21st Century Elan
In the last issue we mated the Lotus Elan Plus 2 to its new chassis, complete with Zetec engine, five speed gearbox and modern brakes. This month we plumb everything up and turn the key...
I DON'T REALLY KNOW why, but I never expect cars that have large chunks replaced just to fire up when you turn the key. Actually, I do know - it's because I'm used to working on my own cars and that never happens to me. But Andy Widnall at Spyder Engineering (01733 203986) was very confident that the Elan would run as soon as he'd finished all the plumbing and wiring, which is detailed on the next few pages.
He was of course, right. Once the engine had its fair share of fuel and electricity it burbled into life and sat there idling happily like a good Zetec should. At the moment the engines in standard tune, apart from the throttle bodies, but the owner wants the cylinder head gas-flowed and some hotter cams fitted.