In an earlier article I wrote about owning a Lotus Elan S4 SE, a lovely bright yellow convertible, a joy to drive, a most terrible soft top to put up and down but glorious fun. Running costs though for someone in his 20s were a trifle high though.
When I came to sell it, I sold it for slightly higher to a business woman who owned an MGB convertible, but, oh dear oh dear, it was painted Khaki green. Worse still, awful woman, she had ‘sunshine’ sprayed white, I ask you, I almost wept every time I saw ‘my’ Lotus Elan afterwards.
I moved from my Lotus Elan to a yellow Triumph GT6 which was fine until the first time I drove it in the rain, it had to go, it was truly frightening, then I settled for a time on a highland purple Reliant Scimitar, in time descending into the realms of an Austin Maxi or 2. (I had a caravan, I agree, what sort of excuse is that!).
After little thought and much excitement I decided the time had come to own a Lotus Elan again, but this time it would be the ‘business man’s express’. I scoured Exchange & Mart for a Lotus Elan + 2S.
Up in Cambridgeshire I found what seemed a good one at the right price, it was a red Lotus Elan + 2S with most things working and a good sunroof. He drove it, I drove it, loved all the dials, decided my golden retriever would fit in the back and struck a deal.
The following weekend I went to collect it and drove back to Kent. However something was not right. It needed checking.
When I had the convertible Lotus Elan I had met someone who could do paint work, yes I had reversed into a rock and he had repaired the fiberglass crack and done the re-spray. I went to him, his name was Rudi, an American, he and his family had come to England to escape the Vietnam War call ups. He had actually trained as a concert pianist and to hear him play jazz (I can’t stand jazz) was wonderful. I digress.
He looked the car over and told me my judgement was useless, the car was a pig, I was lucky to be alive, the steering, the brakes, ‘the doughnuts’ (put on the wrong way round) were all disasters waiting to happen. My Lotus Elan was a ghost maker.
I had my suspicions, my then girlfriend nearly killed me too when I told her, she insisted that I get rid of it. Am I a man or a mouse? Transpires I’m a mouse. I got Rudi to fix it up, but this particular Lotus Elan + 2S was never going to be a good ‘un, so I sold it. I didn’t feel good about it, but by golly I was glad the damn thing started first time when the new owner came to drive it away.
Next time I will tell you about the replacement, a Lotus Elan + 2S 130/5, in the meantime whenever you drive please, please, please wear a seat belt.
Wednesday 8 October 2008
Tuesday 7 October 2008
Powerful car
I went out today and had to laugh, there at the bread shop was parked a most powerful car, well once upon a time, it was a beast, the quickest production car in Britain (I think).
This powerful car had started life in 1968, it is a ghastly, mank pale blue, I won’t tell you its full number plate but is a ‘G’ reg. A 2 door coupe, the real coupe, an E-type Jaguar, with a sloping back, not the bulbous thing of the later e-types.
This powerful car was not well cared for, the rear was filled with gardening equipment, maybe even a chain-saw, the ash tray was full and more, probably not emptied since 1973, the leather seats were definitely original, a bit dull in their blackness, white showing through, worn very worn.
It was a lovely surprise to see this powerful car, normally they are pristine, loved yes, but not used for every day use, this mank pale blue sports coupe is, the twin exhausts pointing skywards, saying ‘Look at me, I am not like ordinary cars, I am a real car’.
Even where I live there are speed humps, how can this e-type with its proud exhausts survive, even on good roads they are known for crashing the exhaust, long, long things against poor road surfaces, this most powerful car would not try a speed hump. Surely?
But maybe if the driver goes quickly enough, the old war horse might have lift off and land unscathed on the other side. No, it would break up in no time, and as I a great advocate of driving safely, I can not think that way, but still how can those exhausts avoid the sleeping policemen?
The mank pale blue of this powerful car needs attention, it is faded and needs a polish, the only outcome from such tender loving care would still be pale blue, a most unsuitable colour for such a glorious machine.
When I was a boy at school (this dates me) as I ran I always pretended I was an e-type Jaguar, when older I always wanted one but promised myself I would never sit in one until I owned it, I have still never sat in this most powerful car.
Even I knew you had to push a button, not turn a key, to start it, funny how this has returned first to the powerful cars of today and is gradually spreading to all cars, fortunately the use of 3 windscreen wipers has not come back too!
It is odd to see how what was a huge powerful car of its day now looks so small against modern cars, but my goodness mank or not, it stands out, it cannot be mistaken for anything else, it holds onto its place in history and in many people’s hearts, the old hairdresser car indeed.
I will return with more thoughts and stories, of my cars and others, take care and whenever you drive, please, please, please wear a seat belt.
This powerful car had started life in 1968, it is a ghastly, mank pale blue, I won’t tell you its full number plate but is a ‘G’ reg. A 2 door coupe, the real coupe, an E-type Jaguar, with a sloping back, not the bulbous thing of the later e-types.
This powerful car was not well cared for, the rear was filled with gardening equipment, maybe even a chain-saw, the ash tray was full and more, probably not emptied since 1973, the leather seats were definitely original, a bit dull in their blackness, white showing through, worn very worn.
It was a lovely surprise to see this powerful car, normally they are pristine, loved yes, but not used for every day use, this mank pale blue sports coupe is, the twin exhausts pointing skywards, saying ‘Look at me, I am not like ordinary cars, I am a real car’.
Even where I live there are speed humps, how can this e-type with its proud exhausts survive, even on good roads they are known for crashing the exhaust, long, long things against poor road surfaces, this most powerful car would not try a speed hump. Surely?
But maybe if the driver goes quickly enough, the old war horse might have lift off and land unscathed on the other side. No, it would break up in no time, and as I a great advocate of driving safely, I can not think that way, but still how can those exhausts avoid the sleeping policemen?
The mank pale blue of this powerful car needs attention, it is faded and needs a polish, the only outcome from such tender loving care would still be pale blue, a most unsuitable colour for such a glorious machine.
When I was a boy at school (this dates me) as I ran I always pretended I was an e-type Jaguar, when older I always wanted one but promised myself I would never sit in one until I owned it, I have still never sat in this most powerful car.
Even I knew you had to push a button, not turn a key, to start it, funny how this has returned first to the powerful cars of today and is gradually spreading to all cars, fortunately the use of 3 windscreen wipers has not come back too!
It is odd to see how what was a huge powerful car of its day now looks so small against modern cars, but my goodness mank or not, it stands out, it cannot be mistaken for anything else, it holds onto its place in history and in many people’s hearts, the old hairdresser car indeed.
I will return with more thoughts and stories, of my cars and others, take care and whenever you drive, please, please, please wear a seat belt.
Lotus Elan S4 SE
Once upon a time I owned a Lotus Elan S4 Se convertible, it was bright yellow and was superb. In some ways it still remains the drive of my life.
It was the one with the hump on the bonnet to allow for the Stromberg carburetors, woeful in comparison with the normal Webbers, but Chapman, always trying to save money here and there had done a deal. Still the hump added a certain something to the Lotus Elan S4’s looks.
It had beautiful lines. The Lotus Elan sprint which was to follow kept the shape but lost the hump. It was the perfect driving machine, light, surprisingly soft ridden, very direct steering which let me drive very fast in complete control.
Those doughnuts! Anyone who drove a Lotus Elan knew engaging the clutch and the accelerator on starting off was not enough, unless done correctly the car would stall. However a bit of practice soon sorted out the problem.
The Lotus Elan S4 had a superb gearbox (Ford), a wonderful engine (Ford) and many other bits from other cars, Lotus spares were expensive, but if you looked around you would soon find the same part came from an Austin Maxi and cost far less. Other parts came from Triumph but they were pricey too.
My particular car was strange as it was a black badge model. The badge was put on as a tribute to Jochen Rindt, who was the only posthumous Formula 1 racing champion. However the odd thing is he was 1970 champion and my car was a 1969 Lotus Elan S4. Somewhere along the line, someone, time, somehow the badge appeared.
I remember once driving with a Lotus Elan sprint, we were racing between Uckfield and Tunbridge Wells, I would catch him on the bends, I also knew the road well, but he would leave me on the straights, absolutely brilliant. His was a hard top in Gold Leaf colours.
Those strombergs were a pain too, they were forever going out of tune. Unlike the Webbers they were just not right for the car, Colin Chapman obviously thought so too as he dumped them as soon as he could!
When on song the Lotus Elan was the absolute tops for its day, I sold my 1973 MG Midget, a lovely car in its way, in order to buy my dream car ‘Sunshine’ and it was as different as chalk and cheese. I truly loved that car, just hated the bills!
In another article I will tell you about the 2 Lotus Elan + 2s that followed. One should have killed me, the other nearly did! Meanwhile, whenever you drive, please, please, please wear a seat belt.
It was the one with the hump on the bonnet to allow for the Stromberg carburetors, woeful in comparison with the normal Webbers, but Chapman, always trying to save money here and there had done a deal. Still the hump added a certain something to the Lotus Elan S4’s looks.
It had beautiful lines. The Lotus Elan sprint which was to follow kept the shape but lost the hump. It was the perfect driving machine, light, surprisingly soft ridden, very direct steering which let me drive very fast in complete control.
Those doughnuts! Anyone who drove a Lotus Elan knew engaging the clutch and the accelerator on starting off was not enough, unless done correctly the car would stall. However a bit of practice soon sorted out the problem.
The Lotus Elan S4 had a superb gearbox (Ford), a wonderful engine (Ford) and many other bits from other cars, Lotus spares were expensive, but if you looked around you would soon find the same part came from an Austin Maxi and cost far less. Other parts came from Triumph but they were pricey too.
My particular car was strange as it was a black badge model. The badge was put on as a tribute to Jochen Rindt, who was the only posthumous Formula 1 racing champion. However the odd thing is he was 1970 champion and my car was a 1969 Lotus Elan S4. Somewhere along the line, someone, time, somehow the badge appeared.
I remember once driving with a Lotus Elan sprint, we were racing between Uckfield and Tunbridge Wells, I would catch him on the bends, I also knew the road well, but he would leave me on the straights, absolutely brilliant. His was a hard top in Gold Leaf colours.
Those strombergs were a pain too, they were forever going out of tune. Unlike the Webbers they were just not right for the car, Colin Chapman obviously thought so too as he dumped them as soon as he could!
When on song the Lotus Elan was the absolute tops for its day, I sold my 1973 MG Midget, a lovely car in its way, in order to buy my dream car ‘Sunshine’ and it was as different as chalk and cheese. I truly loved that car, just hated the bills!
In another article I will tell you about the 2 Lotus Elan + 2s that followed. One should have killed me, the other nearly did! Meanwhile, whenever you drive, please, please, please wear a seat belt.
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