Acknowledgement from other Lotus drivers

[Bern]

Yesterday evening I was waiting at a junction and a 1971 Elan came past.

The junction is on a slow 90 degree corner and the driver had plenty of time to see me. I waved but no response from him at all. It was almost as if he was trying really hard to not see me. Nice!!

I'm sure I was ignored by him a few months ago as well! Maybe he feels the M100 isn't good enough!?

I've also found that Elise drivers probably don't know what an Elan is, though some do wave.

A Caterham driver gave a big wave and flashed his lights, which was nice!

[Rambo]

I always try and wave or flash to other Lotus drivers, whatever model they're driving

But the owners of the original/baby Elan can be funny buggers ! When I joined Club Lotus and turned up at my first meet over 14 years ago all was going well when I mentioned I had a red Lotus and it was an Elan. I was welcomed into the fold with open arms but then things changed when I said I had an M100. One of the members I had been speaking to said "bloody front engined Jap. rubbish" and then turned his back on me !!

As I mentioned, baby Elan owners can be funny buggers, but I'll still wave or flash them, even if they won't return the compliment

[Jamie N]

Never passed any baby Elan's, but a few Elise's and Exige's for sure, generally a wave or a thumbs up from them. The real chip on the shoulder folks are MX5 drivers,
they always look away or fiddle with the radio just as you pass them .

Many people actually have no idea what they are looking at when they see an M100, You often see the curious look on peeps faces and saying to their passenger "What the fack is that" .

[rip]

Mk1 Elise drives used to be more acknowledging than Mk2 drivers.
I am not sure if this has moved on a little now Mk2s are getting older.

I remember getting flashed from an Elise near Norwich a few years ago on the weekend of a Hethel event then noticed it was Mike Kimberley at the wheel.

[Giniw]

One of the members I had been speaking to said "bloody front engined Jap. rubbish" and then turned his back on me !!

Well at least you haven't lost too much of your time with that moron.
What really strikes me with those remarks is that they really are stupid since most of those people usually have a Ford, Rover or Toyota engines in their cars ...

[John_W]

I generally give/receive some sort of acknowledgement.

There are a few lotus around here - a Gold Leaf colours Mk 1 Elise was just behind me in traffic a few days ago and he was friendly. I haven't seen a 1960's Elan being driven on the road for years (quite a few Plus 2s but no wee ones).

[Tuga2112]

not many lotus in my area either, but the few times i gone past one there was acknoledgement. but most times i drive past a lotus im driving one of the other cars so i dont do anything.

[Kathryn]

The last M100 driver I saw didn't wave! He can't have failed to see me I was right in front of him as he turned off a roundabout, he clearly doesn't know the rules! I find with Elises it's 50/50 whether they wave/flash or not. I tend to put my hand up rather than full on wave, if you wait for their reaction first it's too late and they'll think you didn't wave back! Seen a couple of Esprits, they waved/flashed but don't think I've ever passed a baby Elan.

Evora drivers never acknowledge.

I have had a couple of mk1 MX5 drivers acknowledge me though! And an MX5 driver that lives near me had a good gawp first time he saw my Elan. (I love it when other motorists do that! Especially if they're driving something like an Austin Martin Vantage like the guy the other day!)

[Dave Eds]

Evora drivers never acknowledge.

That's complete bollocks!

[rip]

Evora drivers never acknowledge.

That's complete bollocks!

I can't imagine you ignoring another Lotus out on the road.

[Dave Eds]

I've never ignored, or been ignored by, another Lotus driver when I have been out in any Lotus. I'd turn around and hunt them down if they had the audacity to do that.

As an aside I had a bit of fun yesterday while out as a passenger in a Landy. A yellow S2 Elise passed us and I gave him all sorts of verbal stick for enjoying a drive in a yellow Lotus with the roof down on a hot sunny day. Fortunately he didn't have a clue as he was already well up the road and we had the windows closed and aircon on anyway.

[Rambo]

One of the members I had been speaking to said "bloody front engined Jap. rubbish" and then turned his back on me !!

Well at least you haven't lost too much of your time with that moron.
What really strikes me with those remarks is that they really are stupid since most of those people usually have a Ford, Rover or Toyota engines in their cars ...

Ironically the same person turned up at a Club Lotus event some 8 or 9 years down the line in an immaculate white M100 grinning from ear to ear and proclaiming it to be one of the best cars he had ever driven !! When I reminded him that he'd called mine "bloody front engined Jap. rubbish" he said he couldn't remember

Selective memory or early onset Alzheimer's ?

[Rambo]

Evora drivers never acknowledge.

That's complete bollocks!

I'm 100% sure that Dave and Gareth Elanman, both Evora and M100 owners, would always acknowledge another Lotus, particularly one driven by a female driver

[Giniw]

[Kathryn]

Ok, I'll rephrase that.

I have never been acknowledged by an Evora driver.

Happy now?

[Giniw]

(They probably are very jealous of the Palacio colour )

[Simon_P]

Elan drivers usually acknowledge the car behind you! The headlamps are vaccum operated by pulling a knob on the dash.

So the procedure is reach down find knob, pull, wait for lights to come up. If you want illumination as well you have to switch a separate switch. This isn't a smooth or quick process. You can't wave with the other hand as it's holding the steering wheel.

[Fredjohn]

Elan drivers usually acknowledge the car behind you! The headlamps are vaccum operated by pulling a knob on the dash.

So the procedure is reach down find knob, pull, wait for lights to come up. If you want illumination as well you have to switch a separate switch. This isn't a smooth or quick process. You can't wave with the other hand as it's holding the steering wheel.

Not quite right. If the original wiring is working and complete, raising the pods switches on a relay and causes the headlights to flash. However, apart from being illegal (I think), the relay was never quite up to it and always failed. So most Elan owners never bothered to replace it after 2/3 failures.
Been there and got the t-shirt

[lotusflasherman]

You're both right.

My Elan+2 Workshop & Parts Manuals show early models had a push-pull Vacuum Valve on the dash (Part No 026B0736) to operate the lifting/lowering and an electrical toggle switch (Part No 036B6018) mounted just above to turn headlights on and off, so Simon is correct.

My Elan+2S has a micro switch on the lifting mechanism that operates the headlight relay to switch them on automatically as they come up and off when they go down, and just the push-pull Vacuum Valve on the dash as the headlamp switch, so as you describe.

Surely you didn't think Lotus would only do it one way ... They even changed the vacuum function, early models had headlamps held down by spring pressure and lifted by vacuum, later models (described as 'failsafe') have springs holding headlights up and vacuum holds them down "for at least 12 hours" according to the manual ... some old Lotus I see at pub meets suggests it's 12 minutes ... if you're lucky

Acknowledgements: There was a period when a silver J Reg M100 with young female driver and I were passing each other frequently in the Ipswich are and flashed and waved at each other. Went to a TLF North Esssex pub do one Sunday and she introduced herself and her Dad, who was there in his Turbo Esprit. It may be because I attend a lot of TLF pub meets that I know most of the Lotus drivers around East Anglia so we'll acknowledge each other anyway. There was one elderly guy in a P Reg Elise who I'd acknowledged a few times and thought was ignoring me but when I met him he said he'd always tried to flash me but I was usually alongside before he got to the flasher ...

[Simon_P]

I speak from experience - The original flasher is illegal as you point out and the wiring and switches are an afterthought that is unlikely to survive the required modification, which is most likely to remove it.

So for most elan owners it is pull the knob, flick the switch, and flash the car behind.