Gerry Ashmore's Elan Plus 2

[andmark4389]

Hello chaps. Wonder if any of you can help...

I've been asked to sort out and sell the Elan Plus 2 that was raced in the 1970s by Gerry Ashmore and Max Payne. It was an old mate of mine's pride and joy but he's just passed and his widow has no idea what to do with the car.

I think the best thing is to apply for an HTP and see where we go from there. The car and its specification are both well known but the FIA needs period evidence that its specification differed from the homologated one - which it did, although not by much. It also needs to have run in that spec in an International race.

As far as I know, it started life with a lightweight shell which came from Lotus, along with brakes and uprights from a Lotus 47 - hence the knock on wheels and large rears with arch flares. Engine I believe also came from Lotus but was still a 1600cc twin cam. Pity Lotus didn't supply an engine from a 62 or somesuch...

I have results from April 25th 1970 at Silverstone (Daily Express) where the car finished 22nd. Not sure if that was an international though. There was a third in class at the 1971 Norisring 200kms race, and a non finish (classified 25th) at the Nurburgring 300kms in 1972, both of which were definitely Internationals.

It did a fair amount of Modsports in various hands over the years - I drove it at a Boxing Day Brands in about 1974 or '75 - but it hasn't been on the tracks for probably 20 years now.

It would be possible simply to take off the 47 parts and the rear wheel arches, and that would allow it to conform to the homologated spec, but that's not how it was raced.

There's no doubt that this is the car, but any period evidence (like a feature in a magazine), or pictures from the races would help enormously.

Let me know, thanks

Mark Hales

[john ruston]

Best of luck Mark.

The difficulty seems to be HTP's with no pragmatic input by the inspectors or FIA.

Pity as they are good blokes and helpful but have their hands tied by the people in Paris.

Need to get French papers!

[Mike Bell]

Mark, may be worth copying the request onto Motorsport History as well. There's a lot of knowledge of old events on there, and some may not read 'HRT'. Maybe a mod can do it......

[John Turner]

Copied over as suggested.

[Peter Mallett]

Good luck Mark. I have a very similar situation. I know that the "powers that be" are trying to do something but at the moment it's a case of wait and see.

[terence]

Mark, sounds like you've just embarked on a possibly long journey.
RE the 72 Ring event, have you heard of Ringportal nl? Some of the photographers on there (long list) could well have photographic evidence of how the car looked, could shorten that journey.