New victim to the Course?

Good day to all.  After a while of old (and often cantankerous) Lotus I've decided to try a change. 
A Le Mans Green TF with cream interior would fit nicely.   I've just missed a pretty one at Trophy.

Am I being too specific?   Am I being subconsciously  twitchy after reading of the HGF / Water leaks / Danger of unsuitable tyres / need to grow large and strong fingers that are also very slim! 

I was intending to start with a MGF but I have doubts about the "restoration" of the HydraGas spheres that do not (cannot?) include the complete strip down and removal of rust and rubbish.  Also no one seems to mention replacement of the diaphragms.  Am I wrong?  I actually prefer the looks of the early F!) Especially with suitable radiator ducting.  A dark green 2000 ish VVC ? 

The much over hyped HGF need not be a worry if some sensible precautions are taken: A low coolant alarm should be fitted, other than that a watchful eye should be kept on matters such as hose condition, hose clamps, fan function, regular maintenance etc. Early cars had such wondrous innovations such as plastic location dowels to keep the cylinder head properly located, these will have most certainly been binned and replaced with steel ones by now as would the rubbish head gaskets they used back then.
The cooling system is no worse or difficult to maintain than many other modern vehicles.
The Good folk here on this site can guide you though this.

By water leaks, I take it you are referring to water getting into the cabin, like all rag tops they will always be a more prone to the occasional leak than a tin top, but yet again with the collective wisdom of the membership here this need not be of any great concern.

As for tyres, well, one should always be wary of unknown brands of dubious origin, no matter what the car, but fear not, guidance is at hand, we here shall lead you though the dark tyre jungle and deliver you from the evil peril of crap tyres, all you have to do is ask.......and pay for the damned things! We're not gonna do that for you!

That brings us to the hydralastic suspension spheres on the F, I  believe that diaphragm failure is mainly due to over compensating the nitrogen gas loss from the upper chamber of the sphere by pumping up the lower chamber with hydralastic fluid to regain the correct ride height.
The nitrogen gas is the spring and prived the "give" in the suspension, by removing the "give" eventually something will inevitably fail. But now that regassing is possible, this problem is lessened.
And there are other solutions such as suspension conversions (though avoid the Suplex conversion, that one is rubbish, there are others)
Who knows in time someone may even reverse engineer replacement spheres, possibly even ones that can be dismantled. Maybe you will be the clever bugger to crack this particular hard nut......who knows?

Now what was the Lotus? Inquiring minds need to know!
We had a much modified (to the point of being totally unrecognisable) Lotus 11 that was powered by a MGA twin cam engine, and this particular can of worms (that should probably read a plastic tub of worms considering the cars construction) was the most troublesome racecar we had, damned thing never ran properly or for very long!

 

 

 

Checkout the body roll of the car behind in the 2nd pic!
Forgive the grainy pix it was the late 60's and the limitations of the film tech of the day.
 

Welcome to the T bar.😎

As Cobb’s comments & I reiterate, tell us more about your Lotus. We’re a pack of nosey buggers on here & anything that stands out from the norm gains our attention. 
Don’t get tied up to myth & legend, our cars are little different from any other car; you look after them properly, they return with reliability. 
Certainly when new, they were poorly understood, particularly by those whose job it was to look after their well-being & in the process, gaining that black cloud that hovered over them. Amongst those “pub expert mechanics”, most of whose had never lifted the bonnet/boot of one, everything was a disaster. 
Fortunately these types have moved on, now castigating EV’s & Jag adverts, leaving us to chose our own path. 
The owners on here are invested in their cars, both physically & financially, the transient owners have moved on & there is every possibility that their cars have passed to the dismantlers. By that token your vehicle could have consumed the donor organs of these. 
my car has (Tahiti blue 1998 VVC). 
Aquire the manual,wiring information, become a student of your car; possibly to the point of buying a Pscan & cast of any cloud. 
Enjoy it, it won’t take long for a relationship to build, ask any of the recent members. 
M

Airportable wrote:

As Cobb’s comments & I reiterate, tell us more about your Lotus. We’re a pack of nosey buggers on here & anything that stands out from the norm gains our attention. 
Don’t get tied up to myth & legend, our cars are little different from any other car; you look after them properly, they return with reliability. 
Certainly when new, they were poorly understood, particularly by those whose job it was to look after their well-being & in the process, gaining that black cloud that hovered over them. Amongst those “pub expert mechanics”, most of whose had never lifted the bonnet/boot of one, everything was a disaster. 
Fortunately these types have moved on, now castigating EV’s & Jag adverts, leaving us to chose our own path. 
The owners on here are invested in their cars, both physically & financially, the transient owners have moved on & there is every possibility that their cars have passed to the dismantlers. By that token your vehicle could have consumed the donor organs of these. 
my car has (Tahiti blue 1998 VVC). 
Aquire the manual,wiring information, become a student of your car; possibly to the point of buying a Pscan & cast of any cloud. 
Enjoy it, it won’t take long for a relationship to build, ask any of the recent members. 
M

Somewhere along the line my post went haywire..
So in short as a new owner I completely agree with Airportable that these cars are fun, engaging and full of character. I come from almost 50 years of rallying, sprinting and hillclimbing Toyota's and I wondered what I was doing at my age buying a British car that I wiuld be underneath all the time fixing!
Well I absolutely love my TF and am always keen to take it out and start smiling!
There are some really knowlegeable owners on here who help freely and willingly..
Good luck finding your car. 

 

Right I'll have another go.  Last time it disappeared!

I'm looking to be quite specific - 
  

Or this if it had a lighter interior - 
 

The Lotus was a Elan +2 S 130/5.  Bought off the original owner having had a £25000 restoration.  (Allegedly) 
Unfortunately it had been appallingly bodged by "Marque Specialists"  and the old owner lied through his teeth!
Sad really It took 2 years and another £5K to sort.  
It did go very well then and if an F / TF handles and rides anywhere near as well I'll be impressed!  
 

 

As it happens the wheelbase and tracks are quite close to the F, its wider at the back and has a rear weight bias!   And very sensitive to setup.  A poorly sorted Elan is nasty.
https://lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=45358

How can such a basically simple thing be so competent?
Or the famous Twink engine 1960's 
130bhp  -  1600  -  howl to 7000 easy.   Yet economical if you are easy.  On fat webers and contact breaker ignition?(Admit it leaked a bit !)
 

You should probably have a look at this:
https://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/54-how-tos/99326-a-check-list-for-new-owners

There are some nice pictures here, not forgetting Cobbers contribution, sadly I have zero knowledge on TA22s Toyota. If you have the slightest interest in cars & are of pensionable age then the memory of Colin Chapman will shine bright. For the few who need reminding, he is the patron Saint of Adding Lightness. With the drift away from common sense in modern car design, where adding weight to accommodate the fripperies of the wealthy owners, requires an engine whose horse power is on a par with submarine, this deity, like St Christopher has been side lined.
An Elan stood head & shoulders above anything being produced, anywhere, at the time, you have been fortunate to have owned one. Even if it took time & money to get it sorted. That under bonnet picture is a Picture, glorious in every way. Thank you.
Anyway as an f owner I would be drawn to the f, pictured, although the tf is a lovely looking beast.
Cobbers check list is of great value, the greatest tool in tour armoury is vigilance, followed by common sense & a Pscan is in valuable also.
I have had access to a Rovacom until recently, living with me for a while, now sadly gone, a Pscan will be ordered shortly.
M

Many thanks Cobber. Chap who is a Twink race engine expert on Elan.net was (is) an Aussie. We had many a chat. (Even if a bit one way!)
Where do I find the online manual? 
Any idea what the vehicle 2nd in the 2nd image is?   
Wonder what a sparkly Lotus 11 is worth these days.   One of my favourite articles - https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28512925/the-legend-of-the-lotus-eleven/
  

It's a twink. Did not stay pristine for long. Thanks anyway.

Many thanks for the kind responses people.  I'll ask opinions of some of the available possibilities in a new post.  Apologies if they belong to members!

Can I offer a note on site etiquette; when dealing with our antipodean friends. You kindly refers to your Australian friend as a “Chap”, unfortunately Cobber informs us & quite forcefully, they are not chaps but Blokes.
It is a mistake I have made on any number of times & he won’t let me get away with it.
However if you wish to use “chap” please go ahead, it’ll take the pressure off me.
Oh, welcome aboard. 
M