I’m looking for the piece at both ends of the dash. It looks like when it was previously restored, this piece was not sourced nor replaced.
Thanks!
For me nothing is missing but the Trim along the top of the Dash has dropped down. Maybe you can warm it up gently with a Hot Air Gun and slowly push back to the original shape.
Alan
Ah, then I’ll just leave it be. Thanks!
There should be a filler piece attached to the A pillar trims:
Available from Paul Matty - https://paulmattysportscars.co.uk/product/elan-screen-pillar-trim-set/
Fantastic, thank you!
Google had failed me on this piece and was starting to wonder if my dash had been custom modified or something.
Maybe I’ll just put a glass eye in there.
Yes its better to keep an eye on it … 
But seriously your heater may have the outlets for the vents and if so you will have a draft blowing in all the time as it is closed off by the vent.
I thought all Coupes have vents there … your car is DHC or FHC ?
I thought the pre-air flow Coupe’s did not have the vents…could be wrong though.
Just checked my books and the S3 Coupe’s started at 36/4510 Sept 65.
The air vent fitted from #6600.
I made a mistake there should be the moulded part with the little vent. The vent is a bit of a gadjet that moves about between open and closed
Alan
FHC.
As with most things Lotus… 
I have seen airflow Coupes with numbers in the 6200 range.
My 67 S3 coupe originally had those air vents, but the first renovators in 1982 did not replace them after the re-covering of the soft bits.
Brian
Coupe no 36/4510 was I think was the Medici blue car that was the “prototype/development” car that has appeared at Donnington a few times. It was the car that has Mr Chapman standing next to it in the press photos & it also had the famous “chrome” bumpers & also white walled tyres (well they has a wide white stripe in them) IMMIC.
Not sure of the actual production start number but it was around five or six months later at around “36/4900” which was Sept/October '65.
That’s my understanding of it, hopefully someone knows more than I do & can put me straight!
All the best
Adam
Hi Adam,
Here is what info I have on the S3 Coupe production but whether it is correct I dont know, going by my books the time line is something like this:
S3 Coupe introduced at # 4510.
Air Flow roof grill introduced at # 5811.
Dashboard air vent introduced at # 6600
If this is correct it would mean Coupe’s between 5811 and 6600 would have the roof vent but not the dashboard air vent.
ps. did you ever have a chat with John W. with the S3 with red interior?
All interesting stuff, I notice in the illustration that the outlets on the heater box for these vents are shown on the back, toward the engine, it changed from the front position somewhere along the line.
Do not confuse Unit Nos and Production dates. In looking at the introduction of changes, it is better to look at when the car was invoiced (the only accurately recorded and extant date for most cars that we have).
This gives the lie, oft repeated, that ‘all cars after Unit No #### are fitted with such and such a widget’. Better to say that all cars invoiced after ##.##.## [date] are likely to have the widget.
One of the anorak-like tasks I am currently engaged with is producing an annual list of Elans by invoice date via the working week. This entails drawing up as accurate a list of all cars invoiced in a particular year, putting it into chronological order and then sub-dividing the list by working week.
I have so far done a handful of years for the Elan. I’ll have to do separate lists for the Plus 2 afterwards. One of the things I identified was several invoices dated on a Sunday, especially whilst Lotus were at Cheshunt. I asked Warren King if the firm ever had ‘working weekends’, something we had in the early 1970s when I was in the army, but apparently not. I can only assume that some invoices were thus dated on a Sunday either due to a clerical dating error, or for some long forgotten other administrative reason.
Tim
Thanks Brian, that’s all very interesting. I think although the Coupe was “introduced” at 36/4510, it wasn’t " productionised" until around 36/4900. As I’m sure you know, the first 100 or so Coupes had a few S2 parts in them that were not carried forward after that 100 or so cars. The Medici (prototype coupe) car also had chrome wheels & I think a black bumper infill strip rather than the normal chrome type. It also had a small “fold-down” opening in the back board so that Chapman could put his golf clubs in the boot (or so they say) as I think he ran it around when It was newly made & I think from memory, Graham Arnold drove it for a while after Colin got bored with it.
Later on in it’s life (36/4510) was painted black (I was told but have no idea if its true…you know how rumours/gossip can grow so bear with me on this one!) for Jim Clark’s funeral. I don’t believe it myself, probably more of an idea of Graham Arnold’s just to make it look different I would imagine. Then it was “discovered” 20+ years ago in a small private motor museum in the West Country somewhere…I came across it in a bodyshop in Biggin Hill many years ago and was told some of the above by the guy restoring it at the time. The rest is mostly common knowledge of it’s history…not sure who owns it now or where it is but I think it is probably still in the UK (it was in Japan for a few years - I think the very knowledgeable & well travelled Rob “Mazzini” saw/visited it there after it was exported there by it’s new owner who purchased it from Nutley Sportscars). It is a lovely car…I think the pre airflow Coupes are the prettiest of all Elans (IMHO).
If anyone can fill in the “gaps” or correct me then please feel very free to do so!
Now removing my “anorak” and having a lay down.
I never did talk with John W about red interiors…could I have his number again please by PM & I will call him pronto.
Thanks again
All the best
Adam