Maybe this is one for Pete, but is this genuine?
cars.bonhams.com/auction/29331/ … lp6192lba/
I always thought they were KER-CHING prices
Thanks
Mark
A very pretty little thing whatever it is…
See: viewtopic.php?t=15126&start=105
viewtopic.php?t=12246
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=15126
et, etc
I did an internet search for: [Shapecraft site:lotuselan.net]
Well, from the auction description it does appear to be the genuine article.
It is not a Shapecraft I was aware of. I wrote an article for Club Lotus News on them, a few years back now, so I have updated it and attach it here.
Tim
2017 Apr Shapecraft Elan - Updated 2024 Feb.pdf (998 KB)
Horrible little thing. And estimated £35-45k? In that condition? Guffaw!
Sorry, off topic. But these optimistic prices boil my blood.
I have to disagree with you on this one Jon, as:
It’s rare and has provenance.
It’s complete on all the important bits.
It will certainly be interesting to see what it makes
Regards
Richard
A couple days ago I’ve sent a mail to Bonhams regarding year certification (esp. is it indeed a 1965 car or rather 1966…), awaiting for the reply…
As for the general condition from the photos, it does appear very used (and somewhat messed with), I’d be interested in finding out how 11 grands were spent a few years ago on it…
An auto of interest nonetheless.
Yes, agreed re “interesting to see”. But from the value perspective, it clearly needs a body off restoration and, as a modified (meaning by that, “unoriginal”) vehicle, can it really be worth more than a fully restored Sprint?
I think not, but that’s just opinion.
It depends what you call “the year”. The plate shows it was registered in 1966 but it was probably built in 1965.
My car was registered in January 1965 but the kit was shipped in August 1964 and built in December.
I find it curious that it uses a 1950s rear number plate lamp rather than the elegant dash lamp which was standard on all models. My own car has one too, fitted by Len Street during a repair following an accident to the right-rear body just before I bought it.
Yep, I am with Jonb on this - reminds me of a Mini Marcos. Ugly as, and cobbled together.
45k? It is completely tatty. As mmaduit eludes, hard to find where all that money was spent, if indeed it was spent.
One good thing about it though - it makes one appreciate the fine design of the +2 
I came across this one some while back; looks like it was sold to a trader who now has it in the auction.
Whilst it has been rather messed about with, presumably when it was just another old car, I couldn’t find anything to conflict with the story which came with it.
rather than what I call “the year” my worry is what the FIA would call the year in the event of seeking an HTP…
There is no mystery about the date, the VIN with the car indicates it was invoiced by the factory in Jun 1966. In fact it is one of the very last Series 2 Elans.
Tim
Engine number goes in the same direction iirc, it’s not only the “D” plate which is of concern…
It would not be the first time an auctioneer would take some liberty about the description… still awaiting for their reply (they claim to have a certificate from Andy, I have asked about that, too)
Would the Lotus archivist have any information on when the Shapecraft root was fitted? I wouldn’t have thought so.
FWIW the Oxfordshire registration number would have been issued May/June '66
I was interested in this thread about Shapecraft Elans, very educational - while I had previously heard of them, I knew little about them.
One thing I have noticed from looking at Tim’s Club Lotus article, together with pictures of other examples found on the internet, is there seem to be subtle differences in the roof shape between the first car converted in 63 and subsequent examples. In particular, the corner radiuses of the rear screen and boot apertures seem bigger on the later cars, and the fuel filler is slightly repositioned. This can be seen when comparing the photos of “39PG” (the 63 original) with that of “TDF1” (the S2).
The puzzling thing is that the one coming up for auction seems to be a closer match to the 63 original than any of the later cars, even though it is a 66 S2. I appreciate though that the addition of the vinyl roof etc does make proper comparison of its shape more difficult.
Ray.
I have discussed this car previously with a couple of Shapecraft experts / ex owners namely Malcolm Rickett’s and Don Hands. Both say it’s an after the event conversion nothing to do with Surbiton Motors or Shapecraft themselves.
That said, it’s an S2 Elan with a fast back coupe roof conversion advertised with a “come and buy me!” auction estimate, no racing provenance, no famous name connection, but hey what a nice looking old Lotus 
In older posts Chris Burton stated that the first Shapecraft Elan had the aluminium roof fabricated straight onto the car, presumably by Shapecraft and that Barry Wood got Shapecraft to finance and build a mould (buck) for later roofs. I thought that all subsequent Shapecraft roofs were made by Shapecraft using the buck. This results in a roof about 50-75 mm higher, providing greater headroom, and it is probably better aerodynamically. I believe that these later roofs were fitted to the body by Surbiton Motors which also carried out the trimming, glazing and painting.
Before I saw the car being auctioned, all of the other Shapecrafts that I have seen have the higher roof and were presumably all made using the newly created buck. This car has a roof profile much closer to the first Shapecraft than all the others, but the top of the rear window is higher than the first Shapecraft, providing a bit more headroom, albeit not as much as those made using the buck.
Surbiton Motors had ceased trading by the end of 1964 and did not produce any more Shapecrafts. Shapecraft owned the buck and could have made more roofs after 1964. If this one was made by them, they did not use the buck. However, the design is so similar to other Shapecrafts that I think that it is unlikely to have been made by anyone else; if it was, it is a very good copy.
I see that on the “cars for sale at Spyder” thread, someone has described the car as “a tatty, badly cobbled together S2”. Yes, the bodywork is a bit tatty, but the car is not cobbled together. I had a good look at the car in 2022 and it is clearly a car that was modified by its keen owner in the 1970s, with the vinyl roof possibly fitted to cover imperfections. It has had very little use since the 1980s, hence the need for the mechanical refurbishment that was carried out in 2017, although I am not sure what was done for the £11,000 cost.
It is a genuine Elan that been stored, largely unused for 40 years, which is a Shapecraft or a very good copy. The best guide for its value is the Shapecraft auctioned by Historics Auctions in 2013, which was in similar long-term ownership less than 10 miles from the Bonhams one. The Bonhams car is complete and can be driven, whereas the Historic car needed significant work before it could be used.
Ian
Is there a register of Shapecraft Elans?
In the mid/late 60’s one of my then friends bought a Shapecraft secondhand and after a few weeks had the interior re-trimmed at Harold Radfords. I went with him to collect and remember being shown an all green Lotus Cortina that they were working on for Stirling Moss.
I do recall the Shapecraft bit was aluminium, but I cannot remember the full registration number, although it did have four numerals followed by ‘DK’ (Registered in Rochdale)
Ian