Emma Peel's Lotus

[mousemeat]

Emma's Lotus Elan is kept at

Cars of the Stars Keswick
Standish Street
Keswick
Cumbria

http://www.carsofthestars.com/

They have the colour era powder blue Lotus Elan 3S, and not the monochrome era white Lotus Elan S2, just so you know.

great cars....have never seen one..'cept for photos...

[dissolute]

Emma's Lotus Elan is kept at

Cars of the Stars Keswick
Standish Street
Keswick
Cumbria

http://www.carsofthestars.com/

They have the colour era powder blue Lotus Elan 3S, and not the monochrome era white Lotus Elan S2, just so you know.

Just a reminder that this museum closed down in 2011 and sold all the cars to the Dezer Collection in Florida.

[Dandy Forsdyke]

And I just want to add that the information I sent was correct at the time I posted it in December 2009.

[Ian Wegg]

...and sadly Dezer didn't seem to have any interest in it. It was up for sale on their website back in July but I notice it's gone now so it could be anywhere.

[Peter Motte]

Emma's Lotus Elan is kept at

Cars of the Stars Keswick
Standish Street
Keswick
Cumbria

http://www.carsofthestars.com/

They have the colour era powder blue Lotus Elan 3S, and not the monochrome era white Lotus Elan S2, just so you know.

great cars....have never seen one..'cept for photos...

I have. In the work place of a Lotus dealer. It's small. Looks old, but also expensive because of the materials used for the interior.
It was a small sports car. Approximately 12 000 were made.

more details
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Elan

It's not that cheap nowadays, and if you want to own one, I would advise you to steer away from it if you don't know anything about mechanics. It is handy of you can do some jobs on this kind of cars yourselves, nowadays.

I've once seen one in a garage, and the dealer told me the owner wanted to drive with it to the south of France, and to spend his vacation over there.
To be on the safe side, they decided to put extra cooling in it...
That to give you an idea about the fragility of this kind of cars.

Moreover, they aren't safe to drive.
Take a look at this picture:



Now just imaging you're hit by a car on the side...
You would get squashed against the backbone, because you're sitting beside it.

Look here for one ot fhe original leaflets


I would like to get the chance to drive it once, preferrably on a circuit; but I don't think it would be very amusing to own one because of the frequent mechanical problems such an old car would run into nowadays.
A Mazda MX5 is a good alternative. Yes, I know, it's Japanese... What happened to British car manufacturing?

[Peter Motte]

Until 10 years ago it was rather easy to find and buy one, but nowadays it has become difficult, and they have become expensive, unlike 10 or 15 years ago.

[Allard]

There's one for sale in the Netherlands: http://www.marktnet.nl/autos/oldtimers/ ... 936575.htm

[Speed Six]

I would like to get the chance to drive it once, preferrably on a circuit; but I don't think it would be very amusing to own one because of the frequent mechanical problems such an old car would run into nowadays.

As long as it was well maintained, a car like the Lotus Elan shouldn't present too many problems to run, as it's actually quite simple mechanically. The fibreglass body is fragile though, and probably less easy to repair than a metal one. Many classic cars are still around because they are much simpler to work on than modern vehicles, which have complex electronics and elaborate mechanical components. They may be more comfortable and safer - but they're much less fun !

[Ian Wegg]

I would like to get the chance to drive it once, preferrably on a circuit; but I don't think it would be very amusing to own one because of the frequent mechanical problems such an old car would run into nowadays.

As long as it was well maintained, a car like the Lotus Elan shouldn't present too many problems to run, as it's actually quite simple mechanically.

I agree, there are still a few on the roads and many of them make the bi-annual trip down to the Le Mans Classic. It seems strange to me to read people say they've never seen one, here are a couple of pictures taken this morning at my local pub where classic cars meet every 1st January.



The Elan is often cited as the inspiration for the design of the Mazda MX5, but personally I'd prefer a series 1 Elise (also pictured this morning)...



~iw

[Frankymole]

The Elan is often cited as the inspiration for the design of the Mazda MX5, but personally I'd prefer a series 1 Elise (also pictured this morning)...

As so often, top is much prettier than bottom.