Hi everyone, new member, new owner...

[Polymathic]

Back in 1991, I saw a Lotus Elan and fell in love. I was 19 at the time, staying in California with an aunt who liked to spoil me. I convinced her to buy a red Lotus Elan from Lamborghini of Beverly Hills. It was the most fun summer, as you can imagine.... She told me one day she'd give me the car. Well, that day has come, and I am now the owner of a red Elan US model, with 27,000 original miles from the original owner. It's kind of odd to get this car after nearly 23 years, a car I personally broke in. It's been in storage for a while, and I hope to pick it up in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I'm racing the forum and learning more about how to care for this baby.

[rip]

You got given an Elan from a 23 year old promise? That's fantastic.
I hope it was worth the wait & gives you as much fun now as when you used to borrow it.

[tigerdog]

Everyone should have such an aunt. You better send a helluva big bouquet of flowers on Mothers Day! In the SF Bay Area, the best possible source of mechanical support comes from LotusGirlMarie here on the forum. Her forum title says "goddess" for a reason! If you cannot persuade her to help, there are several other members in the Bay Area who may know of good shops. Also check out the Golden Gate Lotus Club - an M100 owner is the current President, I believe.

You'll have lots of fun making sure all the bits are in tip-top shape so your Elan can soldier on for another 23 years!

Doug (Tigerdog)
San Diego

[steve matthews]

Congrats RED is still the best color for the Elan.

Steve

[Polymathic]

Thank you for the welcome!

And thanks for the service suggestions. I will see if I can persuade LotusGirlMarie to work on the car. Reading through the forum, I've seen some stunning work she's done.

[abmunro]

Your a lucky man!!

[Rice crispy]

Welcome to LEC and congrats on getting the car

[Enright]

Welcome to the forum - that's quite a story.
I have a second Elan that I'm currently restoring, and wondered about the feasibility of keeping it for my son (who is currently 4) until he is old enough to appreciate it - by which time it will be near mint!
Your tale doesn't help my decision...

Her forum title says "goddess" for a reason!

Sometimes I wish this forum had a "like" button as per FaceBook - if it DID have then the above quote would've got a great big thumbs up from me!

[lotos]

That's an awesome story! Welcome to the club. And to your new obsession.

[cjay]

That's a great story! Congrats on getting the Elan

You might want to contact Petrolicious, they do great videos and stories on cars and their owners.

http://www.petrolicious.com

[Polymathic]

So I finally got my little Elan delivered. I still need to register it, but what a fun little car! Lot's of little issues to deal with, but it runs great and looks great! So happy.


Here are a few pictures:

[Rice crispy]

Looks good