RE: Unique Elan shooting brake!

RE: Unique Elan shooting brake!

Author
Discussion

Moospeed

542 posts

264 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
I'd love to understand - why would anyone other than a dog owner or antiques dealer want an estate version of any car ?

I can understand "need" but not "want".

PastHim

15,530 posts

233 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
Very nice work but why???

AlpineAndy

1,395 posts

242 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I like the original but to me this looks wrong.

David Smith

716 posts

247 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
sprinter885 said:
Barefoot-- YOU'VE BEEN TANGOED !! wink
cant argue with that!

looks very nice - lots of time and effort there me thinks ...

always will have a soft spot for the +2S ...

Thanks for posting piccys!!

DAS

RTH

1,057 posts

211 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
malaccamax said:
RTH said:
Then Lotus Dealer Hexagon of Highgate produced these cars 35 years ago based on the Elan Sprint

Fabulous bit of sleuthing/geekery RTH. If one was to make a criticism of the newer version, it's that the rear window line should have been allowed to straighten as this does. Looks a bit like those pick-up hardtops otherwise. Still though, Andy Williams would be proud. "To dream the impossible dream..."
Well I have to declare an interest, my brother in law worked for them at the time and I worked for an MG /BL distributor down the road at north Finchley.

The body was made by specialised mouldings who at the time made all the F1 GRP bodywork HEXAGON was racing in Formula 1 in a Brabham BT 42.

The bodywork was beatifully made fitted and trimmed .

The conversion added £595 to the £1895 price of the new Lotus Elan Sprint.

Only 2 or 3 complete new cars went to customers and later scores of body kits were scrapped, pity they are worth a fortune today !

jazzyjeff

3,652 posts

258 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
Moospeed said:
I'd love to understand - why would anyone other than a dog owner or antiques dealer want an estate version of any car ?

I can understand "need" but not "want".
Er...carry passengers? Children maybe? Better that than the curse of the MPV or 4WD!

JJ

malaccamax

1,247 posts

230 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
RTH said:
malaccamax said:
RTH said:
Then Lotus Dealer Hexagon of Highgate produced these cars 35 years ago based on the Elan Sprint



Fabulous bit of sleuthing/geekery RTH. If one was to make a criticism of the newer version, it's that the rear window line should have been allowed to straighten as this does. Looks a bit like those pick-up hardtops otherwise. Still though, Andy Williams would be proud. "To dream the impossible dream..."


Well I have to declare an interest, my brother in law worked for them at the time and I worked for an MG /BL distributor down the road at north Finchley.

The body was made by specialised mouldings who at the time made all the F1 GRP bodywork HEXAGON was racing in Formula 1 in a Brabham BT 42.

The bodywork was beatifully made fitted and trimmed .

The conversion added £595 to the £1895 price of the new Lotus Elan Sprint.

Only 2 or 3 complete new cars went to customers and later scores of body kits were scrapped, pity they are worth a fortune today !


Of those 2 or 3, did any survive that you know about?

bimsb6

8,030 posts

220 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
speedychrissie said:
it is an interesting project. how exactly did they manage to reduce the weight by nearly 100kg? i would have thought it would have weighed more!

looks like they filled it with marshmallows.

RTH

1,057 posts

211 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
malaccamax said:
RTH said:
malaccamax said:
RTH said:
Then Lotus Dealer Hexagon of Highgate produced these cars 35 years ago based on the Elan Sprint

Fabulous bit of sleuthing/geekery RTH. If one was to make a criticism of the newer version, it's that the rear window line should have been allowed to straighten as this does. Looks a bit like those pick-up hardtops otherwise. Still though, Andy Williams would be proud. "To dream the impossible dream..."
Well I have to declare an interest, my brother in law worked for them at the time and I worked for an MG /BL distributor down the road at north Finchley.

The body was made by specialised mouldings who at the time made all the F1 GRP bodywork HEXAGON was racing in Formula 1 in a Brabham BT 42.

The bodywork was beatifully made fitted and trimmed .

The conversion added £595 to the £1895 price of the new Lotus Elan Sprint.

Only 2 or 3 complete new cars went to customers and later scores of body kits were scrapped, pity they are worth a fortune today !
Of those 2 or 3, did any survive that you know about?
Oh yes I believe 2 of then are in the hands of a well known Lotus collector, historic racer and really nice bloke !!

joust

14,622 posts

258 months

Thursday 31st May 2007
quotequote all
RTH said:
Then Lotus Dealer Hexagon of Highgate produced these cars 35 years ago based on the Elan Sprint
Ah. Those were the days, when you could get your whole hand into the panel gaps laugh

As for the above, lovely workmanship, but why?????

PascalBuyens

2,868 posts

281 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Moospeed said:
I'd love to understand - why would anyone other than a dog owner or antiques dealer want an estate version of any car ?

I can understand "need" but not "want".
More weight at the back so tail happier wink

(at least on a BMW 3 series it feels like that LOL)

AdrianR

822 posts

283 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
[quote]
Oh yes I believe 2 of then are in the hands of a well known Lotus collector, historic racer and really nice bloke !!
[/quote]

I've seen one of them at his place, and I've got some pictures somewhere I took on behalf of an NZ model enthusiast who wanted to build a scale replica. I think it was referred to as the "Elanbulance"

AdrianR




Edited by AdrianR on Friday 1st June 17:33

notthehamster

134 posts

209 months

Saturday 2nd June 2007
quotequote all
'It also has a full wash/wipe mechanism controlled from the dashboard'.
Wow! Does that mean they had to buy some wire and a switch. Very impressive.

Coombes

41 posts

201 months

Sunday 3rd June 2007
quotequote all
“I remember the cars from when I was young and have always wanted one. Fabulous or folly, I just decided to do it”.

Well you made a great job of it and its a great reason to do it. Well done I think it fab.

ELAN+2

2,232 posts

231 months

Thursday 7th June 2007
quotequote all
Having seen the car in the "plastic" have to say it is truly stunning, Yes I'd have done things differently, but wouldn't we all? The attention to detail and the finish are sublime,

:rant on:

I'd love to see what the critics on here have created? A few stick on efforts from Halfrauds on a mass produced shoppers special perhaps? I'm part way through restoring a plus 2 from the chassis up (heater box in eleventy million bits at the moment). I have lost count of the time and money involved, well over 500 hours so far and a nother few hundred to go, still, I'm sure many will disaprove/debase what I have achieved, still theres a sale on back boxes for hatchbacks at the local motorist center, I'm sure that would be a better way to go.

:rant off:

Theres a great feature on the "Estralle" as its called in Classic and Sports Car, July 2007 issue


Mark

Tony*T3

20,911 posts

246 months

Friday 15th June 2007
quotequote all
ELAN+2 said:
Having seen the car in the "plastic" have to say it is truly stunning, Yes I'd have done things differently, but wouldn't we all? The attention to detail and the finish are sublime,

:rant on:

I'd love to see what the critics on here have created? A few stick on efforts from Halfrauds on a mass produced shoppers special perhaps? I'm part way through restoring a plus 2 from the chassis up (heater box in eleventy million bits at the moment). I have lost count of the time and money involved, well over 500 hours so far and a nother few hundred to go, still, I'm sure many will disaprove/debase what I have achieved, still theres a sale on back boxes for hatchbacks at the local motorist center, I'm sure that would be a better way to go.

:rant off:

Theres a great feature on the "Estralle" as its called in Classic and Sports Car, July 2007 issue


Mark
Still, loads of room for a kickin sub in the back now..... :-)