V888 bargain

I have just received a hefty envelope, full of copies of documents relating to my +2 from the DVLA, all for a fiver. This has to be a bargain, as I had no idea of the car’s history, apart from a bit of oral tradition from the previous owner. I knew the Reg had changed a few times, and that there had been lots of owners. The info from DVLA is a goldmine, showing the history of the car back to their earliest records (1974).

So I can now reveal that the car has had 11 owners since 1974 and stayed within a 10-15 mile radius for most of its life - Dudley/Woolaston/Brierley Hill in the Midlands (UK). It spent a few years in Belper, Debyshire before going to Norwich then on to me… Also that its colour was originally Burnt Sand, then White, then Red/Gold. No trace of this paint history remained on the car. I also now know that it may have been originally registered as HCL 415F, becoming 503 EUK in 1982, and finally AMJ 247F in 1997.

If this rings any bells with previous owners or watchers, please let me know as I would love to know more about the car, especially its history between 1968 and 1974. DVLA history before 1974 is a blank because it relies on the original paper log book which was destroyed or lost at some point.

So if you want a bargain, download the V888 from the DVLA website, fill it in, send off your cheque and sit back.

Jeremy

sent my fiver off at the beginning of June and have heard nowt!
how long did they take to respond to your request ?

I got a letter back after two weeks apologising for the delay due to problems with their microfiche. A week later the documents arrived… If you haven’t got anything back yet, try ringing Vehicle Record Enquiries on 01792 782351 (UK). Your app could have got lost in the post… Documents came with a letter explaining the process and why they didn’t have any info prior to 1974.

Jeremy

Thanks for the tip, Jeremy.

I have absolutely no history for my car, so it should prove interesting.

Printed a form and will post it off in the morning.

Hi

Mine was about 3 weeks, what is funny is that I did it about a year ago as well as recently and got back different information. :smiley: The first time the paperwork said my car was first imported as a Audi Quattro.

I think the info before the 1980’s is a bit sketchy, still worth a fiver though.

Jason

Yes, agree with Jason. Information, personnel and documents are VERY often wrong where DVLA are concerned. One of my Elans shows one too many owners due to a mistake by Swansea. But they are so arrogant, in that they never admit that they make mistakes, they would not change the number even when it was proved incorrect.

On another occasion, having spoken to a certain department about receiving some info, they sent me out the wrong form to reply on.

Hopeless, hopeless, hopeless!

Leslie

I just got mine today, after about 6 weeks.

I now know it was originally yellow, then blue, before going to red with the PO’s “restoration”.

I hoped I’d find out more about the mileage, but none of that information is on there as far as I can see, which is a shame.

Paddy

I’d be interested to see what yellow your car was Paddy…I’ll bet it was a pale / primrose colour, carried over from the Elite. Get the sandpaper out tomorrow, eh?!

Mark

Mark,

I guess this is the “Ford Sunburst Yellow” as mentioned on the type26 register site. I’ve never seen any trace of it. I had seen photos of the blue from before the last respray but I knew it wasn’t one of the orignal colours so I’d assumed there had been something before that. If you’re volunteering to soda blast it when it’s up for it’s next respray then you’re on :slight_smile:

The history was a little unusual as well - the first owner had it for 20 years, then sold it to his next door neighbour (literally) who also kept it for 20 years. By this time it was a basket case, and bought in bits by the last owner who rebuilt it over the course of a few years.

Paddy

Yep, that’s the one…also called Conway Yellow on some Ford cars.

Looks superb on the Elite, and I think it suits the S1 just as well. I’ve only seen one Elan in this colour, and here it is. A Ken Myres restoration a couple of years ago…you’d think he’d have blacked-out the moulding under the sill.

I’m looking to get the soda blasting up and running this year, so you never know your luck.

Mark

Mark,

My old 65 S2 was that colour - and I hated it. Change it to Medichi Blue - and I loved it.

Today I quite like the yellow colour, particularly on a Sprint - something again to do with age I think.

Are the wheel arches supposed to be body coloured inside like on that picture?

Paddy

I must confess Brian that I hadn’t realised that the pale yellow had carried on to the S2 as well, but of course, I suppose you could get a car in any colour you wanted. Perhaps the first owner of your car was an ex-Elite / S1 Elan owner! It was also a very popular colour in the 60s, with Healeys, MGBs, E Types and TRs all having a Primrose option. Yellow is just about my favorite on most cars (especially Ferraris!) but having to choose between a yellow and medici would be difficult…

It seems that the cars were painted in the wheel arches as were the Elites, but most had a coat of (black) underseal sprayed under there to stop star cracks on the wings created by stones being thrown up. I would certainly paint the wheel arches in black and then a strip of underseal…seeing the arches in body colour just distracts from the body shape for me.

Mark

BTW wasn’t that yellow S1 on a stand at Donington a couple of years ago?

Paddy

You may be thinking of this one, which is something between Sunburst and Lotus Yellow…never did find out what colour it is.

Mark

Tis all in the Eye of the beholder I suppose.
I find it a bit “Girly”.
I walked away from an Elite for sale in Windsor back in the early 70’s which was that colour.
Maybe it had something to do with the asking price as well (1100 GBP)
Far too expensive :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Well it’s time for me to take cover again considering my earlier “Poser” remark. :blush:

Cheers
John