CLASSICS WITH MODERN ENGINES
LOTUS ELAN PLUS 2
A Granada differential provides a last touch of modern strength and reliability. The icing on the cake is a Spyder tweak that adds an extra wishbone to Chapman's minimalist independent rear suspension, taking the strain off the driveshaft.
Spyder's Andy Widnall is keen to produce more such conversions and is already working on a demonstrator, following massive interest when he took Mick's car to the Lotus Festival at Donington earlier in the year. 'There are rough Plus 2s going for £1500. If you sell the engine, gearbox and Chapman struts, you'll get back £700 - or you could put them aside for later use, because our chassis takes all the original parts as well as the Ford bits'.
When the conversion becomes available later this year, the chassis will cost around £1600. For anyone contemplating a chassis replacement it will be extra tempting, because the simple design of the original chassis doesn't allow the modifications necessary to squeeze in the gearbox in particular.
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Mick made the dashboard and centre console, and retrimmed much of the interior himself. |
Cornering is excellent. The rear wheels are to be altered because they stick out too far. |
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Owner: Mick Stott, a training manager, restored his Elan and fabricated most of the Zetec engine conversion parts. |
Peer through the spokes and you'll see Sierra brakes with EBC Greenstuff pads |
Practical Classics August 2001
