My new Elan.

[Paul Alexander]

Hi everyone. today, i picked up my new elan . i have bought it from a fellow LEC member and i am chuffed to bits. heres a few piccies, and 10 internet bonus points to who ever can guess what the other car is in the refuelling photo.

first priority is the MOT tomorrow. fingers crossed.

[Rusty Wishbone]

Good to see that you got home safely. I find that Ibuprofen is good after a really long journey in a Lotus. I hope that the MOT goes well tomorrow. Then you can really enjoy yourself!

[chipp]

quick stab, berlinetta boxer

chipp

[Rambo]

I find that Ibuprofen is good after a really long journey in a Lotus

Are you serious ?

I find the Elan one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven. I regularly drive between 280 and 400 miles with only a quick break for petrol or a pee stop and can still get out without backache or tiredeness

[Rambo]

quick stab, berlinetta boxer

chipp

I think you are right Chipp. It's a Ferrari something anyway

[dapinky]

Oh, c'mon guys.....

....lets get a little more specific....

...It's a 1977 Ferrari 512BB, 5.0 (H12).

(actually 4942cc 12 cylinder Boxer - but in this particular car it has been bored out to 5113 - previous owner (amongst others) was Nigel Mansell. 1st registered 4th November 1977, and it last passed an MOT on 6th January 2015).




(and there's also a Vauxhall Vectra SRi estate, and a BMW 5 series Touring up on ramps at Kwick Fit)

[alan e]

Sorry but you lose points you missed the transit connect van in the car park of kwick fit shame you was doing so well

And its for sale a snip at £59,950 (not the transit)

[epipete]

You are all sooooooo sad!!!!!

A £60k Ferrari

You can buy 12 Elans for that price but I'm sure the owner doesn't get 12X the pleasure from his Ferrari than I do from my Elan!

[alan e]

[dapinky]

Alan,

I didn't miss the Tranny (or the Shell semi-trailer) - - - the question was quite specific - it asked about CAR not VEHICLE in the picture

...and 60K for a 512BB doesn't seem bad to me ...... it was my car of choice back in the 70's (posters on the bedroom wall, etc etc) - I finally got to drive one in 1993 (at the Ferrari dealers garage, whilst I had a wad of pound notes in my pocket ) - but decided that it wasn't designed for someone my size - so I left, extremely dissapointed, and went in search of an Aston Martin (which i did fit into ).....

.... I spent 3 weeks looking for the ideal car, but never found it due to the (then) Mrs P telling me I couldn't have the car I'd been saving up for, as I was going to be a daddy

.... but those unhappy faces changed into the following March

[epipete]

...and 60K for a 512BB doesn't seem bad to me ......

No me neither, I was merely reflecting on ratios; after all you wouldn't expect marital relations with, say, Barbarella to be 60 times better than with Nora Batty, oh, ok then, maybe!!!!

[Paul Alexander]

Good to see that you got home safely. I find that Ibuprofen is good after a really long journey in a Lotus. I hope that the MOT goes well tomorrow. Then you can really enjoy yourself!

cheers Howard. i was surprised how easy and stressless it was to drive. you really could use this car every day. didn't need ibuprofen, but my cheeks ached from the big grin i had most of the way home.

i checked all the paperwork last night and it had the cambelt, and alternator belt changed 10,000 miles ago, so should be ok for a while.


my brother asked the owner of the ferrari what it was and he said it was a 512.

first priority jobs to do are MOT and get the alarm repaired or replaced, then a new hood fitted.
i have spoken to car hood warehouse in chessington. seemed very knowledgable and they have done quite a few elans. Has anyone had their hood changed with them?

[daveiow]

Had my hood replaced by them in September2013,very pleased with it
They also did the webbing BUT they don't do seals. They were easy to deal with and I dropped the car off at about 9am and picked it up about 5pm. There is a train station 2 minutes walk away with direct trains into Cental London so we went and did some sightseeing and it was ready when we got back.

[alan e]

Dave if you want the full SP on that fiat ops sorry ferrari check out Rardley Motors at Hindhead Surrey thats where its for sale or just google the reg number lots of info on the car and if you think your kits are great just wait until grandchildren turn up then there will be lots of all day long.i

[SilverM100]

Took me 5 minutes to get out of a BB trying to find the hidden door handle.

Can't really see the hood from the BB driving position so always felt strange when it felt like you could touch the road. What am I talking about. It was fun and I loved it!

Elan or 512BB. Both

[Paul Alexander]

Had my hood replaced by them in September2013,very pleased with it
They also did the webbing BUT they don't do seals. They were easy to deal with and I dropped the car off at about 9am and picked it up about 5pm. There is a train station 2 minutes walk away with direct trains into Cental London so we went and did some sightseeing and it was ready when we got back.

thanks for this dave. the chap did say they replace the webbing, but remove the seals from old hood and fit on new one. or if the seals have had it, they will fit supplied new seals.

on another note, she passed her MOT, with no advisories. really pleased with this.

[Paul Alexander]

well,i washed the old girl today and had the top down for the first time. took her for a blast around the local country lanes. all i can say is WOW. loved every second of it.

funny thing happened though, as i turned left a the traffic lights in my village, there were two teenage lads, and one said to the other "look, there's that triumph i was telling you about".

on a side note, can anyone recommend a decent polish for the elan?

[dapinky]

on a side note, can anyone recommend a decent polish for the elan?

Paul,

When you say 'polish' do you actually mean polish, or do you mean wax? (and if you mean 'wax', do you actually mean wax, or synthetic stuff?)....

A polish is a cutting agent which will remove the top layer of paint (or clearcoat), together with any oxidisation and contamination.

Then (or instead of), you can use detailing clay to remove old wax and surface contaminants (but if well polished, it shouldn't need it).

It is only then that you should apply 'wax' to give it a nice shine and protection.

(all this info is courtesy of my painter, who has told me what i need to do to keep mine looking good)

Anyway, for a polish, i would recomment Farecla G10, or T-Cut.

For a 'wax' there are 4 basic options - 1) Beeswax, 2) Carnauba Wax, 3) Liqid Wax (which is a combination of 1 & 2 in a thinner solution), 4) Synthetic Resin Wax

Each have their own advantages and dissadvantages - The best shine will come from Carnauba, but it doesn't last long (consider it for 'show' use), next best is Beeswax, and it should last a month or more - both of these are a thick paste and are hard work to apply - but look good when done.

Liquid wax is easy to apply (especially in the spray-trigger bottles), and quick to buff - but again doesn't last for long (reapply every fortnight after a good wash, and it's not a hard job).

'Best' is the Synthetic Waxes - very easy to apply (liquid), easy to buff, last for 6 months or more - but cost far more than traditional waxes.

There are a hundred and one different ones availlable, and a trip to Halfords will give you a huge selection....

..... but I have got Meguiars Nxt gen 2.0 tech wax to put on mine - I got it online for about £16 IIRC.

It's only 'downside' - apart from the price - is that masking tape doesn't stick to it for about 6 months (apparently!) - but I can't see that as a problem - all reviews say it keeps its 'water beading properties' for over 6 months - even with regular washing.

As with any such product, the more (thin) layers that you apply, the deeper the shine and higher the level of protection - the advice I was given was to wax it twice, about a week apart, then after another month, (with regular washing) apply it again, then as and when I want to do it.

For a better shine, go for a 'show' wax, but it will need doing quite often - but there is nowt wrong with a good synthetic protection layer, and an odd Carnauba waxing if you want it extra shiney for a special day.

[Paul Alexander]

thanks for the info dave. very informative. ive always owned company cars in the past, so they were washed and polished etc on the company.

now with owning the elan, i want to give her a nice shiny look, but not showroom level (i'm not that obsessive). i will take a gander at the link you provided.

cheers.

[DeanG]

I have done the whole paint correction route on one M100 and am starting on another. Start with a good washing or two then clay the car before doing anything else. Look up junkman car detailing. I like his approach. I sometimes use higher power tools than in his videos however his mantra is safe and effective for the non-professional. An hour or two spent watching his videos will save much time and frustration. Wet sanding through waxing my M100 took approximately 30 hours of work. It looked marvelous except where I sanded through the clearcoat.