Howdy, all.
I've been putting some miles on my new toy, a '65 Elan that I
recently acquired from Fred Miranda, and I've found that I'm
developing a fresh, new appreciation for the 3-rail 4 speed in
the early Elans.
This one is *not* a close ratio, but I did acquire a CR gear
set, with an extra case, along with the spares for this car.
The close ratio from this car, will probably find its way into
my "64 Elan, when I get around to putting that one back
together. The '64 car is the one that I hope (eventually) to
put back as close to stock as possible.
Anyway, though this is the fourth Elan that I've owned, with
two others also being series 1 cars, this is the first time
that I have had an opportunity to drive a type 26 car for any
decent length of time! Other type 26 experiences have been in
other people's cars, just around the block, or once around an
autocross course.
My '67 series 3, which I drove regularly for many years, had
the rubber isolated shift lever that was found on most (maybe
all?) the type 36 / 45 cars. I knew of the differences in
the shifters, but (despite comments from other Elan people) I
never quite imagined that such a minor difference, could have
a large subjective effect on the one's impression of the
gearbox.
Wow. The "no rubber bushing" shifter makes quite a
difference!
This gearbox feels like a machine tool. Very light pressure
on the lever is all that is needed to feel what the sychros
are doing. And when speed match is achieved, there is a
crisp little click as the lever goes home. Really neat.
Learning the use of this gearbox seems a bit like learning
the ways of a new girlfriend. Some effort is required, before
one will know how to "make the right music". But the learning
process is fascinating and fun, and the results can be
profoundly satisfying.
Erik Berg
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