Kit Car page 3

Where classic cars are concerned, you may well think it financially counter productive to start hacking one around but two points are worthy of mention here. Firstly, the conversion is a straight body swap so you could keep the car's original chassis and running gear and simply drop the body onto the Spyder replacement allowing the car to be returned to original specification should values suddenly go through the roof. Secondly, +2 cars in need of substantial chassis and mechanical work aren't expensive. A few thousand pounds will secure a prime candidate after which everything can be cleaned up during the rebuild. Spyder's Andy Widnall has been fiddling with Elans for a long time now and through GRP too has come a long way since the +2's inception, he hasn't encountered many problems with bodywork provided it hasn't been substantially accident damaged. So how do figures stack up? Well, say you pick up a suitable car for £2000 to £2500. Should you not be interested in retaining the original running gear or the chassis is beyond salvation, then there is quite a bit of money to be recouped through the sale of mechanical spares. Thereafter, you have the cost of the Spyder conversion. The chassis starts at £1595 after which you can either buy all the parts from Spyder Engineering or significantly reduce the cost of the conversion by sourcing your Sierra componentry yourself.

Even in conditions of meteorological misery, the Spyder modified Elan is a confident, capable and thoroughly entertaining car with excellent wet weather grip and performance. Even thirty years on, it still has relatively little direct competition.

Buying everything from Spyder, the total mechanical cost less engine and gearbox is £7211. You then need a 2-litre Zetec with your choice of induction, MT75 gearbox, a set of 185/60x14" tyres and the general costs of remedial work to the body, fittings and interior. A top cost will be around £15,000 but the average for a typically resourceful Lotus or kit enthusiast will be £10,000 to £12,000 which is certainly competitive with other forms of kit car life although the industry has little to offer that can match the +2's blend of performance, comfort, looks, versatility and everyday practicality. Nor is there any SVA costs as the +2 comes under the list of vehicles which are exempt.

Spyder's replacement backbone chassis and Sierra-derived running gear endows a thirty year old design with modern standards of performance, handling, roadholding, braking and all-round sports car feel. It's brilliant.

So should you go for it, what can you expect when the jobs done.?

Spyder can offer the 2-litre Zetec in various states of tune up to 200bhp. This particular car has a standard unit save for the addition of Piper 285 camshafts, Jenvey throttle body fuel injection and ECU. The result is a dyno 175bhp @ 6,725 rpm with 147 ft lbs @ 5,290 rpm. With curb weight of 863 kgs (1,898 lbs) That's 200bhp per ton. And it looks made for the job. Lift the bonnet and there's nothing to betray an engine swap. The Zetec's colour coded cam-covers fill the gap to perfection with the throttle bodies breathing through a lavish red, air-box. It's very professionally done and access is well catered for.

Slip through the wide opening door and the cockpit is just what you would expect from a universally revered sports car. Aside from seats that could do with a bit more support, the driving position, pedal location and control layout is spot-on and while the vinyl trim is hardly luxurious, there's more than a hint of class in the polished wood dashboard with its wall to wall dials and switches. It feels special in here and the view through the glass is both stirring and panoramic.