the Ford Zephyr 1703cc, the yet-to-be-launched V4 Transit lump, the crossflow Kent 1600 and even the Triumph six-pot that ended up in the GT6. Sensibly, Lotus went for the trusty twin cam unit – albeit in less powerful SE tune – to offset the extra weight of the heavier Plus 2, which, at 2086 lb renders the 1290 lb two-seater a real featherweight.

The Elan’s superb shape was dictated by the use of a Capri windscreen, a front bumper from an Anglia and a modified Wolseley Hornet rear fender. Despite the pleasing end result, Chapman was undecided about the Plus 2 during its development. At £1223, the wallet-friendly Plus 2 undercut Jaguar’s E-Type 2+2 by a hefty £500. A plusher Plus 2S was introduced in October 1968, with an even more upmarket interior and standard fog lights. It was also the first Elan not to be offered in kit form and never officially bore the Elan name – it was simply the Lotus Plus 2S – though enthusiasts still called it an Elan. The much-awaited big valve head engines arrived early in 1971. Known as the Elan Sprint, the same engine was transplanted into the Plus 2S to create the 130, which also featured a silver roof to distinguish it from lesser models. From October 1972 the even more sporting Plus 2S 130/5 came with the £120 option of a five-speed gearbox, borrowed from that pioneer of sporting cars, the Austin Maxi.

In August 1973 the Elan roadster was discontinued, but the Plus 2S 130 survived until 1974 (after some 5,200 Plus 2s were built) before the wedge-shaped Elite took over. The Plus 2 received a warm welcome when it rolled off the production line and the press raved about it. In 1967 Motor hailed it as a benchmark of a car that “dictated a reappraisal of some of the standards by which we must judge and assess all future cars”. Praise indeed! And, while the Plus 2 never gained the true silver screen status of the Elan (care of The Avengers) another crime fighter used a Plus 2 to fight his foes – Commander Bucham (Roland Leigh-Hunt) in the children’s program Freewheelers.

Driving

The Plus 2 may have been designed with families in mind, but it’s still an Elan under the skin. Whichever version you drive, the Elan lives up to its name with poise, agility and a bucketload of zest – more than you’d think possible for a car over 50 years of age. Whisper it, but some reckon that the larger, wider-tracked Plus 2 handles even better than the normal Elan. Certainly road tests of the time had little to gripe about. “We can only talk in superlatives. The uncanny cornering powers of this remarkable machine equal and probably exceed those of any production car we have ever driven before: similarly the handling and brakes are certainly not bettered,” exclaimed Motor in its September 1967 road test. Even five years on, and after many rivals had raised their game, Autocar concluded that in despite some shortcomings in 130/5 guise it remained a “light, sensitive driver’s car”.

Period adverts showed Plus 2 as a family car although in truth it’s not overly roomy even for young children.

Today, of course, a modern, grippy hot hatch will show the Lotus the way home, but it’s how the Elan serves up the thrills that counts more. It was the first sports car that demanded to be driven with fingertips rather than grabbed by the scruff of the neck, even if grip levels seem somewhat lowly these days thanks to the Cortina-sized wheels. The Elan was a quick car in its day and even now it rarely disappoints. Autocar clocked a Plus 2S 130/5 at 121mph dead after it sprinted to from 0-60mph in 7.7 seconds, and even a standard Plus 2 is GTi fast. But what makes the Elan so zippy is not just its power to weight ratio but, like the Mini Cooper, its diminutive dimensions ensure that there’s much more road room to play with than rivals or moderns can offer. That said the Plus 2 is two foot longer than a normal Elan and subsequently feels a much bigger car in comparison. Of course the real reason for the Elan was fun family motoring. The rear seats were designed for children, though an adult can be transported in tolerable comfort, while the boot is adequate for GT tours.

Later models actually dropped Elan from name.

A variety of axle ratios were offered although if you’re planning to cover big miles then the five-speed gearbox fitted to the 130/5 provides more relaxed gearing but the change isn’t quite as sweet as the original four-speed Ford box. A well-cared-for Elan is good for 25mpg in normal driving conditions, which was exceptional for its time.

Improvements

Properly set up and maintained, a standard Elan is more than satisfying. However, there are plenty of mods you can do to make this great car even better.

Engine
In standard form the Lotus lump kicked out between 118-126bhp, but these hand-built engines can vary in the horsepower stakes. A careful rebuild – or even a dedicated decoke – can release a lot of extra power as can a session on a rolling road where the jets and timing can be individually adjusted to their optimum settings. Modern air filters are also a good, cost effective swap as is a better exhaust manifold. Uprating a standard engine to SE or big valve Sprint spec is straightforward, while stock Sprint cams are as good as anything for fast yet flexible road use. If you’re after period mods, try hunting down BRM ‘Phase’ camshafts which were used in racing by Lotus. Two mods well worth considering are a set-for-life ‘breakerless’ electronic ignition (the carbs/manifold have to come off to set the points!) and a superior radiator. If the engine’s bottom end is kaput then you can use an existing Ford block, although the capacity will be wrong. However a 1500 unit can successfully be bored out to 1650cc while a 1600 crossflow can be stretched to 1760cc or 1835cc for more torque.

Suspension
A thorough overhaul to standard spec (making sure the ride height is spot on) is all that most drivers will ever need as the Elan’s standard handling is sublime. But the bigger Plus 2 can be improved with an upgrade. Paul Matty used to sell a dedicated spring, damper and anti-roll bar kit that, with larger 14-inch wheels, is said to transform the car and turn it into an even more agile and responsive machine than the two seater. Otherwise it’s just a case of better springs and dampers from the main players such as Koni, Gaz, Spax and so on plus ‘poly’ bushing the suspension if the standard ones are shot. Don’t lower the car but do have the geometry fully set up by a good specialist.

Brakes
In standard form the Elan used simple Triumph discs and if in good order, they are still up to the job. The Plus 2 used larger brakes and it’s the first step toward improved stopping along with EBS ‘Green Stuff’ pads and uprated discs.

Wheels & Tyres
You rarely see a big bubble arched Elan – even racing ones – as the chassis works well enough on such skinny tyres; 155 x 13s were standard wear and even the 130/5 used only 165s but speak to a tyre specialist for a good period tyre choice. A good geometry check and adjust by a Lotus expert is money well spent.

What To Look For

The Elan’s fibreglass body needs careful inspection because there are a lot of potential problem areas. It’s likely that the fibreglass will be looking tatty as the Elan flexes, resulting in star cracks in the panels.

These can appear anywhere, but they’re most likely around the door handles, boot hinges and badge mountings. Panel edges can also succumb to cracking. Make sure that the headlamp pods are in a good state; these can also be pitted with stone chips, much like the rest of the nose.

If a paint job looks great after two years, chances are it’ll keep looking good. It’s common for a respray to look superb for a few months, then the cracks in the fibreglass reappear and it’s back to square one. It’s often better to buy a car that looks tatty – at least you know what you’re getting. Also, establish whether just a blow-over was carried out or if the shell was restored at the same time. Fresh paint over old simply guarantees problems later on.

It may be that a new bodyshell is the most cost-effective way of restoring an Elan – by the time the car has been stripped and panels have been attended to, it’s usually cheaper and easier to just buy a new shell outright. Naturally, this means a complete rebuild will be necessary but with new shells costing well over £4000 (including panels such as the bonnet, boot and doors), it usually makes financial sense.

If the car has been in a prang then the chassis should have been replaced. Even if it has been kerbed heavily, the frame can become distorted, potentially leading to stress cracks in the bodywork and the car will never run true. Any chassis produced after 1980 is galvanised, so if there’s zinc-plating on the one you’re looking at, it’s not the original chassis.

Rotting from the inside out claims most Elan chassis eventually. Key areas to check are the front suspension pick-up points, where the drain holes get blocked. Even if the frame isn’t rusty, stress cracks and fractures are inevitable on a car that’s done 70,000 miles or more. The area around the engine mountings is usually the first to go, and, once cracks appear, it’s time for a replacement, as welding isn’t recommended.

The famous Ford Kent-based twin-cam four-pot is reliable when looked after but if things go wrong it gets costly to fix. That’s why it’s worth looking to see if the engine has been rebuilt. Technology is now far better than when the cars were made, and a rebuilt engine will now soldier on for 140,000 miles or more.

The rear seats were designed for children, though an adult can be transported in tolerable comfort.

The coolant needs to retain a decent concentration of anti-freeze (at least 25 percent) to ensure the alloy cylinder head doesn’t corrode; this will lead to the radiator getting clogged up, which in turn leads to overheating – expect to see 90-95 degrees on the temperature gauge once the car is up to speed. Overheating woes are made worse if the water pump is past its best and it’s a known TC foible, so feel for play in the pump’s pulley and look for water leaks. If it needs replacing then the cylinder head has to come off, with the job typically taking at least 10 hours. If the fan belt is over-tightened the pump’s life will be sharply reduced.

Another likely malady is a timing chain that needs replacing. If the chain is whining it’s because it’s too tight, which is bound to shorten its lifespan. If there’s a chattering noise from the front of the engine then the chain is too loose. Check the adjustment bolt on the engine’s front plate; if all the travel is taken up then there’s no adjustment left and a new chain and tensioner are needed. It’s a complicated job. Expect oil leaks around the cam cover, especially at the rear. Oil usage can be heavy but that’s not uncommon or a bad sign. Oil pressure should be 40lb/ft at operating temperature. Look for plumes of smoke on the overrun, suggesting worn bores and pistons.

Poor running is usually due to worn carbs or poor ignition tuning. DCOEs or Delotto’s require expert setting up and the distributor’s location under the inlet manifold makes replacing and servicing the points a pig of a job. Many fit electronic ignition to counter this. The Lotus tubular exhaust manifolds are notorious for breaking and poor fit. Paul Matty Sportscars sells a better built, bigger bore replacement.

Don’t be surprised to see a mix and match of components, as specs changed frequently at the factory. Has a big valve head been substituted? The head should be stamped with a letter ‘N’ by No 1 spark plug. Does it feature special cam covers? The Elan’s four-speed gearbox is sourced from the Ford Corsair 2000E – it’s tough but slick and a joy to change. The five-speed unit fitted to the Plus 2 S 130/5 has Austin Maxi internals, and was hardly a model of precision even when new. The differentials look like Lotus parts but the bits inside are actually sourced from the Ford parts bin.

On a test drive, turn the steering between locks as the car is moving, to transfer the weight from side to side. As you do so, listen for chattering from the rear wheels, indicating that the wheel bearings have worn out. If the car still has Rotoflex suspension (rubber doughnut joints) there’s a chance that the couplings will have started to break up. The best way of checking for wear is to inspect them closely to see if they’re perished and cracked.

A modified Triumph Herald steering rack is fitted to some models. The main difference between this and the standard rack is that the Elan’s has lock stops fitted and shorter outer tie rods to prevent the wheels from rubbing against the anti-roll bar. Make sure there’s been no contact between the wheels and the suspension; if there has, the Herald item needs to be swapped for a proper Elan one.

If the car pulls to one side under braking or acceleration then the chassis may have taken a knock. Get underneath and check that nothing is bent (if possible try a few cars to set a datum). If the car has been kerbed, or if the chassis is damaged from any sort of impact, everything will be out of line – and it’ll soon be apparent when you’re behind the wheel.

It’s worth getting a four-wheel suspension alignment check done because the geometry needs to be exactly right. If the car has had a new chassis it’s especially worthwhile because everything needs to be set up from scratch – and it often isn’t!

The chassis isn’t the only thing to suffer after a chance encounter with a kerb, the wishbones can bend, too. The giveaway is dodgy handling but get underneath and see if there are any kinks in the metal. If the car tries to steer itself it’s because the wishbone bushes have worn.

Right from the outset the Elan was well equipped – especially when it came to brakes. The little Lotus got discs all round with Triumph Vitesse units at the front on Plus 2s and Lotus’ own items on the rear. The system works well, if there’s any pulling to one side it’s because a caliper is sticking. If the handbrake fails to hold the car it’s probably because any play has been taken up at the lever end of the system. The most effective adjustment is done at the wheels, though the handbrake is notoriously poor on the Elan.

You need to check that each electrical item is working properly because there’s no shortage of wiring in an Elan. The fibreglass body means each item has to have two wires going to it – a live and an earth. Although the system is usually pretty reliable, there’s plenty of scope for loose or broken connections. Infrequently used cars also suffer from duff relays – they’re Lucas 6R units. Everything is available to effect any repairs, and often all that’s needed is the cleaning of some contacts.

The Plus 2 is a more luxurious car, with higher levels of standard equipment, including more instrumentation. Again, you need to check it’s all working. Headlamps can become lazy, leading to a winking action on any Elan.

Finally remember that the Elan was a highly strung piece of kit, which, when new, required frequent TLC. Run one like an MGB and it will more than likely prove to be unreliable. Also, some Plus 2s were converted to cabrios but it’s not a factory conversion and the shell loses its rigidity, so be wary.

Verdict

Motor’s words about the Elan from all those years ago are as relevant as ever. The Plus 2 is everything a normal Elan is but with more practicality and value for money. And some reckon it’s the nicest looking Elan of them all, too, so what more could your average driving enthusiast want? Just be sure to buy with care and you’ll enjoy what is one of the finest handling cars of all time with practicality to boot.

Jim Clark’s Cortina

Story and pictures by Greg Bray.

Last year Chris and I did our bi-annual trip back to the UK to see the family. As always it happened to be in the month of September (funny that) so I could go just up the road to the Goodwood Revival with my brother.

Luckily for us, on the Sunday I spotted Bob Dance the famous Lotus mechanic. Bob, now in his 80’s was in the pits working on Jim Clark’s Lotus 25 as he has done since the 1960’s. Bob was giving the car the once over in preparation for the period F1 race in the afternoon.

The Lotus 25 won easily against all the opposition of it’s era, as it did in the 1963 F1 season giving Clark his 1st World Championship.

The point of my story is whilst we were staying with our Welsh Lotus friend Andy, he did what he usually does and drove me through many muddy Welsh lanes to visit one of his many Lotus friends. This time not too far away from Cardiff we turned up at William’s property. William owns four Mk1 Lotus Cortina’s.

The pride and joy of his collection is Jim Clark’s very own early road Cortina. Oh, to be an enthusiast with pots of money. He has the detailed proof, and apparently the car cost him as much as a very good house.

The very interesting part of this car for me being an Elan enthusiast was that Bob Dance had worked on the car in it’s early days. He made a frame to hold the Elan diff, and fitted the whole Elan diff, drive-shafts, struts, discs and put them all in the back of this Cortina. Which would have made the handling of the car so much better with the Elan’s independent lightweight suspension. But with Clark’s excellent driving skills, he did very nicely with standard set-up on the track in his race Cortinas.

Also would you believe in this garage one of the other Cortinas had a “Best in Show” certificate, and the car had been restored by none other than our Derek Dean.

A History of the Lotus Seven

A 60-year history of lightness, precision and terrific little driving machines

Graham Hill and Colin Chapman trialling in a 1172cc side valve Cannon.

In 1948, Colin Chapman built a stressed plywood body and put it on a rotten old Austin 7 chassis to produce his very first car. With this innovative and competitive machine he competed in sporting trails.

Classic Trials are one of the oldest forms of motor sport, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. On these, the car or motorcycle is stopped at the foot of a hill and has to make a non-stop ascent. Chapman soon developed a reputation as a talented car designer and went on to build a much improved trials car. He was so pleased with this machine’s handling that he thought he’d have a crack at circuit racing with it too. On 3 June 1950, in an eight-car race at Silverstone, Chapman brought home his trials car ahead of a Type 37 Bugatti to win his very first circuit race.

After building multiple trials and road racing cars, Colin Chapman introduced his first ‘production’ car, the Lotus Mark VI, in 1952. The heart of the Mark VI was a space frame chassis. Rather than a complete car, it was available to the general public as kit, wherein the customer could install any preferred engine and gearbox, making it eligible for a wider number of formulas.

Production and development of newer models continued with the cars becoming more sophisticated, faster and more successful. The Eleven was in production and running at Le Mans when Chapman, his wife and another couple were having a regular Sunday evening meal together. One of the women said they should look at producing a simple car again for the market the Six had met but Lotus had moved away from. The word is they sketched it up that night and had the prototype built within a week. Heavily based on the Eleven, this car was to become the Seven, though initially the Seven number was missed.

The Lotus Seven was launched in 1957 – the Seven name was left over from a model that was abandoned by Lotus, which would have been a Riley-engined single-seater that Lotus intended to enter into Formula Two in 1952 or 1953. However, the car was completed as a sports car and christened the Clairmonte Special.

The Seven was powered by a 40 bhp (30 kW; 41 PS) Ford Side-valve 1,172 cc inline-four engine. It was mainly for lower budget club racing on short tracks (750 motor club).

In order to continue building successful racing cars, Lotus needed to continue to make money. The Seven was never designed as a competition car. In fact, the exercise of going from the S1 to the S2 was about keeping build costs as low as possible, and the Seven had a frame with plenty of limitations. Sales dwindled and there are plenty of stories about Seven enthusiasts within the company who worked to keep the car in production while Chapman wanted to drop it, as it was not making money and did not suit the image he was cultivating for the company.

The Lotus Seven S2 followed in 1960 and was supplemented by the Lotus Super Seven S2 from 1961. The Super Seven initially used the larger Cosworth modified 1340cc Ford Classic engine and later examples were fitted with 1498cc or 1599cc engines.

The Seven S3 was released in 1968. In 1970, Lotus radically changed the shape of the car to create the slightly more conventional sized Series 4, with a squarer fibreglass shell replacing most of the aluminium bodywork. It also offered some ‘luxuries’ as standard, such as an internal heater matrix.

The British tax system of the time – Purchase Tax – meant the car could be supplied as a kit (known as ‘completely knocked down’ or CKD) without attracting the tax surcharge that would apply if sold in assembled form. Tax rules specified assembly instructions could not be included, but as the rules said nothing about the inclusion of disassembly instructions, they were included instead and all the enthusiast had to do was to follow them in reverse.

The original model was highly successful with more than 2,500 cars sold, due to its attraction as a road legal car that could be used for clubman racing.

Having joined the EEC on 1 January 1973, the UK had to abolish Purchase Tax and adopt VAT instead. VAT does not allow for concessions such as ‘CKD’, so the tax advantage of the kit-built Lotus Seven came to an end. Between 1957 and 1972 the Colin Chapman designed and produced Lotus Seven became the embodiment of the Lotus philosophy of performance through low weight and simplicity.

The Seven After Lotus

In 1973, Lotus decided to shed fully its kit car image and concentrate on limited series motor racing cars. As part of this plan, Lotus ended production of the Seven and sold the rights to its only remaining agents Caterham Cars in England and Steel Brothers Limited in New Zealand.

Today Caterham make both kits and fully assembled cars based on the original design.

When Caterham ran out of the Lotus Series 4 kits in the early 70s, in accordance with their agreement with Lotus, they introduced their own brand version of the Series 3. They have been manufacturing and refining this car ever since as the Caterham Seven.

Steel Brothers Limited in Christchurch, New Zealand assembled Lotus Seven Series 4s until March 1979 when the last of the 95 kits provided by Lotus was used up. The last Lotus badged Seven Series 4 was therefore produced in New Zealand. There was also an attempt to make a wider, modernized version of the Series 4 using the twin cam Lotus 907 engine, called the ‘Lotus Super 907’.

This video explains how Colin Chapman began the process of developing the Lotus Seven from its early origins as a trialling car.

In the spring of 1978 it was announced that this was to be sold in the United States (as the 907 engine had been federalized) – but the American importer had no funds and the project came to naught. The single finished Super 907 still resides in New Zealand. Lotus Super Sevens built in New Zealand (cars 3008 and 3015) were imported into California in 2012 by Trevor Candler.

Between 1970 and 1975, following a representation agreement, Lotus Argentina SA obtained the license to manufacture the Lotus Seven in Argentina. This production reached approximately 51 units.

These vehicles were not replicas, but built under license and original brand Lotus, this being the second legitimate Lotus Seven built out of England, and therefore can also legitimately bear the emblem of Lotus.

The Lotus Seven design has spawned a host of imitations on the kit car market, generally called Sevens or sevenesque roadsters. Many of those cars are still produced to this day. Along with manufacturer supplied kits, there are entirely self-built sevenesque cars referred to as Locosts.

Driving the 1969 Lotus Seven is, without question, the single best moment of my life… it’s the same distilled, cask-strength delight I felt when my brother and I pushed a home-built cart down a too-steep hill, the same blend of thrill and mild terror. My left foot darts down from its perch atop two exposed screws to push in the clutch, the four-speed gearbox moves to third with a fractional wrist movement, and then on the throttle and the engine growling once more and its ‘Biggles Learns To Drive’ and I’m buzzing the aerodrome and shouting “yah boo sucks to you!” at the Zeppelin pilots. I must buy goggles. And a helmet. And one of those long white scarves. And one of these, I’ve got to get me a Seven. Seventh Heaven! – Brendan McAleer, Drive.

Pre-Lotus Seven Models

Lotus MkI

The first car Chapman built was an Austin 7-based “special” not designed for racing, just designed to be driven! An outing competing in off-road Trials competition with the car and then-girlfriend (and future wife) Hazel Williams helped to convince Chapman to continue building cars, only with the next to be faster.

Lotus MkII

His second machine was built to compete in trials competition, and tellingly, was also able to run on the road. Think of it in spirit as your grandfather’s Ariel Nomad. Chapman entered it into events held by the yes-you-can-still-become-a-member-of-it 750 Motor Club. Once he realised it was quick in circuit racing, his next car was built for the tarmac.

Lotus MkIII

Technically-speaking, this is Lotus #1, or at least it was the first car to be “called” Lotus, though its lineage is clear. It’s as advanced as you’d expect from a Chapman design, even one from 1951: aluminium bodywork, 0-50 mph in less than 7 seconds, and a top speed of around 90 mph. Did I mention it had just a 750cc engine?

Lotus MkIV

Lotus Engineering Company—founded with the help from a £50 note from Hazel Williams—finished up the Mk IV, a car that would be the final Trials car—naturally, it won on its debut, and requests to purchase a “Lotus” pushed the company ahead with its most revolutionary design yet—the 1952 Mk VI.

Lotus MkVI

Lotus MkV development was abandoned for the VI, the first car from the company to sell in great numbers — more than 100 kits, and the first to resemble the Seven we all know and love. Even today — forgive its lack of safety — its performance is brisk: 93 mph top speed, 0-60 mph in about 15 seconds from your choice of engine. Weight was a comically low at 952 lbs, which is a near 40% saving from the minimum weight for a 2016 Formula 1 car.

Once assembled, it was a car that gave many amateurs around the UK and beyond their first taste of victory — the first of only a few times where DIY designs have trounced factory efforts.

Lotus Seven Models

Lotus Seven S1

First generation
Year/s: 1957–1960
Body and chassis related to: Lotus Eleven
Engine: 1,172 cc (1.2 L) I4

Lotus Seven S2

Second generation
Year/s: 1961–1967
Engine: 1,340 cc (1.3 L) I4

Lotus Seven S3

Third generation
Year/s: 1968–1969
Engine: 1,600 cc (1.6 L) I4

Lotus Seven S4

Fourth generation
Year/s: 1970–1972
Engine/s: 1,600 cc (1.6 L) I4
1,700 cc (103.7 cu in) I4

1970 Lotus Super 7

Evolution of the Lotus Seven – Caterham

Caterham

Caterham owns the rights to reproduce the Lotus Super Seven and in their hands the car, or at least the badge, has continued to thrive to this day with development continuing.

Caterham Cars has recently developed the AeroSeven Concept, the first ever Caterham fitted with traction control. Thanks to an Engine Management System, drivers will be able to enjoy fully-adjustable traction and launch control functionality. Utilising a naturally-aspirated, EU6-approved, 240ps (237bhp) engine developed by Caterham Technology & Innovation from the recently launched Caterham Seven 485, (one of the world’s highest revving EU6-compliant engines) it transfers power to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

The AeroSeven Concept is stacked with race car-inspired features, including aerodynamic styling, plenty of carbon-fibre, an exclusive F1-style steering wheel with driver-focused functionality, and an intuitive fully active Graphical Display Unit (GDU).

Caterham Levante – RS Performance RST-V8 Engine
The ‘Levante’, built by RS Performance Engine Developments Ltd. (RS = Russell Savory), is a mostly-carbon-fibre bodied Caterham, with Kevlar seats, combined with a 2.4-litre 40-valve supercharged V8 and boasts almost 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS) per tonne while weighing just 530 kg (the RS website specifies ‘in excess of 500bhp,’ and 520 kg). The math may or may not achieve over 1,000 bhp per tonne. Costing £115,000 each, only eight were produced to celebrate more than 50 years in production. They immediately sold out. Two days of mandatory ‘driver training’ were included in the price of the car.

**Caterham 21**
In 1994 Caterham produced the 21 using a modified seven spaceframe chassis. Only 48 were ever made.

Caterham UK website | Caterham Australia website

THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY – REPLICAS & INSPIRATION

Donkervoort

Since 1978 Donkervoort (located in Lelystad, The Netherlands) has steadily developed its Seven model line up to now include the Donkervoort D8 GTO. With nearly 400 bhp at less than 700 kg in weight it needs just 2.8 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h. The GTO is available in both hard-top and cabrio versions. With its longitudinally mounted Audi 5 cylinder 340hp 2.5 litre TFSI engine and a top speed of 270 km/h, the Donkervoort D8 GTO is one of the fastest street-legal cars in the world.

Donkervoort website

Panoz Roadster

The Panoz Roadster was a sports car launched in 1992 by the American manufacturer Panoz Auto Development Company of Georgia. The Roadster was succeeded by the AIV Roadster in 1997. They were built using aluminum, similar to that of the Plymouth Prowler first sold several years later in 1997. The Panoz Roadster was the first American built aluminum intensive vehicle. Panoz’s website states that the roadster is expected to return in 2015. You can clearly see the influence of the Seven in the design.

Clubmans

Because of the Seven’s relatively simple design, many companies have offered cars based on the Seven over the years. Such cars are often referred to as “clubmans”. Some examples are:

**Almac Clubsprint** by Almac, a kit car manufacturer in New Zealand.

**Aries Locost** Aries Motorsport make the Locoblade and Locost in the UK.

**BWE Locust** – also Hornet, Grasshopper.

Garbi Mk1 — **Garbí Mk1**
produced by Cobra Cars Spain with a Yamaha R-1 180hp engine.

**Dala** – a taller and wider design
using Volvo parts.

**Deman Motorsport replica** (Discontinued).

**Donkervoort D8 GTO**
from the Netherlands with Audi turbo engines.

**Elfin Clubman T5** by Elfin Sports Cars Australia.

**Estfield** from RaceTech using Lada parts.

**Esther** by Esther, based in Ugglerum, Sweden.

**Fraser Clubman**
from Fraser Cars Ltd New Zealand.

**Fraser Clubman S**
from Fraser Cars Ltd New Zealand.

**Hauser H1** from Switzerland with BMW engines.

Hispano Aleman — **Hispano Alemán** from Madrid, Spain make the Hispano Alemán with SEAT engine and parts.

Hockmayr — **Höckmayr KFZ-Technik (HKT)** from Germany with Audi turbo engines.

**Irmscher** from Germany with Opel engines.

**Kaipan 14** replica from Czech Republic 1997-2012.

**Leitch Super Sprint** by Leitch Industries,
Invercargill, New Zealand.

**1970 Lucalia Clubman** by Lucalia Partnerships Tasmania, Australia with Japanese mechanicals.

**Leugo Velocity** and V8 Viento by Luego Sports Cars in the UK.

Mark Nordon Racing Vortx — **Marc Nordon Racing UK**
build the Vortx RT, RT+ and RT Super.

**McGregor Motorsport Limited** – New Zealand based replica kits.

**MK Indy** by MK Engineering in the UK using Ford Sierra parts.

**Pegasus** by Pegasus Automobile in Germany (discontinued).

**PRB Clubman** manufactured Peter R. Bladewell in Sydney, Australia.

**Robin Hood Engineering UK** produced several models (discontinued).

**1985 Rotus** was built by Maryland-based Toyota dealer and Lotus 7 racer Chris Custer.

Southways Supercat — **Southways SuperCat** by Southways Automotive UK.

**Stalker V6 Clubman** by Brunton Automotive in Bradenton, Florida USA.

Superformance S1 — **Superformance** S1 Roadster (discontinued). Now a USA Caterham agent.

**Tornado Raptor** – a V8 powered replica by Tornado Sports Cars.

**TSV** is a replica from TSV in Greece.

**Vindicator Sprint** by Vindicator Cars.

Westfield Sport Turbo — **Westfield Sportscars** produces several models including the Sport Turbo (shown).

Please feel free to comment on this article if you have anything you’d like to bring our attention to.

Official: Lotus Motorcycle C-01

For years, Lotus has been renowned for high performance lightweight cars, and since the announcement of the creation of a Lotus motorcycle we’ve waited patiently for production. Finally, in a February 20 press release, Lotus officially announced that they will send the C-01 motorcycle to production.

In fact, they’ve already tested the bike and put the prototypes on the streets. The design was brought together by a man named Daniel Simon, who is also the man behind much of the Bugatti Veyron.

The superbike will see a limited production of just 100 units, meaning that you will have to move fast if you want one. More information here.

S3 for sale

This 1967 Elan S3 is listed at No Reserve at Shannons Sydney Autumn 2014 Classic Auction. Go to page

Co-incidentally, pages 48-52 of this month’s copy of Unique Cars magazine contain a feature on the early Elan. Photos of Geoff Rouse’s 1963 model accompany the article.

Europa Overhaul

Overhaulin’ gives 1972 Europa the Foose

Did anyone catch the Europa on Overhaulin’? I’ve only just seen this double episode. Turns out that this custom build was legendary US customiser, Chip Foose’s most ambitious project.

Above: Before, top: After. Click images to enlarge.

For those who haven’t seen the show, Overhaulin’ is a cable TV reality series. The premise goes like this – an unsuspecting classic car lover has his broken down old treasure carnapped, and given a massive makeover in the restomod style, using plenty of modern upgrades. These upgrades are done with the intention of staying true to the original designer’s concept, if today’s technology were available to him at the time. Putting the room that leaves for debate aside, this project was pretty impressive.

The old dear got a heart transplant thanks to a brand new Elise engine complete with supercharger and fully customised exhaust. The chassis and fibreglass body was necessarily strengthened and reshaped, new wheels and brakes were installed, a new Porsche gearbox and Porsche headlights and instrument cluster were fitted, the suspension system was rebuilt and heaps more.

Apart from that, Foose had a grand old time with his grinder remodeling the whole car with adaptions such as shortening the front overhang, reshaping the bonnet and the wheel arches, adding side scoops for engine air cooling, changing the position of lights and reshaping the roof/door line.

Then the car was given a 3 colour paint job, new rear window glass and a completely remodeled leather interior.

Unfortunately we never saw how the thing actually ran – I suspect there were a few bugs that needed ironing out first. All this in a matter of weeks. Amazing what you can do with sponsor’s money!

Still, I’m not so sure about all this. The cost of this build would have been extraordinary if you went and had it done for you on the open market.

I, for one, like all the old stuff. That’s why I buy classic cars – for their period charm. If I wanted a brand new plastic car I’d buy one. This Europa is pretty unique though.

– Vyvyan Black

Replica Lotus 23B

I visited Ross Ryan in Brisbane last week to drop off some Cortina clutch bits and he showed me his replica Lotus 23B and replica Lotus 7.

I sold Ross some Lotus mechanical fuel injection last year and he is going to fit it to the 23B on a Lotus head. At the moment the car has a 1600 in it. He’ll sort out the suspension and then fit the Lotus motor. The head he has is a twin Stromberg with the conversion done to twin Webers.

He bought the car from a guy in New Zealand. They were made in Invercargill years ago. Should be a good looking machine when finished.

See ya
Saundo