The Lotus Grand Tourers

Lotus Elite 501 V8.
This is a one off Rover V8 conversion with Full Hydrogas suspension done by a Rolls-Royce engineer.
He owned the car for 23 years. Many detailed improvements.

Sounds awesome with the twin s/steel system.

Car has been stored for several years but has now been fully recomissioned and starts on the button. Always garaged. Engine is a pre SDI Rover 3.5 V8 with K&N filters fitted with the standard 3 speed Rover auto box.
The engine and box were fully rebuilt before going into the car so have covered very low miles! Interior is in good condition except for the the front seats which could do with replacement which are about £25-£35 each from Lotusbits. Runs great and everything works.
Paintwork is dull and flat and the waist trim is missing. I cant really see it needing much else for an Mot as it does run well and the tyres are all
good.
This car is a one off with the Hydrogas suspension which can be lowered or raised to suit. Hydraulic adjustable rear roll stabiliser.
Steel chassis has also be strengthened and waxoiled.



Modification List


ENGINE
Rover V8 3500cc Block is Rover 3500 (pre SD1) but internals are largely SD1. Low mileage since rebuild. Runs beautifully and sounds awesome.


EXHAUST
All stainless system Front pipes are one-off Silencers etc are standard Elite .
Rear pipes are modified to clear revised back end parts.


RADIATORS
Two Austin 1300 radiators, in parallel, with electric fan. Does not overheat even in summer conditions. Improved expansion tank.


GEARBOX
SD1 type Borg-Warner auto. Low mileage since overhaul.


PROP SHAFT
Shortened SD1 replaced by an all new perfectly balanced propshaft built by Terberg special cars in IJsselstein, the Netherlands.


DIFFERENTIAL
Rover 3500 pre SD1. Spare unit supplied

DRIVE SHAFTS
Rover inner UJs (same as early Land Rover) and standard Elite outboard UJs


REAR HUBS
Standard uprights with large taper roller bearings in place of standard (low life) bearings


REAR BRAKES
Fiat X1/9 calipers with Ford discs instead of drum brakes (!)
Inboard mounted on diff


FRONT BRAKES
Standard Elite


CHASSIS
Standard Elite with rot prone back cross member replaced with a stronger cross member arranged to suit hydrogas suspension units. Front suspension towers
also modified to suit hydrogas suspension units. Rover diff mounted on additional sub frame.


SUSPENSION
Lotus standard suspension geometry is not changed.
All 4 rot prone lower suspension links replaced by stronger parts with same dimensions
Suspension units replaced with Hydrogas units fully interconnected with anti dive and anti roll valves, and ride height adjustment.
Fresh set of Hydragas units supplied.
Hydragas units can by heightened and lowered as required. Pressure in the Hydragas units can be adjusted to adjust spring stiffness.

HEAD LIGHTS
Opening and closing converted to electrical


RECENT JOBS PERFORMED
-New purpose built propshaft
-New brake master cylinder
-Reconditioned brake booster
-New windscreen
-Hydragas units aquired
Amounting to € over 1500,-- on parts alone

EXTRAS
-Documentation on conversion (extensive)
-Spare diff
-New Hydragas- units supplied

































The car is inside The Netherlans... BUT

FOR EXTRA COST, CAN SEND TO G.B

the price in € 2500 euro!!! (so that will be 2100 Pond, and 3300 usa dollar..)
questions, or interested people can e-mail me at:
beppebeuner@hotmail.com

Having seen this on the classic cars for sale site, the more I look at this the more it makes sense.
I know some will baulk at the fact it isn't standard but if I am not mistaken it looks like the engineer has created a comfortable cruising lotus:
Lazy V8
Autobox
And being a rolls Royce engineer I would bet the hydragas suspension is Citroen. Which if maintained is actually reliable, comfortable and surprisingly good handling. PLUS no more problems with speed bumps or floods
No need for a jack at oil change time either as you can just pump up the suspension with the push of a button

This is in my opinion could become a very interesting restoration project. It needs the bonnet bulge blending in more to the bonnet though.

Somebody from here please save it and don't let it rot in a garage or barn.

Parts car.

one word only......................

SACRILEGE.

regards all. DC.

Yess fueltheburn, i also think that, and then you have something specials inside your garage,
the bonnet you can change, its just polyester, so work on it, and i can get some round curvers, and it looks way better then now,

its a real driving car, now, to make a long trip, so i hope there will be somebody how wants to restore it,
i dont have seen the car yet into the real, its just somebody how gets parts from me, and now he wanne sell his car,
and he ask me also, so i will do my best for him,

i am allready busy with my grey elite LHD. and when thats done, the esprit and excel comes...


and its NOT a parts car!!! but if somebody wanne pay the price, then he may do with the car what he wants...

This car is a one off with the Hydrogas suspension which can be lowered or raised to suit. Hydraulic adjustable rear roll stabiliser.

Out of curiosity, is it based on BMC/British Leyland/Austin Rover parts or Citroen system parts?

Parts car is a bit harsh. Its a running elite with sensible sounding upgrades not to everyones taste but bare in mind mike has just built an auto elite for a customer and they were happy with the results.

Sacrilige.....hmmm - much literature states the Elite was originally designed to take a v8. The bonnet bulge definitely needs tidying though as it looks like an ice cream tub stuck to the bonnet

No doubt I will upset a few people with what I am doing to mine but it only takes one person to appreciate what you are doing, luckily in my case Brian can see my vision and is willing to put his name to the build

I will watch this car as I think in the future some of you may see that someone had vision and turned it into something good.... I hope to be proven right on this.

Citroen parts for the hydragas - I am assuming because the builder was a rolls royce engineer and all old rollers used citroen parts for the suspension because of their ultra smooth ride "nicknamed the magic carpet"

Citroen parts for the hydragas - I am assuming because the builder was a rolls royce engineer and all old rollers used citroen parts for the suspension because of their ultra smooth ride "nicknamed the magic carpet"

Hydragas was the evolution of the Hydrolastic system used on BLMC cars of the '60s and was often interconnected to control pitch and/or roll as per the description. Citroen generally referred to their system as Hydropneumatique.

I can even claim to have owned cars with both systems...............

I would hope he has used the citroen version - being roller engineer, you would hope he draws on the experience and systems he was familiar with. I had this sysem on a xantia, it was an amazing piece of kit, shame it was attached to shitroen.

This "Rolls Royce engineer" thing is being played out fairly heavily here, it doesn't much look like any Roller I've seen, inside or outside, with bits poking out the bodywork, brass tubing lashed with cable ties ... perhaps he was the boiler engineer.

Simpatico wrote:This "Rolls Royce engineer" thing is being played out fairly heavily here, it doesn't much look like any Roller I've seen, inside or outside, with bits poking out the bodywork, brass tubing lashed with cable ties ... perhaps he was the boiler engineer.

LOL - Or toilet engineer....... as they like giving fancy names to crap jobs these days.