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fic.
"The Automatic idea was born one Friday evening on the way to a GGLC meeting
in the south bay. SF traffic was horrendous. 35 minutes to traverse
the maze at the bridge".
Dubbed the "Elite-Elan
MkII" since it is the second such creation to come from Mike's shop (EE
MkI features the traditional Climax engine mated to a Datsun 5-spd.), this
Elite (#1080) also has the distinction of being the first one Mike ever
bought. Restored and then driven for many years, #1080 was largely written
off in a front-end collision on New Years Day, 1996. (This fact should
pacify the purists who were sharpening their poison pens). Despite the
majority of the construction details being similar to EE1, EE MkII still
required 30+ hours/week for over 2 years before she was ready for the road.
Foregoing the
original Coventry-Climax engine, Mike instead opted for more cubic inches
in the form of a Lotus TwinCam. Now producing 1725cc, the TC was
relocated down 1" and back 1.75" in the Elan frame to clear the lower hoodline
of the Elite. Mated to a Ford C-4 automatic, which was chosen for
its small size, the TC is fitted with a Stromberg head so as to produce
a more stable vacuum pattern from which to operate the tranny's shift modulator.
From the outside
EE MkII appears to be just another well-done Elite. Sporting chrome wires
and the |
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same
cranberry exterior that graces EE MkI, nothing seems amiss until you notice
the outboard discs thru the spokes of the rear wheels. Then the stubby
automatic shift handle, and lack of clutch pedal, either one a giveaway.
So what's it
like to drive ? As compared to a stock Elite, quiet. Gone is the clattery
song of the Climax, replaced by the sturdy, almost agricultural sound of
the TC. In fact you hardly even notice the engine note, so dampened by
the additional layers of fiberglass. The 1-2 upshift is a bit harsh, and
so agrees Mike as he plans to work on smoothing this out with his transmission
man. 2-3 is hardly noticeable however, and everything motors along quite
happily and quietly. Encountering a long hill though, I expected a downshift
and was surprised when we stayed in top gear and the engine began pinging.
I gently notched the shifter back to "2", engaging second and the engine
was in it's happy powerband once more. Cresting the hill I nicked it back
into "D" and motored merrily along. I would later find that this is the
proper technique as Mike has as of yet been unable to adjust the 3-2 downshift
to any higher in the rpm range. Playing around on surface streets later
in the drive I found I could get it to downshift from 3-2 at around 2500rpm,
which may be good for shooting the traffic, but a bit too low
(Continued
on page 7)
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