hey from cheshire, uk.

[Nealo]

hey there,

im neal im 24 going on to 25 later this month.. iv always loved cars and had a passion for cars but im at that point where it will either all fizzle out or i could look at getting myself something a little "under the radar" that i can still enjoy.

Iv seen a couple of Elans i might be interested in, at the moment iv got a red series 2 ford escort rs turbo (none chavd up luckily!) that i might look to sell or swap or use in some kind of deal.

Few questions about the elan you might be able to tell me..

Is the enjoy they use a tuneable engine? IE can it take anymore boost/power than it was intended to from the factory if so whats the most common route for tuning on them?

Most common faults when looking at Elans?

Does the roof leak or is it prone to leaking?

How do they respond to altering suspension or is this simply not needed because its a bloody lotus!

commends muchos appreciated. thanks.

[MPx]

Hi Nealo - welcome. Back in the day I had one of the white Mk1 RSTurbos (chipped to 180 BHP) great laugh!

The Elan is definitely fun too. Much better traction and handling, but obviously not as practical.

IMO Suspension does NOT need tuning and you're more likely to c**k it up than improve it with fiddling.
Yes many leak. A-pillar seals were unobtainable for several years and mine were shot. But they are now back on stream and fitted to our car which is pretty good now - though still not saloon car sealed.

There's a tried and tested tuning route you will come across on here.
1 Get brakes done cos they are the weak part of the car and stopping is a pretty key part of performance driving.
2 Buy a mountain chip
3 Get a bigger bore exhaust and port the wastegate to 20mm...and if its on an S2 ditch the cat and precat while you're at it.

Even then it wont be the fastest car in the world at the lights....but on real roads from a to b will be as fast as most and will flatter your driving skill.

Enjoy!

[theelanman]

welcome...and I hope you enjoy the site......
you will deffinately enjoy the car if you get one.....

Is the enjoy they use a tuneable engine? IE can it take anymore boost/power than it was intended to from the factory if so whats the most common route for tuning on them?
std bhp is 165 for the turbo....there is a non turbo version too but these are rather rare
easliy uppd too about 200bhp with a chip and exhaust.....
costas got his elan to 437bhp....others have put bigger turbos....etc etc etc
so yes theres room to tune if you want
TBH most people stick at the chip n exhaust ......

Most common faults when looking at Elans? lower rear wishbones...beware of original ones as they will be 17~20 years old and were mild steel (unless you get an S2 that is....these were galvanised)

Does the roof leak or is it prone to leaking? yep...well some do some dont.....some when youre driving...some when its sat......some not at all......
most people have a 'shower' cape which you just thow over the car when its not being driven just incase.....

How do they respond to altering suspension or is this simply not needed because its a bloody lotus!
like you say....no need......its a lotus and its pretty low to start with......
we've done upgrades...but this has tended to be to replace the original with similar

once again welcome

cheers
G

[Nealo]

Good info there cheers guys..

I know you said not the fastest from the lights but i imagine its certainly not the slowest with a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds when they where new a few little tweaks and im sure it would be giving most cars a run for their money!!!

[rip]

if its on an S2 ditch the cat and precat while you're at it.

Not if it was one of the newer ones, registered after July 96, because emissions regs changed for those (not many of them tho).

[theelanman]

viewtopic.php?f=49&t=16287

have you checked out your insurance.......the previous thread is from one of the lads on here selling his car as the insurance were after £1900 for him for being 21.......
just a thought.....

[Nealo]

25 this month so i dont imagine it being that bad insurance wise, iv had a nissan skyline,mitsubishi fto insured in the past aswell as 200sx' etc so im not a stranger to sports cars.

[Nealo]

Just done a quick quote online, for me and the mrs insured on an elan came to £800 a year fully comp.. cant complain at £800 on a 2 dr convertable Lotus!

[theelanman]

excellent stuff then.......just thought Id try to lessen the shock if you were planning on living in moss side and parking it on a street.....

[Nealo]

excellent stuff then.......just thought Id try to lessen the shock if you were planning on living in moss side and parking it on a street.....

haha yeah i know what you mean, i have to sort my RST out first and decide if i want to sell it and try and get an Elan etc but iv spent a fair whack on my escort recently new 14k mile engine fitted, needs a couple of bits welding underneath and then it needs setting up (mfi computer) but im hoping once i sort them problems out it will fetch a good price because its a tidy car with a stupid low mileage engine with the documents and receipts to back that up!

[kenich]

Welcome to the site. Im a big lover of the rs escorts, always wanted to own one in red!

I found myself in a similar place to you 6 months ago... I ended up selling my 106 rallye used for track days an got an elan. Been really impressed with it so far. I didnt want to spend much on it but like all my cars i cant help buying stuff lol

im 25 and my insurance is 300ish. Limited to 6k fully comp in my garage. So expect your get the insurand down a bit.

[Nealo]

Welcome to the site. Im a big lover of the rs escorts, always wanted to own one in red!

I found myself in a similar place to you 6 months ago... I ended up selling my 106 rallye used for track days an got an elan. Been really impressed with it so far. I didnt want to spend much on it but like all my cars i cant help buying stuff lol

im 25 and my insurance is 300ish. Limited to 6k fully comp in my garage. So expect your get the insurand down a bit.

Providing i manage to get an Elan mate, the mrs will go SPARE when she knows im thinking about selling the RS i might just save up for an Elan and buy one alongside the RS lol.

heres a pic of my RS anyway...

Late 1990 engine fully rebuilt using brand new genuine parts

from ford including

Pistons,Rods,Crank,Bolts,Oil Pump,Water Pump,Fully rebuilt

Cylinder head using all new ford Parts, New HT leads & Dizzy.


Vernier Pulleys,
Kent CVH 35 Cam,
AP Organic Clutch,
New fly wheel,
Bailey Radiator,
Bailey Swirlpot,
Power Engineering FMIC including twin spal fans,
Bailey Blow off valve,
Full Roose motorsport red hose kit,
Turbo Water cooler,
K&N Filter,
Adjustable Actuator,
Chrome Bonnet Stay,
Chromse Oil cap,
3" Mongoose Stainless Exhaust system.

Chasis

Full Koni Adjustable Suspension,
B&M Short Shift kit,
LSD.

Brakes

Uprated discs and pads.

Wheels

Standard RST alloys with Toyo Proxes T888R all round,
Spare set of RST alloys,
5 spoke mondeo alloys being prepared in white.

Interior

White dial kit,
Racetec Boost gauge,
MP3 CD player,
Twin A pillar Pod,
Cosworth Steering wheel,
Refreshed doorcards no sagging,
Standard Recaro interior seats in great condition.

Bodywork

Full respray in Ford Sunburst red,
Debadged bonnet,
Black bumper strips removed,
Clear front indicators,
Ford Fitted Sunroof.

Electronics

Chipped Hearts and Diamonds ECU,
Total Closure TOAD CAT1 Alarm,
Turbo Timer.

Pictures..

[kenich]

Looks fantasic I was happy to get sht of my old 106 - Got rather bored of it after owning 3 in 4 years lol