Wow, Garage Find x10 Yeap it was a cool day.
 

Well guys heres the story the owner raced this car back in the 50s drove it on the street until 70s sometime. Then put it in the garage where it's sat since. Motor is free and the carbs are in good shape. I will be working on it more tomorrow at their space to get it running etc. I dont have much more info on the car other than it is a real lotus original motor with a spare. Inboard Disk Brakes and they call it the lotus coventry.

I do not know much more than that at the current time, however once the 68 is out this will be taking up a slot in the garage.

Sorry for the bad pics lighting was poor the garage door will need work to open and I only had my camera phone. Any insight on to what model etc would be greatly appreciated.

It was started less than a year ago however not since.

Pretty damn cool, every panel is either on the car or in the garage. I am still shaking /

Well here are a few pics more to come in the next few days I know the pics suck but understand I was too interested in looking at it closly than holding the phone out snapping shots. Notice the cool Lucas badge on the dash.

Jon W. - i know i know, like I need it but jeez why not.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216771315.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216771335.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216771348.jpg

Um........I'm pretty sure that's a Lotus Eleven with an alloy body. :eek:

Congratulations. A very cool car that looks like a space ship out of the 60's.

Sorry didnt meen to post here. Can someone move it to Off Topic.

Thanks for the info, that does look like it. I did think the body was aluminum or alloy. it has 2 webers with a climax badge on the motor. The wheels are Spokes with knock offs. Frame is very very straight and rust free just old and dirty. There's alot of little things that were just mind boggling about the car.

That car is amazing. Wow couldnt imagine driving it out on the streets. But please do.

Beautiful, great find!

Will those rims fit an 82 SC...:D Great find dude...

Holy crap, an Eleven... one of my all time favorite cars!

Somewhere in my pile of old R&T magazines, there's a Peter Egan article about driving across the US in a Westfield Eleven reproduction.

Bloody hell! That's awesome!

Certainly looks like a Lotus Eleven. The Coventry Climax engines were pretty popular back then in Coopers, Lotus' etc. If I recall I think the company made engines for water pumps for fire trucks or something. I'll look it up see what I can find...

One heck of a good find!

Yup, here you go...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Climax

Enjoy:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Eleven

That was quick...

Wow!!!

Effing beautiful...I mean, the lines of that car...nothing today can be aesthetically comparable!

man you know what that is worth? you'll have to be "movin on up to the east side" with all these finds

Wow!!!^10

how many of these gems are left out there?

You know its really crazy how I came across it, I was at my friends house showing him the pictures of Saturday and Road America and we took the 911 to get a bite to eat. As we are talking about the lotus elise (i drove one and loved it) an older women heard me talking about it and asked if I knew anything about Lotus i said very little however I have always loved them. My friend went into claws resturant and I talked with her a little bit more and got her number and arranged to meet her this afternoon, I didn't really know what to expect and theres still alot of work to be done since their main garage door is a monster and solid wood all the springs are gone and it is impossible to life. However since they were a racing family she has offered me to work on the car to get it going at their place in return I help them fix the door and umm I get to have the car. However I cannot reasonably take the car free of charge I had offered her some money as well which took her by surprise but she also appreciated it. (Not a Large Sum either) and with the car I get a spare gearbox , spare windscreen bubble bonnet and spare engine.

The cars paint is original and dirty but nice however there were some stupid things put on the car at one time like a radio and speakers as well as license plate holes . However I intent on removing and have the holes fixed somehow. However leaving the car as found just cleaner and hopefully running strong. There are duplicates for almost every part of the car including lights/ doors metal bonnets etc.

I will also learn a bit more of the history of the car since it had been competitively raced for many years. There is a book of information that I didnt look at today that has all the docs from the years as well as all the race history along with a box of photos.

It should be an exciting weekend and future months I certainly hope I can get it to the track before the season is over.

thanks for all the good words!

Jon W.

Score!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANd if the car is mechanically sound and works as it should with minimal investment it should be a keeper. First plan is to bring it to a shop/ lotus guru somewhere in the midwest. I don't think it is something that should be mucked with right from the get go it should see some serious professional attention. Correct me if I am wrong. Thats the way I look at it.

Any thoughts or any information on these are they as troublesom as I have been lead to believe or since their age are they fairly straight forward. I think the engines are based of an MG 4 Banger. However the transaxels and brake calipers are not and are highly complex and expensive.

Anyone an expert here?

JW

Very cool. Keep us posted!

Holy crap! What a terrific find! According to the Wiki article, that's one of 270 Lotus Elevens produced.

Keep us up to date with the project...
-Z-man.

Man, sweet find, that thing is awesome.

They must not have any kids, I know if my dad raced something like that I would never let him part with it to anyone but me.

Bill

Man, sweet find, that thing is awesome.

They must not have any kids, I know if my dad raced something like that I would never let him part with it to anyone but me.

Bill

Whoa. TIme for the Green and Gold.

Hell of a find. Congratz!

Really cool. Mind if I take a few laps? :D


KT

Okay folks, back away from the car and put your hands in the air. This is a true stolen car and anyone with a story like this needs to be congratulated and win the 'thats incredible' trophy. Oh wait, you already did...
You R luckin kiddin me, right!! They had a story like this in Alabama where a guy shot 'hogzilla', this huge 1500 lb hog and after the movie executives left his house they found out the hog actually came from a hog farm. Whats the real story here, bubba???

Ill give you a 2 thousand gallons of petrol for it and you can redeam this anytime in the future, in case the gas crude goes to 300. a barrel=9.00 gas
Didnt you find an early 911 or 356 like this??? Keep up the good work every chance you get, bro!!

just this year alone jon found the following 964(very little investment and good story, 72 t same story,and the 68 I passed onto him, oh and the boat.. jon is freakin amazing when it comes to deal. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy though

This is one of those cars that would be great to see with a mechanical restoration, but with its patina left intact. It's a beatiful car, a true survivor and worth preserving instead of restoring.

Then again, there's nothing that bugs me more than a bunch of armchair quarterbacks telling someone else what to do with their car.

Either way, congrats on a fantastic score. It's stories like that that keep me peering in barns.

Awesome, awesome, awesome! All the garages I look into are full of old lawnmowers......

OMG - That is a garage find of the centuries - Excellent! The Lotus is a great car because of it's low weight - and simplicity.

Woof!! I gotta get out more. Oh, and you are gonna enjoy how that engine winds up. Best of luck with it all.

Good that its found a good home!

You have to be kidding us, right?

You lucky, lucky b@$^%rd!!

It sounds like the most unbelievable story ever, the sort of thing we all dream about. Then it gets better and better, practically free AND with a shed full of spares.
I obviously don't hang around with the right people :D

Good Job!

Wow.
Can't even find antique dog sleds up here.

Not an expert by any means, but I believe the Coventry Climax engines were not based on anything per se, but were designed and produced as entire engines in their own right. However, it will be an inline four and they are all going to be pretty similar - how hard can it be?

Maybe some of the British Pelicans can find some Coventry Climax specialists on their side of the pond? I think the Wiki article said the FW series engines were used in Hillman Imp which was produced in fairly significant numbers in the early 70's. If that is what the Lotus uses then there were quite a few of the engines made in one form or another so I wouldn't think you'd have too much trouble finding parts.

Here you go. You got me all interested now...

http://www.imps4ever.info/tech/cov_clim.html

This site has some good information on the engine. It seems like it should be an FWA in the Eleven.

It also give a link to a Lotus vintage parts distributor right here in the USA...

http://www.davebean.com/title.htm

..I have a feeling you might be talking to this guy a lot!

This little snippet might be useful too;

"Coventry-Climax engine parts list. FWA & FWE. Three pages. 'Cylinder Block Group', 'Cylinder Head Group', 'Jackshaft Group', etc. $5.00. Send SASE to Bob Engberg, Lotus Eleven, PO Box 1984 Julian, CA 92036-1984 "

JW, PM'd ya...

I cant believe the offer they gave you...I just need to go in public and talk loudly about cars and hope somebody overhears me to give me a classic.

Its still pretty surreal, however the town I live in which will remain SECRET is riddled wil all sorts of goodies, you just need to know where to look, I dont but I am hoping someday I figure that out.

I have been pretty lucky this year with some good finds :
72 911
68 911 thanks ben
92 C4
Lotus
ahem a secret car - I can't talk about yet. and a few other goodies. Almost every one has been due to driving my car on regular errands, the 72 I met one of the family members at pick and save and they took my number. the Lotus was across the street from Pick N save. and the list goes on. Dammit I gave away my secret location! :)

JK, thanks for all the compliments we just need to get the car moving and out of the Garage!

I will post more pictures soon!

Jon W.

You haven't been in our shop yet!!

BTW Don't you ever work?:D