Past and present of Elanmi.
As the earliest Lotus Elan M100s turn 37 years old this year, I ought dive back into whatever information I could find of Elanmi, one such example that has as much mood swings as a human does.
From top to bottom, here goes:
1st to 2nd owner (supposed)
Sometime in 2010, one of the previous owners landed himself the Monaco White beauty purchased from another gentleman who had owned it for at least 15 years.
As I heard, this car, formerly SBU3340P, had been owned by someone who was also in the automotive media circle and had owned the car very early in his life then.
Judging by the photos, the car had long had the interior retrimmed with leather as a full-black leather option doesn’t exist even in Singapore-market cars. This car was done up over the course of a year or two, between 2010-2011.
The car at the time had many issues present and ironed out, including:
– Thermal switch to allow radiator fans to be full blast at the 1/2 mark opposed to 3/4
– Inconsistent and rough cold starts
– Blocked radiator core causing cooling issues
– 4th cylinder misfire
– Headgasket replacement
This car was anything but trouble-free for the owner then, who later experienced a bit of a “smoke galore”; much blue-ish smoke present with the engine running. Even after tearing down the engine, the smoke remained; discovering that the turbocharger itself was blown.
Suppose some things mentioned (also not all) were:
-New oil pressure sensor not fitting, requiring an adaptor
-Full set of piston rings
-Fabricated brackets for dashboard fitting
-Car not starting, no fuel coming out of fuel injector
-ESM ECU chip
The softtop was sagging and warranted a replacement, but after checking for prices for a replacement rag top, it was chosen to tighten the convertible mechanism to prevent the sagging.
I believe the wheels are a set of 16-inch Work Emotion CR Kais.
As for trivia, there is a way to decode the VIN. The previous owner had requested for information for Elanmi, and below is the resulting information that can be gathered from the identification code.
Most of the modifications can still be seen on the car even now, more than 15 years on.
Samco coolant hoses, Bob’s short shifter kit, intake piping, a paint correction if not repaint..
There is a great hint of 2010s modding with a setup like this, and the color-coordination is much appreciated as is the shiny intake piping.
I’m still wondering what parts that used to be in the car have still remained. The Simolta carbon intake is no longer present, nor have I checked for the ECM chip yet (Not hands-on enough to figure it out)
A good portion of the parts are no doubt still intact, although the wear & tear items have seen gone. That Simolta carbon airbox had since been replaced with a generic cone air filter, the coolant tank replaced with an unknown item.
Thank you, Peck, for bringing life back to this car.
Second transfer
July 2012 was when this car was put up on sale.
Some extra changes had been observed; Bob’s Hi-Spec big-brake kit and the CR Kais repainted white to match the Monaco White.
Third transfer
Afterwards, almost exactly 8 years later, it comes back on sale again.
By this time, Elanmi had been reverted back to the original SE wheels and an aftermarket shift knob.
I still keep in contact with the son of the person who created this listing.
From a provided image, the plate was transferred to a different number; SKS3883T. At its peak, it was commented that it was quick enough to keep up with BMW 335is.
Fourth transfer
The blue lug nuts stayed surprisingly all these years. Additionally, after so many years without carpets, it finally came with some, although they weren’t anything special let alone good at their job. The soft-top was replaced around 2019-2022 if I am not mistaken by the ex-owner, a super unique shade of red that I have observed to have been replicated only on two Kia Elans. This Indonesian-spec (the flag) is literally a one-of-a-kind combination.
It was part of a collection in the North; one of three British classics there. The rest is history, really. Although the top would come down once and never again.
The now
This is, for now, the last listing of the car. I, well, haven’t listed it for sale yet.
This writeup was originally conceived in 2024. Back then, I noted that these needed doing:
- Less effective cooling (Hoping the radiator will do wonders)
- Steering play
- Steering ownself moving on braking or very rough surfaces
- Squeaking brakes (Which I would like to get more insight on whether its good or not)
- Ashtray not glued to dashboard
- Interior rattles (A 90’s car after all)
- Worn tyres
- Left headlight motor not always functioning, still manageable via manual adjustment)
The car has solved a healthy number of those problems since, with no shortage of new ones cropping up.
The cooling system has since been rectified with an external fan switch, uprated radiator and new coolant reservoir tank – the latter helping the most apparently.
Steering play has eventually gotten slightly worse as even though the rack was leaking and has been fixed since, the teeth in the rack cannot be fixed.
The ashtray has been glued back although slightly outwards now – something that is bugging me. Those tyres.. apparently they had lasted three owners. I finally changed them out last year. That headlight motor has since been rebuilt.
There are a lot more wear & tear and very little modifications done, but the car over its two-year life with me has survived the turmoil of being a new driver’s scapegoat and has brought me to many opportunities in life.
Though, the biggest problem was another impending headgasket failure. Elanmi was showing early signs, and I was recommended to solve it ASAP. It was a two month wait and more back-and-forth with my parts supplier SJSportsCars. The most troubling would have to be my workshop scraping off rust in each cylinder in the block. It is hypothesized that the system may have been flushed with pure water at a point in time.
Since then, on its cosmetic exterior are a set of RAYS ZE40 replicas, new side stickers and a scrape on the rear left quarter panel.
I remember placing the stickers last time; the wrong type of sticker but it held two years of abuse until I took it off late last year and eventually replaced them with a reprint using correct materials.
If there is anything I want, its returning the wheels back to the original alloys. They were changed out as my family saw first-hand how warped every wheel was, and were adamant to switch out for safety sake. In a perfect world, they will return.
The car now sits in an uncomfortable spot. I am sadly afraid to drive it due to a faulty TPS (Throttle Position Switch / Sensor). It is a recurring issue in my ownership experience, one that will force a CEL (Check Engine Light), reduced power and inconsistent idle. This to date has stranded me twice, many close calls across a two year period.
I was too busy ironing out other issues that this got left in the backlog, and it has caught up to me. My feelings for the car has significantly waned in this time, although not so much to the point letting go is the only way forward. I just need this sensor replaced before I iron out the last; steering rack and suspension bushings.
Until then, this car will rest until I iron out this recurring and dangerous problem. Its history now lies with this technically-mundane but frustrating issue.
~Efini
Read more: Elanmi: Satay By The Bay, 4.5 years apart
