Car history . A journey ( no map )

[rob/d]

I got to thinking about why i bought an old , no offence , lotus that has seen better days when i could have got pretty much anything else with 2 seats and no roof . I know it wasn't for any normal reason and the kudos i got from my mates is polarised between . wow lets have a go and HaHa what have you bought ?
It has become clear to me clear i am stuck in the 70's when i think about what a nice car should look like . I will expand .To me the elan which i have bought and feel deeply for is the cutting edge of design and style.The white heat of progress . My brain says this is as far as we need to go . My car history shows that i once had an idea of perfect and then lost it , and now found again.
Yes i was looking at porsche , bmw , honda and merc before i ended up here.

Here is a list of some of the cars i have owned since 1981.

Chrysler avenger 1250 = first car ...Brill.
Ford escort mk1 1300 = dog
Mini clubman 1100 = had to , it was the law .
Triumph herald hard top = never got it running , slowly took it to pieces .
Ford capri 3000 mk2 = i miss this car a lot .
vauxhall firenza 2300 L = here we go
vauxhall firenza 2300 sport = the blue one .
Vauxhall firenza 2300 sport = the green one
opel manta ' A ' 1.8s berlineta = purple with velore trim and wood caps on door cards . MMM Yummmy .No joke i would buy one tomorrow if i could . ( i would red top and slam it )
Vauxhall sports hatch 2300 = limited to 200 cars , god this car was s**t. ...2 dead gearboxes. 2 props . Odd wiring . nicknamed spookhatch . lights would go on and off all by themselves , thanks vauxhall for the self resetting fuses for the headlamps , hidden under footwell carpet, always after dark of course .
Toyota GT 2000 = twin cam 8 valve .L.S.D. full janspeed .gold compys . twin 40's ..... oooohhhh trouser moment .
peugeot 205 CJ . = 1.4 litres o fun

Then it all went wrong .

Renault 5 = don't ask , really, don't even look at me...!
BL maestro van = er .. it was a tool
Transit = tool
vauxhall carlton estate = er ..it was a tool with lots of windows .
Bitsofishy shogun diesel 2500 = tool
Toyota landcruiser = tool
Toyota Rav4 = still got it ( wifey's )
Lotus elan se (1991) = 2011

I don't think i need to move any further forward , do you ?

I may have a hunt round for some pictures i could post .

[Dave Eds]

only way forward now is to collect Elans like the rest of us............

[GeoffSmith]

But before you get your second Elan, you've got to fill your garage/loft/cellar with 'essential' spares..... just like the rest of us.......

[rob/d]

Been there before . I've been advised ( read told ) that a second elan would not be advisable ,in the interest of maintaining marital bliss .
I love tinkering and the choice of a second toy would be off the wall a bit ,something either very small i.e. lotus 7 kit variant, kei car perhaps or very big , say BMW 6 or 8 series .
Just spitballing , i have no plans to build a collection .
What spares would you get today that you think will be rare in the future ?
So far i seem to be able to get everything i need from local iffy bits auto factors .
My only worry about spares is the body panels !

[epipete]

Be worried about spares, very worried! And start saving hard. Though in fairness given the age and small build quantity I've had few shocks these past 2.5 yrs and this web site is very well informed.

I suspect every member of this site is also an addicted member of Ebay who checks their account every day, I fear we compete with one another for the odd bits that appear there!

Enjoy your Elan I do!