If you like unusual one-off sports racers

Try this on Hemmings 

https://www.hemmings...an/2546833.html

That would make an interesting entry in the Goodwood Members' Meeting 'Tiddlers' Race.

An Elan chassis and custom body and then fit it with a 1275cc Cooper S engine???  Why, just why??  If it was for a 1300cc class, surely a small capacity Twin Cam would have  a lot better ?

It would be interesting to know which Datsun 5-speed box it has...

They were pretty thin on the ground in 1968.

It would be interesting to know which Datsun 5-speed box it has...

 

They were pretty thin on the ground in 1968.

"logbooks back to 1972"  Inferring it was raced and presumably developed post 1972 - when a suitable Datsun 5 speed would have been available.

Good choice IMO to go behind a BMC A series. It would very nearly be a straight bolt on.

It is a cute little car, but 'Lotus Elan'?       I wonder why its creator chose to call it that, a massive failure of the imagination in my books.  Perhaps they thought it would get them an entry into some production sports car racing ...   

Otherwise, if it were in my part of the world, I could see myself stumping up the readies and having a lot of fun with it.

“Beutifully restored“ - by a turkey farmer in Norfolk?

That is probably who built it in the first place.

Although it raced in SCCA races, was it successful?  Granted, with a one-off, lack of success can be down to the driver.

The seller is calling it a Lotus Elan. It's likely the creator called it something else. CSR was a class mostly populated with purpose-built race cars, which included one-offs. My guess is selling a car today described as a Lotus Elan would get more interest and command a higher price than a "special" built from a Lotus Elan.

The seller is calling it a Lotus Elan. It's likely the creator called it something else. .

Perhaps, but the logbook would surely have a name for the car, and selling it as something else (which a seller might want to do, for the reason you suggested) would most likely be in breach of law here - but maybe not over there?

Perhaps, but the logbook would surely have a name for the car, and selling it as something else (which a seller might want to do, for the reason you suggested) would most likely be in breach of law here - but maybe not over there?

To make certain, we better check with Legal at Coys.

It would be interesting to know which Datsun 5-speed box it has...

 

They were pretty thin on the ground in 1968.

5-speed O/D Servo (steel) synchro FS5C71-A was available in SR(L)211 Fairlady 2000 Roadster from early 1967.

Ah yes...

The box with the funny gate, I'd forgotten that one.

Ah yes...

 

The box with the funny gate, I'd forgotten that one.

No, not the 'dogleg' type. FS5C71-A has conventional shift pattern. Was used on early C10-series Skylines and S30-series Zs (except North American exports).

I have them on a couple of my cars. Like that Servo synchro feel.

It might be an A-Series but it isn't a Cooper S engine.

Missing a head stud?

I guess if you had access to a reasonably priced Elan chassis and you lived the mid USA far from the UK's motorsport industry using it as the basis of a 1300 cc car isn't that dumb. With the limited power of the A series engine and less weight than a road Elan the slightly frail for racing chassis a nd suspension would not be overstressed.

Also teh A series was cheaper to run than a full Twin Cam. 

Edited by mariner, 21 April 2022 - 16:12.

Missing a head stud?

Missing the Cooper S engine casting with removable side covers on the tappet chest.
It is way more likely to be a Sprite engine. The crankshaft for one thing.

That motor was released in the Morris/Austin 1100S. Still 1275 but no side valve-lifter covers and IIRC two head studs missing. A 3/8 stud next to the thermo housing and a 5/16 at the other end of the head.

I did my apprenticeship with Paul Gulson so know the A-Series reasonably well. Now into Volkswagen engines ... go figure?

That engine was known in Australia as the "1100S", it was known in America as the "Austin America". They did fit that block with extra head studs in the Austin/Morris 1300GT.
The same block was also used in Sprites and Midgets but with a crank that could run a RWD flywheel.