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FACTFILE
Spyder
Elan +2
Engine:
Ford Zetec 2-Litre.
Engine
Options: Any Ford Zetec unit.
Chassis:
Backbone spaceframe with steel infills
Body:
Original Lotus GRP shell
Front
Suspension: Double wishbones, coil-over dampers, Sierra hubs,
anti-roll bar
Rear
Suspension: Double wishbones, coil-over dampers, Sierra hubs
Weight:
863kg
Kit
prices start at: £1,595
Budget
build cost: From £9,000
Further
details from:
Spyder
Engineering, Station Road Industrial Estate, Whittlesey, Peterborough
PEY 2EY
Tel:
01733 203986
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Spyder has incorporated mounting points into each
chassis for lap belts back here, but inertia reels aren't an option.
Legroom will always be limited in this type of car, but we'd say that
this is a genuine 2+2 rather than in name only.
Out back there's the large boot which, with wooden
boot floor removed, really is surprisingly huge. Even with the floor in
place, we're looking at something with genuine storage capacity which
is, significantly, easy to access.
"it is quite
possibly one of the most accomplished rides we've come across, offering
superbly natural control with effortless absorption of bumps"
Watching our reflection in shop windows as we potter
through town, there's no doubting the pretty lines of this slightly
unloved version of the Elan. Not that it appears to be unappreciated by
onlookers, since the Lotus attracts admiring glances from those
pedestrians whose attention is pulled away from the summer sales.
There's also the warm feeling which comes from the badge
on the front of the bonnet. It's easy to take a swipe at Lotus (Loads Of
Trouble, Usually Serious), but owning a Lotus, just like owning a
Ferrari, is something that every car enthusiast should be able to do at
least once in their lifetime. At least your mates will recognise it,
even if the +2 remains one of the company's more obscure models. All of
which, of course, plays right into our hands by making the Elan +2 a remarkably
affordable option. Spyder's Andy Widnall estimates that to complete the
conversion to a reasonable standard will cost you in the region of
£10,000 (including donor). There are two ways of approaching the
project - either buy the very cheapest Elan you can find and work on the
basis of a new paint job and extensive interior revamp, or buy a car
with an MOT and which has already been given a spruce up by its previous
owner. The former might be as cheap as £1500 while the latter might
cost upwards of £3,000.
Bearing in mind the valuable Lotus engine and gearbox in
the expensive car may be worth more when you come to sell it and the
paintwork and interior may require less work to bring up to standard,
and the latter route might be the wiser option.
Of course, you can buy a pretty tidy original car (quite
possibly already with a Spyder chassis conversion) from around £6,500,
while really superb examples can be bought for the equivalent £10,000
you'll be spending on the Ford-engined car. |
