Restoration Finished: 1966 Lotus Elan 26R - Jay Leno's Garage
Restoration Finished: 1966 Lotus Elan 26R. Professor Jim Hall's opus has finally concluded - this ultimate Lotus of his dreams is a tribute to one of the most wonderful eras in racing.
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Restoration Finished: 1966 Lotus Elan 26R - Jay Leno's Garage
• Restoration Finished: ...
Jay Leno's Garage
/ jaylenosgarage
Jim Hall is an incredible craftsman and artist!
An old school combination of both......very rare.
Oh yes... old-school artisan. His motto really seems to be: "I gilded the lily".
That's a lot of grey hair ; )
You are so right Bill. Maybe you share my hope that Jay allows Jim and the other build team to drive this car they put heart, talent, and soul into. Jay’s rather legendary ego always plants his fanny in the driver’s seat. We can be pretty certain the builders would much prefer taking their wives or girlfriends for a picnic in the mountains in these masterpieces they devote considerable blocks of their lives to than simply see their names on a faux garage poster. Sure it’s Jay’s money, and he clearly regards these journeymen as hourly employees, but episodes where the builders enjoy some segment of the road test would both honor their commitment to excellence, it would moreover provide a richer, more detailed commentary on their completed machine. That’s my take anyway.
My favorite episodes are the ones about Jay's cars that feature his crew as guests. Always the best.
Still one of my favorites, he really did build the perfect Elan.
i know it's kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good website to watch new tv shows online?
@Emmitt Jesse Meh try flixportal. You can find it through google =) -kingston
@Kingston Douglas thanks, I signed up and it seems to work :) Appreciate it!
@Emmitt Jesse Happy to help :)
That Jim guy has a dream job...
Jim Clark has been dead since the late sixty's.
I would wash the cars at Jays garage to maybe sneak a couple out now and then!!!
@@MegaF1guy Jim Hall, the guy in the video.
This car is the perfect example of why Jay is so awesome; he understands, appreciates & respects all the different car design/engineering philosophies be it American, European, Japanese or etc. He’s not like the stereotypical American car guy who given the same opportunity would probably take a small lightweight car like this drop a Chrysler V10 from a Viper in it and say, "There’s no replacement for displacement!"
and your comment is the biggest displacement I see all the time. Torque does not speak, it just works. I do not like the Elan and suicidal screaming.. but hey. Preservation has a value to be education. Meanwhile ten geared awd, 3000 pounds and 1781cc boxers with just one barrel can stomp that elan into hell.
***** nice trolling :)
cybertree I believe this is what you were going for: "I think deep down you’re just threatened that a "Stereotypical American" engineered the fastest vehicle on the planet" If you’re going to talk about engineering you might want learn how to engineer a sentence.
cybertree American "sports" cars, have NOT "THAT FEELING", period!!!
+cybertree - So you use the case of the Hennesey Venom - a Lotus Exige withe a different heart-beat?
Caterham wasn't copying the Super Seven. At the time they were a Lotus dealer and when Lotus stopped production of the Seven in 1973 Caterham bought the tools and the production rights from Lotus. So the Caterham Seven can be called the genuine successor for the Lotus Seven.
I was going to say something about that too - first time I heard JL something factually incorrect.
Exactly. It's All Good in the Hood there.
When Caterham started building Lotus 7 cars, they built Series 4 cars, continuiing with Lotus tooling etc. Then they decided to make an updated Series 3 instead. You might be interested to know that around 100 Lotus 7 cars were made in New Zealand, under licence from Lotus. They were made by Steel Brothers in Christchurch New Zealand, all Series 4 with Lotus twin cam engines. When the Lotus twink went out of production, they made a prototype with a Lotus 912 engine, but the car didn't go into production. I once met Graham Nairn of Caterham Cars, and told him about the Steel Brothers cars - he was polite but simply refused to believe me... The Caterham and Steel Brothers cars are all genuine 'continuation' cars.
@@psk1w1 I am lucky enough to have owned both a Series 2 Lotus 7 (but totally rebuilt and upgraded to Series 3 spec'), plus a Series 4, which in mine, had the Ford 1600GT engine. Both great cars, which obviously now I wish I'd kept.
@@grahamw56 would they be worth more now?
If I saw this car on the road I would've guessed that it was made in the 90's or early 2000's. A timeless design and a terrific restoration made it perfect 👍.
I know your grandkids might be the ones reading this 🙂 but take a look at the Fiat Barchetta, it is from that time and genuinely pretty, interesting details and quite rare.
That is gorgeous...and nothing short of British Racing Green will do it justice. Most impressive.
Jim Hall is an excellent man. Just a walking encyclopedia. I have so much respect for men like him. If I only had the money....
+MuhLogan I'd hate to work for Jay, tho. As much as I like this series. When they said this car was Jim's dream...why didn't Jay just give it to him?!?!
+Stev Rex Hmmm. I'm not really into "redistribution of wealth", but I do believe in generosity...especially when it would NOT affect my lifestyle in the least bit.
If hurling insults on the internet is your perogative. you truly need some serious psychological help.
Edslittleworld Seriously? This was Jay's dream. He was the one who envisioned the car, and then set the wheels in motion to build it. Why the hell would he put up all that money and time just to give it away when it was finished??
+Stev Rex ^^^ WTF is wrong with this dude?
I'm 28, and Lotus Cars and Jim Clark have always been huge main parts in my life. I owned a Twin-Cam Europa for a bit, and visited Jim Clark's home town in Duns, Scotland. I even met Clive Chapman at Hethel. It means so much to see Jay Leno get into Lotus in such a big way, and truly appreciate the cars, the mindset an the lifestyle of a Lotuseer. I'll always be a huge Jay Leno fan, and an even bigger fan of this channel. Thanks Jay.
respect to jay leno for funding this project.I like that he loves small nimble four cylinder British cars as well as big American V8s
It brought tears to my eyes when you pulled the hood, that's the most beautiful engine compartment I've ever seen...
I love the mechanical sounds, straight cut gears, Ducati-like clutch, all good.
I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Jim, and the team that built that car and saw it at its 1/2 way build. Its so nice to see the glow on Jims face as Jay is driving it going through the gears. The satisfaction of building your own car and being able to drive it, show it and enjoy it is such a great feeling. Way to go Jim. Two thumbs up.
This Lotus is a masterpiece. It's a real treat to see Jim and Jay collaborate on building a SUPER Elan. I wish I had the skills to restore a car like that!
And the cash ;-)
I don't think this was a restore, they had a new body never built.
@@earlyculyer4103 They started with a complete '66 Elan. He says so at 2:00.
@@ctpctp Then why were no holes cut in the body for pedals, brake lines and wiring at 10:18?
Hello to et all. This is undoubtedly the nicest restoration I've had the enjoyment of watching from front to finish. To Jim Hall; You sir have he greatest job in the world, and this piece of kinetic art is priceless. It is museum quality, and should be shown at Pebble Beach. You are a true artist in the truest sense of the word. Great job to all involved, and to you Jay; TY for building this piece of automotive history, and having the class to share your good fortune with the rest of us. TY for sharing!
Agreed!
Very well said!
Couldn't have said it any better myself. This video is just mesmerizing.
1300lbs, 220hp race-style engine, and a sequential 6-speed... I bet you that car gives you a bigger smile than most of the 500hp+ cars he has sitting in that garage. ..and that sound! ~ ~c===8
220bhp 2 litre 8 valve twin cam on carbs is pretty good. I dont think this is totally race engine and wouldnt go much higher anyway if it was. unless it went forced induction.
cableaddict well I guess it's quite powerful, if you think about it 220 horse mated to a car that only weighs 670 kilos, adds up to about 380 brake horsepower per ton which is pretty good even by today's standards!
i think most people would back off the throttle before they used the full potential of 380hp per ton. Any higher hp would not be tractable by such a lightweight car without wings. Even if it did, the cornering g forces would be unsustainable to the average driver.
2011metalmaniac yep, I agree. Good call.
2011metalmaniac And I'm thinking GM TDI might not be to tall .More power
I bet this thing is excellent on track. Forget a GTR or anything like that; this is what you want to fling around a road course.
A GTR is a complete car. This Lotus is nothing more than a chassis, body and engine for double the money.
"make each part perform at least two functions, then add lightness" Colin Chapman
I would die to see this thing on a track, the Elan's insane cornering and the added power it always lacked on the straights, just makes this car insane and I reckon it would do very well on a track day. The elan is my dream car anyway, but the upgrades you have done just makes it that much better. It's a shame you didn't keep the flip up headlights though😂
Jay's coolest car yet. Sounds amazing.
Would you please do some small feature videos on your team? I think we'd all like to see their story in a brief format. How did they get into what they do, how did you come to meet and work with them? I know some of them have vintage race cars/bikes- can we hear a bit more on that?
Eric DeJesus i
I could listen to that all day!
What a Master Craftsman !!! Old school Jim well done.
nice work Jim ! you should be very proud.
Some people just have no idea how long the hardcore fans of Jay Leno's Garage have been waiting for this video. No idea.
I've been waiting on it since he did the review of the blue Elan and this one was sitting next to it. He mentioned back then how they'd do all sorts of crazy stuff to it. I was thinking back then they'd do the engine and maybe lighten it, but adding that sequential box was a stroke of genius. That gear whine.. Someone was saying in the comments that it's bad you can't skip gears, but I can't think of a reason why you'd ever want to.
vtr0104 It really was a wild ride and a crazy long wait. I remember watching the first vid of the restoration blog. After about 6 updates I thought it'd never end. Seeing it finished almost brings a tear to the eye. Jim did such an amazing job and kudos xInfinity to Jay for letting him do something special not just for the car but for the history.
ampark09 DITTO !! LOVE IT !!!
Auto construction as meditation...Jim Hall is the Zen master...beautiful....
Jim is truly, an artisan.
What a wonderful noise that motor makes when Jay drops the hammer....awesome, just awesome....
I love how THOROUGHLY WELL DONE this vehicle is, it reminds me of my first vehicle and how I wanted everything to be bulletproof beyond need (ironically it was a 96 Ford Bronco lol), all the extra chassi welds, the *safety wiring*, the smaller weight saving modern parts...just beautiful. I bet this car will never need maintanence again other than fluids!
a true british sports car, tribute to jim clark. I like jay leno because he appreciates the history and heritage of every car he has and puts on you tube for us to watch.
Jim Hall is an amazing modest man.
This car is what UK commentators mean when they talk about a ' sports car '. It's got everything you need, and nothing that you don't.
Truly one word comes to mind: *"PROPER"*.
Yep, simple and light :-)
It really does sound incredible.
That engine noise gives me goosebumps.
It sounds amazing.
Jim is an amazing craftsman, happy you two crossed paths in life. Love to see an episode about your main guys pasts, and how they came to work for you.
That car is very nice, Job well done. That is the ultimate Lotus Elan for sure.
I live in LA. And I see Jay driving these cars occasionally. He always looks exactly the same. No hat. No sunglasses. Same shirt. Different cars.
Vintage automotive perfection. I'm 65 and I lusted after a car like this in my youth but it didn't really exist at the time. My buddies were into muscle but I wanted a driver. All I could afford was a Cosworth twin cam Vega that I improved with a nice engine rebuild. I want your Lotus!
Really been waiting to see how this one turned out. What an amazing car...well done!
Such a pleasure to follow a master fabricator / enthusiast like Mr Jim!
ART,combined with FUNCTION! GRAND.
Gorgeous Lotus!! and Mrs.Peel a tribute to you! RIP!
awesome...that sound is mesmerizing
Loving the paint!
Wow, I could listen to that all day!
One of my favorites of Jay Leno I’ve watched this video like 5 times. Jim Hall is quite the designer/engineer/builder! You can tell he has such a passion for his job too. Lotus is one of my favorite brands. I love the Elise. Simple, lightweight, easy to work on and not crazy expensive. So much fun to drive and work on
Sounds fantastic
very nice car, great work, great details, great sound, great style, great design, great performance, just amaing car.
Lotus Elan....and Diana Rigg. Memories.
Jim is a true MASTER ARTIST!
Again, Thanks Jay for taking such good care of all the mechanical wonders. We appreciate your commitment.
I literally had 1350 in my head. I'm serious... what an amazing piece!
I had 1200 lbs , off by 150
Craig Maggio me too
I had 615 kilos and it's 612.5.
Kudos on a great reconstruction and a great show. Elan was the most tasteful Lotus ever.
This Elan sounds absolutely fucking epic! By far one of my favorite videos by Jay and as always I love his channel.
Seeing this in person it was absolutely bad ass. Love the concept and direction of it. Brilliant!
Most people if not otherwise informed will look at this car and think "Oh, look, Jay has the car in that poster."
Owning this Lotus would be the realization of a lifelong dream, and to Jay it’s just one of a myriad of fabulous driving machines he is the present curator of. Must be tough, having that decision as to which one will I drive today. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!
This car haunts me. I saw this when it came out in 2014 and have watched it many times since. It's probably my favorite car Jay owns.
NEW WEIGHT MEASUREMENT. THE JAY LENO "My car weights 3 Jay Lenos."
brin3535 You're a fucking idiot then.
This thread, for the win.
Ohh as if no one has made a spelling mistake before. Im glad that you have solved all the worlds problems now you can get down to stopping the horror of minor grammar mistakes.
brin3535 *is quite vast. Also *They don't even sound the same.
If you're going to complain about other people's grammar, at least get it right yourself.
That may be the best sounding 4 banger I've ever heard.
Maybe, next to the Lotus Super 7 in the opening sequence of The Prisoner. Rapture.
Have to agree with that. Can't see the point in a radio.
Mr Leno and Mr Hall are so wonderful, jeepers creepers love Jay Jim and the whole staff kudos
Of all the many cars I've seen on this show, this is the one I'd pick. Great job.
Wow, this thing looks like a blast to drive! I really can appreciate all the intense amount of workmanship, time and quality that went into creating this masterpiece. Absolutely wonderful. A sound is amazing and the 1358 pounds curb weight is ridiculous, the six speed sequential gearbox is awesome (I love manuals), no abs, traction control, electronic stability management, etc. which makes driving more direct, just lovely. I wish I had a car like this! Thank you for showing the entire process, very interesting how all those details together, and go all those part to fit, incorporating features from that era of racing. Professor Hall does very nice work! Jay Leno, you have very good taste my friend!
Also add: no heater...no AC...no airbags...no spare...no radio...no top, etc. Are you sure you'd want it for the same price as a two new Porsche Boxster S's? I would, but I also collect cars.
Jay must have an employed staff just to renew the vehicles registration. A great video overall.
This Rebuild is Pure Excellence... Great Job..
With all the heart and soul that Jim Hall put into the car, I was hoping that Jay would give it to him when it was done. I hope Jim at least gets to drive it once in a while.
Great build Jim Hall !!! Thanks Jay !!!
Now for a canyon carving video (hint, hint)... :>)) Tom - Vista, CA
I bought a 1966 Lotus Elan S2 in 1972 and loved it. I had to sell it in 1973 to go into the Pease Corps. A very sad day.
I think this is by far my favorite car that Jay has done . It is a labor of love by Jim and others. Well done. I could listen to that car run all day.
I've been waiting forever to see this car! Absolute perfection!!! Great job!
I've been waiting a long time for this episode. Beautifully done!
A real exercise in master craftsmanship. WOW!!!!! What a machine. Dream car material.
might be the best sounding 4 cylinder engine I've ever heard. jeez does it sound good. very musical.
Beautiful car, genius builder and grateful, appreciative owner. I’m a fan of the whole deal. Another favorite car of the collection.
finally ive been waiting for this one
The PERFECT sports car! An absolute dream build Lotus, the Quaife sequential box is a stroke of genius! My envy is impossible to contain!
To this day this is still one of my absolute favourite car videos. What a MACHINE!
I gotta agree with Jay on the thought that the mechanical things are much more satisfying than the electronic stuff..I would much rather drive a period hot rod than a hot hatch
I so agree with him and you. Mechanical over electronic or even electro-mechanical. I prefer my hydraulic or no assist steering to all this crap electric or electric "assisted" steering they're putting into "performance cars." Same with those stupid flappy paddle gearboxes. All you need for fast shifting times is a proper sequential manual like this one with a REAL clutch pedal. Wish someone would mass produce THIS racing technology.
Amen brother...I do appreciate the gadget guys builds too, but for me it's manual steering, manual brakes, carburated, 4 speed.. I guess I like the KISS cars..The feel of the combination I suggested set up right is sooooo awesome..
It is rather difficult to get a sense of achievement and functional beauty from making lines of code and binary pulses of electrons racing along a wire or a circuit board. The satisfaction to guys of our generation is one of imagining a physical medium, like air squeezing and swirling through a manifold, mixing with fuel and detonating in a perfectly formed chamber. Little things that fit together and go snick, snick like the proverbial rifle bolt stir the loins of those that live more through the touch of their fingers than through pure theory.
Oh how I envy you for waxing such automobile poetry lol. Your comment is one of THE best comments on KZhead and you definitely are a purist petrolhead. Hats off, sir.
trefod Very nice description sir..Your literary use of the language would suggest you are an author of some sort..If not may i suggest a change in career..Just superb..I agree wholeheartedly with 647killas' statement..Bravo..
I JUST WISH THEY WOULD MAKE SEQUENTIAL MANUAL TRANNY'S LIKE THIS A MASS PRODUCT INSTEAD OF THOSE STUPID FLAPPY PADDLES (phew). No seriously Jay that is one heck of a build. I would love to own such a work of art, precision, and perfection. My hats off to Mr. Jim Hall for his effort and attention to detail. People like Him and Jay inspire me to stay a true petrolhead. Many thumbs up guys !!
Customers would love it until the repair bills him it them
I'm watching this in Hangzhou, China and as it played a guy with a piped cafe racer was going back and forth out front running it through the gears. It sounded like he was racing the Lotus. The relationship people have with cars is something of a universal language. It lags or leads with the time and place but always exists at some level. Thanks for helping to express this in the videos Jay. It is more than it seems.
A true masterpiece. I would absolutely LIVE in that car if it were mine.
Jay Leno What an amazing build! It sounds AMAZINGLY GLORIOUS!
That sounds amazing. You two look almost as good as Emma Peel did in her Lotus Elan back in the 60s Avengers series. Okay, not really. That racing stripe just seems to glow.
It sounds so cool with the highway sound barriers, it is very loud which is awesome
man that grand prix car next to the élan is awesome. the classic gp cars from the mid 20's till around the mid 70's were just so cool.
Much more than anything soulless and German, I'm a big fan of what British motoring is doing for the world right now from production stuff to racing where they build and design essentially every F1 car but man do I miss the old Lotus days! This was the original British sports car and its so sad to see the company so financially throttled today, there heritage is right up there with the big boys but have been resigned to selling the same cars since 1996, testament to how well engineered the elise and exige is but sad nonetheless:( Such respect for Jay for doing projects like this and keeping cars and companies like this on the roads when everyone and there dog is part of the vulgar BMW-AUDI fraternity
Always wanted one of those! Looks fantastic! I was wondering why the driver door looks to be flexing so much on the highway. I could understand it doing it some but that is really a lot!
Jay & Jim, INCREDIBLE vehicle. Out done your selves, even against your usual qualities. WOW.
The car was about knee high to Jay and Jim. I can only imagine how fast it must feel being so low to the ground. Amazing looking car. Stealthy and sultry at the same time. Sheer class.
Beautiful, light, naturally aspirated, droooool.......
I believe that's the best sounding car Jay has ever featured in his series. Beautiful. And beautiful looking, too. Though...go to 20:13 and look at the serious door gap on the lower driver's side door. I'm guessing that's just caused by the fiberglass contour, which you can only do so much about. Still, just a wonderful machine. Great job!
Agreed, would love to know the 0-60mph time...
+Kaye NineTwo - you'd be amazed at how many Elans of this age have that same issue.
What a pure indulgence!
Old design with modern technology is just awesome. Jim's done an epic job here !
If I could pick one car out of his entire collection this might be it (yeah, I know about the Miura, maybe the miura)
I would 100% pick this car too, it would be so much fun to do vintage series racing with.
+Fr. Duffy Fighting 69th Do they have a modified/unlimited class for vintage racing? I'm sure they do.
Lovely Car guys. Just a note to say Caterham was a Lotus agent till Mr. Graham Nearn bought the rights to build the Super 7 from Mr. Colin Chapmen around 1975. That means they are licensed and not copying the Super 7. Everyone else copied.
Wow.. I've be revisiting/rereading a lot of Peter Egan material.. and sort of [just recently] "became aware" of the magic of the Lotus Elan.. then to see (revisit) this - well, it's just a sort of gloriousness and passion that's hard to describe with human language.. So good. So magical.. Thank you for sharing this.. Cheers from Wisconsin..
Jim's an artist. An episode dedicated to him and his history would be swell. :)