Aussie elan Mountain Workout.

Some elan owners love to take their cars onto the race track for competition, and that can be a lot of fun, but to my way of thinking, once you’ve done about ten or fifteen laps, the drive begins to become a bit ho hum… same corners…. same straight, yeah, I’ve done my bit of circuit driving over the years, and to be honest, I’d rather drive the elan on great driving roads.

Roads that the elan is designed for, especially twisting- winding mountain roads, the elan is quick going up the mountain, or coming down the mountain, you have fun both ways, and there’s something new around every corner, or another car to have a dice with.

Many ordinary car drivers tend to dislike mountain roads, and any wonder, as some cars are not the best handlers, but it is different when you own and drive a lotus elan, as these little babes are made for rapid motoring, despite that fact the early models are now fifty years old, but a well built elan still has what it takes to match, and often times better many of the moderns.

Mountain roads are a never ending source of driving pleasure… especially if your elan has been built and set up for rapid point to point motoring. Fully adjustable Front and Rear suspension, CV DS Conversion, refined and tuned suspension settings. Gated Sump to prevent oil surge in the sharp corners, and more.

You need the good bits when motoring hard in the hills. And if you already have some of the good bits fitted to your elan, you’ll know what I mean.

And there is something special about living close to perhaps one of the best parts of The Great Dividing Range in Australia, there is a road that traverses the Alps called The Great Alpine Road, (GAR) covering a distance of 308 KM from the inland beginning, to the coastal destination.

The GAR would have to be the most scenic and exhilarating driving road in Australia, not to mention the beautiful villages and towns located along the entire route where the traveler can take a break, or choose to stay the night, and explore more of this beautiful part of Australia.

But best of all, it is the experience of the drive along the GAR, and often times, there is no need to drive fast to enjoy it, along the route in the summer you will encounter packs of push bike road riders grinding their way to the summit, there will be SUVs with mum, dad, and the kids on board, motor cycle riders ascending/descending the Alpine road, and the occasional sports car driver stretching the steeds legs.

As soon as the road leaves Harrietville, there is a sharp left turn and the mountain climb begins immediately, the road is steep, the bends are sharp, it takes a couple of kilometres to get the feel of the road, but as with all Lotus cars, this is where they shine, so you let the elan have it’s head.

It is not long before a good lotus pace is found, and you don’t realize just how quick you are motoring until you arrive at the rear of another car in front of you, but there is one thing about the GAR, there are several spots where a slower car can be overtaken in the blink of an eye in the elan, and that’s good, because you don’t want to follow a mobile chicane all the way to the top.

I’m not saying to be stupid about your driving, but the elan is as quick as most motor bikes on mountain roads, so when it’s safe, overtaking can be achieved safely and quickly, sometimes you get the odd 4×4 – SUV playing silly buggers with you, but they are soon overtaken and forgotten, to be left far behind, much to their disgust. Do SUVs have a mortgage on the mountain roads? Not in my book! They are bits of slugs.

The climb to Mt Hotham could be likened to Pikes Peak in Colarado USA, but the summit at Hotham, of course, is nowhere near as high, but the drive all the same is totally awesome, the road surface is excellent, but there are patches that are rough which can unsettle a vehicle in the corners if the suspension is not up to scratch.

The twin cam engine pulls like a train all the way to the top, the 3.9 Diff coupled with the ultra close ratio gearbox makes the GAR the ultimate lotus elan drive, the Rear ARB absolutely improves the cornering ability of the elan.

If you live in an Australian capital city or region, or even an international visitor, and you’ve not yet driven the GAR, it is worth planing to do the alps drive, (Or if you are in our region at the right time of year, call us, we’ll take you up) the road is one that you never get tired of driving, as long as the weather is kind. And if it looks like being wet, the drive is a no go, the Aussie alps are not the place to be in an elan when the weather turns to crap.

From Mt Hotham to the coast is also a “must do drive”. Visit Dinner Plain for a coffee, lunch stop, or over night stay, enjoy magic alpine scenery and pure fresh air, laid back lifestyle, or partake in an Onsen spa massage treatment to relax the tired driving muscles.

Next stop is Omeo, the road twists and winds it way to the Omeo valley past horse hair plain, Cobungra Station, and Victoria Falls, the site of the state’s (Victoria) first hydro-power scheme, built in 1908 for the nearby Cassilis goldfields. (Green renewable energy is nothing new).

The drive is not as exciting as the drive up to Mt Hotham, but it is a more relaxing drive. Omeo is an old historic gold mining area, lots of history to read about, a good place for coffee, eat, and stay, friendly locals, being awesome cattle country, it is “Man From Snowy River Country”.

Leaving Omeo, the driving fun begins again after about fifteen or twenty Kms. The Tambo Valley sector is quite spectacular, following the river for quite a distance, steep cliff walls on one side, fast running, crystal clear, Tambo river on the other, intimidating in places, and watch out for lumbering SUVs towing caravans, and grey nomads in motor homes, mobile chicanes again, they don’t move very fast… a bit like some of the occupants. And they’ll think you are some crazy sports car driver as you round them up on the straights.

The GAR finishes it’s journey at Bairnsdale near the Gippsland coast, this region of Gippsland is aptly called the Victorian Riviera, and it’s not hard to see why when you visit this beautiful part of the country and coast.

So, once you have driven the entire 308 Kms of the GAR, after your overnight stay, turn around and drive the entire distance in reverse, it is just as much fun, and you’ll see things you missed the day before… It is a privilege and an honour to be able to drive a magnificent 48 year old S2 elan in this kind of country, a sports car which can still hold it’s own in the mountains against all sorts of so called modern high performance cars.

That reminds me, I must soon get the “Go Pro” video camera I have promised myself to record some of these awesome alpine drives.

A well developed Lotus elan is indeed an amazing and exhilarating sports car to drive.

There is always a large amount of grin factor involved when you come up behind a guy and his tarted up chick in an Audi or BMW who suddenly hits the brakes, and with arm out the window, waves you past because he cant hack the menacing look of the elan in his rear view mirror climbing all over his prestige rig in the corners… or maybe it’s the “rev limiter chick” sitting in the passenger seat who screams “enough”!! Whatever it is, it’s grin factor to the max.
Happy Lotusing.