I remember a while back SCW had a link with details on a lot of the early cars with build date, colour, buyer etc etc. Looks like this has disappeared, does anyone have page 4 or 5? Looking for the history of mine and thought would be good to print it out IF I can find it.
these were the links:-
sportscarworld.com/Chassiselanlotus.jpg
sportscarworld.com/Chassiselanlotus1.jpg
sportscarworld.com/Chassiselanlotus2.jpg
sportscarworld.com/Chassiselanlotus3.jpg
don’t bother trying, these links are dead…
hoping someone may have printed inwhich case can they be scanned and posted?
Gordon
Against your car 26/5416 the info is that it had engine number LP5876 and was built or invoiced on 20th April 1966.
Tim
Tim
Would it be too much trouble to check out the info on 26/5614 for me, if it is listed?
Vernon
Hi Vernon
Interestingly, your car 26/5614 has no engine number listed, though it was built or invoiced on 15th June 1966.
The conspiracy theorists will give all sorts of reasons for the lack of engine number! It is probably something simple such as a clerical oversight. Or it could be that the factory gave your car a wizzo special development engine that does 150mph! Who knows?
Tim
Hi - if anyone has the original documents can these be scanned and posted online?
Yes, it would be helpful to know who has copies of the factory sales sheets. I know in the 1990s Mike Pomfret used to send out a photocopy of the relevant sales sheet to owners enquiring after the info on their particular car, which showed info for several cars on each sheet.
Having this information would be particularly helpful to me as I put together the data on all Elans, as they left the factory, to supplement what we already know.
For information, I have sales sheet info on the following cars, by unit number:
Old numbering system:
0039 to 3079
3080 to 3120
3203 to 3242
3284 to 3322
3366 to 3405
3489 to 3528
4882 to 4922
New numbering system:
70 0001 to 0013 Types A-K
70 0074 to 0077 Types A-K
71 0209 to 0212 Type E
71 0042 to 0044 Type F
71 0298 to 0307 Type G
71 0038 to 0040 Type H
71 0047 to 0049 Type J
71 0144 to 0152 Type K
72 0610 to 0613 Types E-K
72 0630 to 0637 Types E-K
In most cases this information includes unit number, engine number, date built or invoiced and to whom the car was first delivered. In addition, I have a great deal more information regarding Sprints, of course.
If you do have a copy of the sheet from the factory, please either scan a copy on here or send me a copy via PM, if you prefer.
By the way, if your car is on one of the sheets above and you would like to know what is recorded against your unit number, let me know and I will happily provide you with it.
Tim
I copied the files a couple years ago. Here they are. I’ll leave them up for a week or two:
Will Grainger
45/9693
Thanks Will / Tim, much appreciated
Tim
Very many thanks for checking the details on my car. No engine no! So the plot thickens. My V5 registration doc gives the engine number as LPJ792 which doesn’t look like a bona fide number, but the V5 also gives the chassis number as J614 and it is clearly 5614 on the vin plate. So I guess some civil servant with poor eyesight has been at work - or some lousy writing on the original registration docs.
The current engine number is not too clear either on the block or on the rear of the head although they do appear to match, but my best guess is LP12040BA. The block is an L with casting number is E6015T3. So I guess I have a later replacement engine. Anybody any idea how old the replacement might be?
Vernon
Vernon,
Absolutely no basis for this, but…
Is it possible the original engine expired under warranty and was replaced with a factory service engine?
Regards,
Dan Wise
Hi Dan
Thanks for the thought. Since my last post I’ve been through the listings Will kindly posted the links for. It seems my current engine is likely to have been built around 1968/9 if its number is LP12000 odd, which would be too late for a warranty replacement. I just can’t understand why the listings do not give my car an engine number at all. It seems to be the only one like that - at least I haven’t spotted another with a build/sale date and no engine no.
Vernon
Vernon
Rest assured, there are plenty of Elans on the full list that do not have engine numbers recorded. Over 150 by a quick count from 0001 through to 8000 alone, not including the 26Rs and development cars.
Please bear in mind that at the time there was no thought given to preserving records of cars for historical review or record. Lotus were notoriously bad at record keeping in the 1960s, for a variety of reasons; it started to improve in the 1970s - a bit.
So please don’t read too much into the lack of engine number against your car. Intriguing - yes; mystery - no; sinister - probably not; push the price up - definitely not!
Tim
Thanks Tim, I should have looked more closely at the list. I didn’t really think the lack of engine number was going to make my Elan special, I was just puzzled and would like to know as much about my car as I can. I have to say it amazes me that Lotus could fail to keep even basic records - how can you run a business like that. Still, I ran a business with good records and no sign of genius, whereas Chunky …
Vernon
I last found these docs a while ago when I searched via a web archive site that stores old web pages. Cant remmber which site but I am sure google knows
cheers
Rohan
Vernon,
One reason for the casual record keeping was to keep the tax man in a constant state of confusion and distress to minimize the tax bill! Graham Arnold mentioned that Lotus was one of the business the tax agents dreaded to visit…
Regards,
Dan Wise
I looked up my S1 Elan (366) and found it was originally purchased by the Dutchess Auto Co. Anyone have any history on that?
Many of the cars were sold as kit cars. The avoidance of purchase tax rules required that the engine had to be purchased from a different supplier than the rest of the car, so maybe Lotus were ‘legally’ unable to link the engine with the body.
Bob, (Zog), I’ve got a old invoice sheet from Lotus to Dutchess Auto Co. for chassis # 36/9170. Apparently it was Lotus East, as it is addressed to Mr. Stefan Williams, C/O Lotus East, Dutchess Auto Co, Millerton, NY, USA
Greg Z
Greg
What is the date on that invoice, please? We don’t have it in the records. Thanks
Tim