Has anyone here owned/driven an original Elan?

[Scott Douglas]

He has a 911 also and says it feels like a bank vault compared to his Europa.
The thing that surprised me was the 1/4" of fiberglass that acts as a floor.
I think my old go kart felt more stout than that and it only had sheet aluminum for a floor.

[MrBonus]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

He has a 911 also and says it feels like a bank vault compared to his Europa.
The thing that surprised me was the 1/4" of fiberglass that acts as a floor.
I think my old go kart felt more stout than that and it only had sheet aluminum for a floor.

This is an accurate statement.

The rattles at idle are laughable and the floor "feels" solid but I don't trust putting any significant weight on it.

[aschen]

beautiful elan. I parked next to one at one of our local lotus events and for the first time my exige looked like an actual full scale car. It usually looks like a 3/4 scale model. Elan is substantially smaller still.

[911 Rod]

Very slick looking

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Elan at 2:58

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqCGqooGfWc

"The F-1 is good but it's not as good as the Elan."

[petrolhead611]

Comparing a 911 to an Elan is not apples to apples. In its UK home market at launch the Elan was up against early TVRs,Elva Couriers,Rochdale Olympics and the like, ( and only TVR survived the lifespan of the Elan). The 911 when it arrived was a far more expensive car, unaffordable for the young Elan buyers.Even the more expensive Marcos Volvo was considerably cheaper than the Porsche
Would you compare the build quality of a 60s Buick to that of an R R Shadow? .

[MrBonus]

Originally Posted by petrolhead611

Comparing a 911 to an Elan is not apples to apples. In its UK home market at launch the Elan was up against early TVRs,Elva Couriers,Rochdale Olympics and the like, ( and only TVR survived the lifespan of the Elan). The 911 when it arrived was a far more expensive car, unaffordable for the young Elan buyers.Even the more expensive Marcos Volvo was considerably cheaper than the Porsche
Would you compare the build quality of a 60s Buick to that of an R R Shadow? .

It wasn't apples-to-applies in their day but as these cars age and the idea of a "sports car" morphs, I think they are worthy of discussion because I believe these are all toys at this point to almost all of their current owners. Plus, they inhabit the same garage every morning so I can't help but compare and contrast the two of them, even though I'm keenly aware that one is way more of a "toy" than the other.

[rfuerst911sc]

I enjoyed reading this post , nice looking car . Enjoy it and stay away from pick ups and SUV's

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by RWebb

"The F-1 is good but it's not as good as the Elan."

Gordon Murray: "I bought a t-shirt in every town"

Yea, what a great video.

[fred cook]

I had an Elan (convertible) back in the late 1970s for a short while. Great fun to drive but lots of maintenance issues. Traded it off for a Fiat 124 Coupe that turned out to be a really great car!

[petrolhead611]

Elans were daily drivers in the UK .Of course there was much less traffic then, and we didn't have US battleships to contend with on the road. Nowadays in the US the millions of small lorries on the road would make an Elan driver feel vulnerable

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by petrolhead611

... Nowadays in the US the millions of small lorries on the road would make an Elan driver feel vulnerable

Would not call these 18 wheelers "small lorries"... Maybe the middle one