The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → Lotus Elan +2 and Miata have relations?
So, if a person were to have a Lotus Elan +2 body and a Miata rolling chassis, too much time on their hands and an active imagination……….
Are body swaps allowed in Lemons? Say this strange person we’re to body swap the Miata with the Elan fiberglass bodywork?????
Word on the street is that hat cars are strongly discouraged these days.
For definitive answers, email Mr Pagel (head of tech, address on the contact page).
That said, I think this would be a challenging build. Loti have enough problems passing tech without the added stress of fitting a tiny non-structural body around the crash structure of another car.
If I were to attempt this, I would go about it differently.
I would think that you'd need to do something along the lines of the Molvo which is basically a Volvo wagon plopped down onto a complete Miata. What they don't want is you cutting into anything structural in the base car, particularly a unibody one like the Miata. Seems to me your hat car would need to be something a fair bit bigger to plop over a complete Miata and I doubt that Elan fits the bill unless you just bond Elan panels onto the outside of the Miata. Of course, Pagel is the final arbiter of these sorts of things.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/03/molvo/
I would think that you'd need to do something along the lines of the Molvo which is basically a Volvo wagon plopped down onto a complete Miata. What they don't want is you cutting into anything structural in the base car, particularly a unibody one like the Miata. Seems to me your hat car would need to be something a fair bit bigger to plop over a complete Miata and I doubt that Elan fits the bill unless you just bond Elan panels onto the outside of the Miata. Of course, Pagel is the final arbiter of these sorts of things.
This is pretty much it. The KFC Jeep-bodied SC400 is one where the vehicles had identical wheelbases and the dimensions were hilariously close. It still took a VERY talented fabricator a year to build. The Save the Ta-Ta's Camaro has Seville bodywork with lots of filler but the original unibody completely intact underneath.
You’re missing the “+2” part of the Elan description.
I looked it up the other night, it was as I suspected. A standard Elan (like Mrs. Peel drove) is smaller than a Miata NA in all dimensions. A +2 is bigger. A little wider, a touch more wheelbase, a skosh more overall length. I’d say it can be done, by the letter and spirit of the law, but what do I know?
Maybe an easier project if the wheel base is the same?
FC convertible or MR2...
https://www.roadkillcustoms.com/wheelba … e/?wb=2440
The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Tech → Lotus Elan +2 and Miata have relations?