The Alternative pg1

HERE'S A NEW ANGLE ON CAR BUILDING - TAKE AN EXISTING LOTUS ELAN PLUS TWO, TREAT IT TO A NEW CHASSIS, ADD FORD 16-VALVE ZETEC POWER WITH 5-SPEED BOX AND FINISH OFF WITH NEW PAINT AND WHEELS. PETER FILBY REPORTS.

SPYDER ENGINEERING - NOW there's a name that rings a few bells. First jingle brings to mind Spyder,s replacement chassis for Lotus Elans, then there's the Spyder Silverstone roadster sold as a kit during the 1980's, and then there's the company's involvement with chassis design and supply for cars like the awesome Ronart W152, original Hawk Transformer (Stratos replica), Mallock U2 racer, Evante and the gorgeous AF Sports traditional roadster. Chassis, chassis and more chassis.

In fact, the company started out as a straightforward engineering operation in the early 1970s and didn't get involved with cars until the mid 1970s. At the time there were supply problems at Lotus over replacement chassis for Lotus Elans, so Spyder stepped in, did a redesign to create a far better job and haven't looked back since. No less than 2100 replacement assemblies have now left the Peterborough workshop destined to revitalise Elans, Elan Plus Twos and Europas. Even the odd Elite and Eclat.

Trouble is, it's all very well changing the chassis but you could still be faced with an aging Lotus twin-cam engine that's wheezing badly, using lots of juice and will cost a fortune to fix - up to £5000 for a rebuild, regardless of whether it's a big-valve version or not. And don't forget that by today's standards the original twin-cams really weren't that hot anyway.

They were based on the old pre-Crossflow 1500 Cortina Mk1 unit which Lotus bored, added a twin-cam head and persuaded in excess of 100bhp from.

Nothing sensational about that. So what's the answer? A modern 16-valve, DOHC Ford Zetec 2-litre, thats what. With between 160-200bhp easily available from this refined, revvy unit, you're talking about quite serious performance from the lightweight Lotus. However, there's one proviso - for the time being you can only do it with the Elan Plus Two. The famous Elan two-seater is now a sought-after classic which most owners quite rightly wish to keep original spec. Having said that, Spyder Engineering is already geared-up to perform the same conversion to the Elan and will probably announce it officially later in the year.

What we're leading up to here is a fascinating alternative to building a regular kit car. Instead, why not buy a complete Elan Plus Two, replace its rusty old chassis with a finely engineered Spyder one and propel the whole thing with a zippy Zetec? Around £10,000 is what it might cost. Including new paint and wheels - much the same sort of figure as many people would spend building a Westfield or Quantum. It's starting to make sense, especially as the Quantum and Metisse are the only true 2+2's coupes on the kit car market - and neither has the classic elegance of the Lotus.

The strange thing is that Spyder Engineering's latest project has its origins way outside the factory itself. A guy called Mick Stott, who'd already built a V8 powered Fisher Fury, wanted an individual 2+2 coupe and elected to try an Elan in need of some restoration work. But with his car in his garage, he was in for a shock when a rebuild for his engine, gearbox and diff was priced at over £6000.

Mick's next move was to buy a low-mileage 2-litre Zetec, 5-speed MT75 gearbox and Granada Scorpio diff, all for less than £800, and join forces with Spyder Engineering on how to install it into one of the company's Plus Two replacement chassis. Main changes required were a recess in the front suspension bulkhead vacuum tank (to make space for the crankshaft pulley), a redesign at the front of the main backbone where it becomes a V for the engine bay and a new layout at the rear to accommodate the new differential. Final mod was to develop a new Spyder remote gearshift assembly some 11 ". Shorter than the original Ford unit.

(Top: Zetec 16V engined Spyder chassis in all its glory. Front and rear wishbones all purpose-designed)