Lotus Elan SE M100 Renovation Episode 3

[@paulduffin131]

I have a 91 se turbo as a daily and had no issues

[@enright13]

Ah, the legacy bodges reveal themselves like a series of slaps to the face in this vid! But to anyone watching, remember it's not the poor abused little Elan's fault. In fact it's stood up to the abuse remarkably well! Great problem solving too Conor, and fantastic to seeing the little victories also coming thick and fast.

[@ConorTwomey]

You're absolutely right. It's remarkable it ran at all. It's such an underrated little car and much better engineered that it's given credit for.

[@acengineer737]

I was lazy and got the local garage to do the timing belt. Got a timing belt kit from Rockauto in the states. Fraction of the cost of buying the bits in the Uk

[@BrettsJackson]

Conor - loving these. The relationship that you have (both with your other half and) with the Elan is clearly marvellous. Great to see you putting these here on KZbin. I follow on Twitter but prefer the feature length lol. Thanks squire..

[@ConorTwomey]

Thanks Brett, really appreciate the note. My other half is a good woman to be fair. As for the feature-length of these - I think I may actually have enough video footage for a hollywood trilogy. Turns out all those little daily updates add up!

[@thomascleveley5655]

Great video. I recently replaced the headlight bush’s on my elan it was a fiddly job. Looking forward to the next video!

[@ConorTwomey]

Thanks Thomas. There are a few more to come. And a few more fiddly jobs to do too.

[@siejaiz]

I need to lower my seats, I took the speakers out of behind the seats because those things are useless

[@ConorTwomey]

I lowered mine by taking out the pointless spindles but the rear speakers don't affect the seat movement of the seat so you could put them back in and get some bass back!!

[@siejaiz]

​@@ConorTwomey The seat spacers are different lengths because of the seatbelt attachment, did you have to put a spacer washer in to make up the difference or was it not an issue? Looks like a 4mm difference.

[@itsmephil2255]

You know what Lotus stands for???

[@emmacooper1665]

I reckon it stands for Lots Of TremendoUS cars that are highly underrated, bulletproof when cared for properly, and which have history and character that turns heads for the right reasons. Drive a BMW M, Audi RS, or any Porsche, "Lambo", or Ferrari, and most people think you're a bit of a tosser. Drive a Lotus and people smile warmly. Wouldn't sell mine, even though it's not the world's greatest example. But it's looked after and delivers what I need. The M100 is an absolutely amazing little runabout. Perhaps the most usable Lotus for "real world" driving ever (nobody spends even 0.1% of their time "getting the back end out of line" in any car on the street, nor doing "launches" from the traffic lights), and it's got all the power and handling one needs for a great afternoon on twisty roads. All amazingly still well under ten grand for a beautiful, reliable example. For now, at least. The sportscar marque of choice for a discerning, mature driving enthusiast who values true performance over tasteless ostentation. Truly glad to see this one being brought back to life, and sorry it's thus far been living up to the old "lots of trouble, usually serious" myth. Whoever owned this in the past needs a spanking.