Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 07 February 2025, 12:57:00
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Actually 30KG lighter than a standard 1969 Elan S4 at 650KG
https://youtu.be/TmIN1ltTmmE?feature=shared (https://youtu.be/TmIN1ltTmmE?feature=shared)
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IMO whether to convert a classic to EV depends on what made them a great classic (if indeed they were). So something like a Ferrari 512 would be sacrilege imo because the experience is all about that flat 12. At the other end of the spectrum I don't think anyone would mourn the loss of a wheezy 2.4 petrol.in an original series land rover.
I guess this falls somewhere in the middle, but if it keeps them on the road and draws more people into keeping them, then why not!
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Shouldnt be allowed. :(
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I'm surprised that electrification didn't turn the svelte little Elan into a lard arse. Although the omission of the fiesty little Ford/Lotus twin cam is not ideal.
Colin Chapman used to say 'just add lightness' :)
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I think that's a great improvement. That is exactly the electric car I'd want.
I wouldn't be bothered doing anything more than a short commute or Sunday morning thrash in an electric car so the SUVs and saloons on offer from the mainstream manufacturers aren't remotely of interest. That would take me and my packed lunch quite happily.
The Elan is exactly the type of car that needs to outlive the end of fossil fuel - adorable styling, fantastic chassis and the original engine, whilst a bit of a classic, it's not sacrilege on the scale of a Ferrari lump to bin it. It was only a warmed over old Ford dog without the benefit of enough development to make it properly reliable as a daily driver. No-brainer.
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IMO whether to convert a classic to EV depends on what made them a great classic (if indeed they were). So something like a Ferrari 512 would be sacrilege imo because the experience is all about that flat 12. At the other end of the spectrum I don't think anyone would mourn the loss of a wheezy 2.4 petrol.in an original series land rover.
I guess this falls somewhere in the middle, but if it keeps them on the road and draws more people into keeping them, then why not!
Zackly.....and with anything running on devil derv it should be made compulsory. :D ;)
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I think that's a great improvement. That is exactly the electric car I'd want.
I wouldn't be bothered doing anything more than a short commute or Sunday morning thrash in an electric car so the SUVs and saloons on offer from the mainstream manufacturers aren't remotely of interest. That would take me and my packed lunch quite happily.
The Elan is exactly the type of car that needs to outlive the end of fossil fuel - adorable styling, fantastic chassis and the original engine, whilst a bit of a classic, it's not sacrilege on the scale of a Ferrari lump to bin it. It was only a warmed over old Ford dog without the benefit of enough development to make it properly reliable as a daily driver. No-brainer.
Also, as the battery is only 28KW it takes just 4 hours of low rate leccy to charge to 100%, assuming a 7KW home charger.
I'd still love an original Elan Sprint though. :y
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I'm surprised that electrification didn't turn the svelte little Elan into a lard arse. Although the omission of the fiesty little Ford/Lotus twin cam is not ideal.
Colin Chapman used to say 'just add lightness' :)
They must have done other things, all those Tesla batteries, plus motor, plus inverter, plus charger would by heavier than the old twin cam engine and fuel tank
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IMO whether to convert a classic to EV depends on what made them a great classic (if indeed they were). So something like a Ferrari 512 would be sacrilege imo because the experience is all about that flat 12.
That's been my opinion for a while too. The twincam I6 in a Jag or Aston, or the big-block Mopar in an Interceptor is a major part of the appeal. Nobody ever bought a Mini or Minor because it has an A-series.
And EVs in general make more sense as small, low-powered cars rather than the £100k 2.5tonne behemoths.
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I'm surprised that electrification didn't turn the svelte little Elan into a lard arse. Although the omission of the fiesty little Ford/Lotus twin cam is not ideal.
Colin Chapman used to say 'just add lightness' :)
They must have done other things, all those Tesla batteries, plus motor, plus inverter, plus charger would by heavier than the old twin cam engine and fuel tank
Also my thoughts...
However the owner reckons the car has gone from 680KG to 650KG.....Hmmm.
How much does a full tank of petrol weigh in an Elan?
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How much does a full tank of petrol weigh in an Elan?
Depends how much has leaked out while it was parked. ;D
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IMO whether to convert a classic to EV depends on what made them a great classic (if indeed they were). So something like a Ferrari 512 would be sacrilege imo because the experience is all about that flat 12.
That's been my opinion for a while too. The twincam I6 in a Jag or Aston, or the big-block Mopar in an Interceptor is a major part of the appeal. Nobody ever bought a Mini or Minor because it has an A-series.
And EVs in general make more sense as small, low-powered cars rather than the £100k 2.5tonne behemoths.
Drivers in France will find that out soon enough. As well as imposing crippling taxes on ICE cars, Macron is also introducing a weight tax for EV's.
"Weight above half a tonne will be punished on a rising scale. Above two tonnes, the penalty will rise by €30 a kilo, adding about €1,200 to a Tesla X or €1,800 to a larger e-Mercedes SUV. That makes sense. Lithium, cobalt and steel do not grow on trees."
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It won't be long before we are all driving round in little Chinese electric boxes. ::)
I ordered a Grab taxi in Saigon, and a tiny little Vinfast* electric hatchback turned up. It was great for driving in a city like Saigon where you go along in a swarm of motorbikes. It was comfy enough and showed 400kms of range on the display as well. :y
It would probably be a great shopping car for Lord Opti. :y I think he secretly wants an EV! :)
*Vinfast is a Vietnamese car manufacturer, not Chinese, but you get the point. ;)
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It won't be long before we are all driving round in little Chinese electric boxes. ::)
I ordered a Grab taxi in Saigon, and a tiny little Vinfast* electric hatchback turned up. It was great for driving in a city like Saigon where you go along in a swarm of motorbikes. It was comfy enough and showed 400kms of range on the display as well. :y
It would probably be a great shopping car for Lord Opti. :y I think he secretly wants an EV! :)
*Vinfast is a Vietnamese car manufacturer, not Chinese, but you get the point. ;)
Nah....I've driven a full EV and also a hybrid with electric assistance and both are no more than glorified 'white goods' with no soul at all.
Petrol only for me. :y
Mrs Opti wants electric because she has no interest whatsoever in cars. She has as much interest in cars as I do in dress making or flower arranging. :)
The electric Elan does muddy the waters slightly though. :y
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Nah....I've driven a full EV and also a hybrid with electric assistance and both are no more than glorified 'white goods' with no soul at all.
Petrol only for me. :y
Mrs Opti wants electric because she has no interest whatsoever in cars. She has as much interest in cars as I do in dress making or flower arranging. :)
cars are just white goods, and 'soul' is a religious concept that's stupid even before applying it to mechanical objects.
I've been a petrolhead for as long as I can remember, and I've bought large cars for their smooth, quiet and effortless performance. That's why large six and twelve cylinder engines have always been the configuration of choice for luxury cars. EVs provide those attributes naturally without having to mask the inefficiencies of getting rid of waste noise, heat and vibration.
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Nah....I've driven a full EV and also a hybrid with electric assistance and both are no more than glorified 'white goods' with no soul at all.
Petrol only for me. :y
Mrs Opti wants electric because she has no interest whatsoever in cars. She has as much interest in cars as I do in dress making or flower arranging. :)
cars are just white goods, and 'soul' is a religious concept that's stupid even before applying it to mechanical objects.
I've been a petrolhead for as long as I can remember, and I've bought large cars for their smooth, quiet and effortless performance. That's why large six and twelve cylinder engines have always been the configuration of choice for luxury cars. EVs provide those attributes naturally without having to mask the inefficiencies of getting rid of waste noise, heat and vibration.
I'm guessing you're not a fan of unhinged two stroke motorcycles from the seventies and eighties, Nick......with noise, vibration and clouds of 2 stroke smoke. >:D
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Nah....I've driven a full EV and also a hybrid with electric assistance and both are no more than glorified 'white goods' with no soul at all.
Petrol only for me. :y
Mrs Opti wants electric because she has no interest whatsoever in cars. She has as much interest in cars as I do in dress making or flower arranging. :)
cars are just white goods, and 'soul' is a religious concept that's stupid even before applying it to mechanical objects.
I've been a petrolhead for as long as I can remember, and I've bought large cars for their smooth, quiet and effortless performance. That's why large six and twelve cylinder engines have always been the configuration of choice for luxury cars. EVs provide those attributes naturally without having to mask the inefficiencies of getting rid of waste noise, heat and vibration.
I'm guessing you're not a fan of unhinged two stroke motorcycles from the seventies and eighties, Nick......with noise, vibration and clouds of 2 stroke smoke. >:D
I always wanted a Yamaha RD350. :)
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death wish then!! my mate had one and when I came on the power band it scared him shitless
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I had various and come off most of them, (RM 400, CR500 etc). But by far the most fearsome fkr I had was the Maico 490 it hated the rider in every way possible like riding a psychopath bull that you’ve offended very badly, I’m interested if anyone else has ridden one of these devil bikes, please reply although I know they had a good kill injure rate, 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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You need to exeperience the 70,s Kawasaki two stroke triples. 500 MACH3 and 750 MACH4. Aka the widowmaker.
They were pure evil, but highly exciting for teenagers too stupid to have an imagination. ;D
RD350 was a little friendly commuter bike in comparison. :)
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Ahh, I’m talking motocross here, a major difference👍. Ask me how I know🩼🩼🫢
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You need to exeperience the 70,s Kawasaki two stroke triples. 500 MACH3 and 750 MACH4. Aka the widowmaker.
They were pure evil, but highly exciting for teenagers too stupid to have an imagination. ;D
RD350 was a little friendly commuter bike in comparison. :)
Pft.. this was the real widow maker especially when you knew how to increase the boost👀💉 I’m saying no more🫢. https://www.google.com/search?q=kawasaki+turbo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#ebo=0
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I had a GPz 750, but unfortunately it wasnt the turbo version. In its day it wasnt a bad handling machine, which is the point really. The old Kwak triples had a vicious powerband, frames made of plasticine, and you may as well put your feet down to stop as use the brakes. All those combined made them a lethal combination.
Having said all that I probably found the early Yamaha R1 scarier than any of them. The chassis wasnt up to coping with the power of the engine (around 150bhp if my memory serves) which meant it didnt take much to provoke it into doing the dance of defiance all over the road.
Particularly when accelerating on a bumpy surface.
The good old days. ;D
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My youngest had an early R1 that was tweaked, he did the front brake mod (later master) . Proper weapon that ran a 10 sec 1/4 with a soft launch as it just wanted to wheelie ,135 mph at the stripe. He stopped riding it when his new missis had their first nipper as he wanted to see her grow up!!!
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I had various and come off most of them, (RM 400, CR500 etc). But by far the most fearsome fkr I had was the Maico 490 it hated the rider in every way possible like riding a psychopath bull that you’ve offended very badly, I’m interested if anyone else has ridden one of these devil bikes, please reply although I know they had a good kill injure rate, 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yep, I’ve ridden most of the old school Moto X bikes as a teenager, as mates had various bikes so we all had a blast on each others. In my era it was mostly Maico, Husqvarna, Suzuki RM’s and Yamaha YZ’s, with a few others thrown into the mix. Trials bikes were more likely to be Ossa, Bultaco and Yamaha’s. :)
Some people underestimate the brutal pick up off a single pot two stroke, as you say they will do their utmost to kill you. ;D Yes I’ve ridden superbikes but somehow the power delivery of a Moto X bike still makes me smile and yet still worries me. ;D
Still got an old YZ250 in the garage (restored) if you fancy a trip down memory lane. ;D :y Had it in there for years, it’s a 91 D1 but has chavvy graphics so I’ll have to source the original pink and blue tank and plastics stickers to get it nearer to original.
(https://i.ibb.co/cXJygQt8/IMG-2025-02-09-103724.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Z1dfLxKg)
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The only motorbike i've ever had was a Greeves road bike with the 250cc twin Villiers engine. Loved that bike but the pending arrival of a young family put the mokkers on any more two wheel shinanigans.
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And the only one I've ever owned was a BSA 250 starfire.
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You need to exeperience the 70,s Kawasaki two stroke triples. 500 MACH3 and 750 MACH4. Aka the widowmaker.
They were pure evil, but highly exciting for teenagers too stupid to have an imagination. ;D
RD350 was a little friendly commuter bike in comparison. :)
Pft.. this was the real widow maker especially when you knew how to increase the boost👀💉 I’m saying no more🫢. https://www.google.com/search?q=kawasaki+turbo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#ebo=0
I owned a GPZ750 turbo of 1984 vintage on a 'B' plate. Had it for about 10 years well before the values started to climb. :-\
They came from the factory painted in red and black, but mine had been professionally repainted blue before I got my paws on it.
It was an evil little bastard when it came on boost but at least it would steer straight line unlike the two stroke triples from the previous decade.
Picture below with girlfriend of the time. :)
(https://i.ibb.co/Skchm0R/kawasaki.jpg)
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Mm nice, bikes ok too🤣
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I had various and come off most of them, (RM 400, CR500 etc). But by far the most fearsome fkr I had was the Maico 490 it hated the rider in every way possible like riding a psychopath bull that you’ve offended very badly, I’m interested if anyone else has ridden one of these devil bikes, please reply although I know they had a good kill injure rate, 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yep, I’ve ridden most of the old school Moto X bikes as a teenager, as mates had various bikes so we all had a blast on each others. In my era it was mostly Maico, Husqvarna, Suzuki RM’s and Yamaha YZ’s, with a few others thrown into the mix. Trials bikes were more likely to be Ossa, Bultaco and Yamaha’s. :)
Some people underestimate the brutal pick up off a single pot two stroke, as you say they will do their utmost to kill you. ;D Yes I’ve ridden superbikes but somehow the power delivery of a Moto X bike still makes me smile and yet still worries me. ;D
Still got an old YZ250 in the garage (restored) if you fancy a trip down memory lane. ;D :y Had it in there for years, it’s a 91 D1 but has chavvy graphics so I’ll have to source the original pink and blue tank and plastics stickers to get it nearer to original.
(https://i.ibb.co/cXJygQt8/IMG-2025-02-09-103724.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Z1dfLxKg)
That’s lovely, but I think it would be a trip to A&E or the morgue if I got my leg over one these days🤣⚰️🪦
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I had various and come off most of them, (RM 400, CR500 etc). But by far the most fearsome fkr I had was the Maico 490 it hated the rider in every way possible like riding a psychopath bull that you’ve offended very badly, I’m interested if anyone else has ridden one of these devil bikes, please reply although I know they had a good kill injure rate, 🤣🤣🤣🤣
This sort of figures.... ;D
I now understand where the urge to own a crazy 500BHP Evo comes from. :y
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And the only one I've ever owned was a BSA 250 starfire.
Did you pass your test on this. Back in the days when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth people were allowed to take their test on a 250.
I believe these days it has to be taken on a nancy boy 125. :-X
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And the only one I've ever owned was a BSA 250 starfire.
Did you pass your test on this. Back in the days when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth people were allowed to take their test on a 250.
I believe these days it has to be taken on a nancy boy 125. :-X
Never had a driving licence of any description ;D
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And the only one I've ever owned was a BSA 250 starfire.
Did you pass your test on this. Back in the days when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth people were allowed to take their test on a 250.
I believe these days it has to be taken on a nancy boy 125. :-X
Never had a driving licence of any description ;D
Similar...
As a wayward teen I had no tax ,no insurance, often no MOT. I was usually about 3 times over the drink drive limit to boot.
And yet I have turned out so well. ::) >:D
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I was the same when I was young. I think most of us were in the 70,s.
Didnt pass my bike test until the late 90,s.
Got caught riding a 750 Norton Commando in 1976 when I was 16. Actually, I got caught doing just about everything traffic offence related when between 16 & 18.
Strangely they never got me for all the other stuff though. :-X ;D
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Mm nice, bikes ok too🤣
That's a very interesting shade of orange even on an Astravan.
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Respect for getting the girlfriend to wash the tyres on your bike. :y ;D
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Seems he's been doing that for all of his adult life. :)
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Mm nice, bikes ok too🤣
That's a very interesting shade of orange even on an Astravan.
1982 MK1 Astra 1300S estate. One of the last cars (I think) to be manufactured with contact breaker points.
I believe the colour was called terracotta, or something very similar. :y