Another Elan M100.....
Discussion
Managed to pick up another Elan M100 S2 recently.
Already have a black one on 70K miles but spotted this one going through an auction.
A bit of internet sleuthing revealed an extensive service/maintenance history (which turned out to be a very fat folder of invoices/receipts from 1999-2023), and a body off chassis refurbishment in 2019 totally about 12K in work. All done by the second owner.
This wasn't exactly mentioned in the auction particulars, it more read something like 'there are some service history notes and some details of what the owner has done in the past' or something equally as vague.
I could see from the photos it had a big brake upgrade on the front and probably a stainless steel exhaust so it had at least some extras on it still.
Anyway, I was the winner, at a price I wasn't expecting to pay.
As there was only going to be a couple of days left on the current MOT by the time I could pick it up, I looked around for a local garage and found one with some good reviews. I asked them to go and get it , check it over in readiness for an MOT and put it through. The owner of the garage sounded like a proper Yorkshireman, if he said he could do it he would. Handbrake cable was seized and a blown fuse meant only one headlight was popping up. Result. Only advisory was a bit of play in a rear wheel bearing but as they have tapered bearings, it could just be perfectly normal.
Passed it's MOT and I got them to change the oil/filter and replace the brake fluid.
Bus,train,bus later and had picked it up ready for a 3hr drive home.
I found the normal things were apparent, rotten A pillar seals and a dodgy electric window. Everything was pretty much as expected. Some stone chips on the front and some stone rash on the side skirts, a couple of light scuffs/marks but most I felt could be dealt with by some polishing/touching up.
I had a new pair of A pillar seals in the garage so the old rotten ones came off easily and the new ones put in their place. Window glass and mechanism is currently completely dismantled for refurbishment (it was in fact only one slider missing stopping the window to go up/down at the back), but you have to remove certain clips that normally break as soon as they are fiddled with so out it all came. New outer weather strip to be fitted and inner seal too.
The boost gauge was erratic but only turned out to be the earth. There is currently a bearing whine which I think is coming from the alternator as it goes up and down with engine speed, could be an idler or tension pulley.
I don't think it's fully on song at the minute as the turbo kicks in when it should but it doesn't keep going strongly, like its being held back a bit. Could be an air leak as the gauge only seems to suggest it peaking at 0.4 bar when it should make about 0.6 bar.
So some fiddling to be done but can't see it being anything costly at the moment, just time spent crossing potential faulty things off a list until I find a culprit.
Looks like it must have had a new hood in the past as it's in really good condition with the stitching very clean and undamaged with the rear screen clear.
Some rusty brackets in the engine bay and other things to be tidied up like the turbo heat shield and stuff but been giving the engine bay a bit of a clean.
Fortunately I'm currently spending time around the Warwickshire area so there's some great twisty B roads. These are very easy to live with cars and made for country roads.
Already have a black one on 70K miles but spotted this one going through an auction.
A bit of internet sleuthing revealed an extensive service/maintenance history (which turned out to be a very fat folder of invoices/receipts from 1999-2023), and a body off chassis refurbishment in 2019 totally about 12K in work. All done by the second owner.
This wasn't exactly mentioned in the auction particulars, it more read something like 'there are some service history notes and some details of what the owner has done in the past' or something equally as vague.
I could see from the photos it had a big brake upgrade on the front and probably a stainless steel exhaust so it had at least some extras on it still.
Anyway, I was the winner, at a price I wasn't expecting to pay.
As there was only going to be a couple of days left on the current MOT by the time I could pick it up, I looked around for a local garage and found one with some good reviews. I asked them to go and get it , check it over in readiness for an MOT and put it through. The owner of the garage sounded like a proper Yorkshireman, if he said he could do it he would. Handbrake cable was seized and a blown fuse meant only one headlight was popping up. Result. Only advisory was a bit of play in a rear wheel bearing but as they have tapered bearings, it could just be perfectly normal.
Passed it's MOT and I got them to change the oil/filter and replace the brake fluid.
Bus,train,bus later and had picked it up ready for a 3hr drive home.
I found the normal things were apparent, rotten A pillar seals and a dodgy electric window. Everything was pretty much as expected. Some stone chips on the front and some stone rash on the side skirts, a couple of light scuffs/marks but most I felt could be dealt with by some polishing/touching up.
I had a new pair of A pillar seals in the garage so the old rotten ones came off easily and the new ones put in their place. Window glass and mechanism is currently completely dismantled for refurbishment (it was in fact only one slider missing stopping the window to go up/down at the back), but you have to remove certain clips that normally break as soon as they are fiddled with so out it all came. New outer weather strip to be fitted and inner seal too.
The boost gauge was erratic but only turned out to be the earth. There is currently a bearing whine which I think is coming from the alternator as it goes up and down with engine speed, could be an idler or tension pulley.
I don't think it's fully on song at the minute as the turbo kicks in when it should but it doesn't keep going strongly, like its being held back a bit. Could be an air leak as the gauge only seems to suggest it peaking at 0.4 bar when it should make about 0.6 bar.
So some fiddling to be done but can't see it being anything costly at the moment, just time spent crossing potential faulty things off a list until I find a culprit.
Looks like it must have had a new hood in the past as it's in really good condition with the stitching very clean and undamaged with the rear screen clear.
Some rusty brackets in the engine bay and other things to be tidied up like the turbo heat shield and stuff but been giving the engine bay a bit of a clean.
Fortunately I'm currently spending time around the Warwickshire area so there's some great twisty B roads. These are very easy to live with cars and made for country roads.
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