Chop or not?

PostPost by: davidj » Sun Mar 03, 2019 9:37 pm

Evening,

I am now the proud owner of a pile of bits, which is allegedly is a s3 dhc. Serial number on the chassis plate and the log book is 45/6440. I assume the 45 signifies a dhc. However, the log book also says it is a coupe. Can someone please put my mine at rest and I have not brought a chopped hard top s3? There is not any sign of modifications so if it has been hacked, it has been well done. There is a loose hood tray behind the seats, and unusually, the chassis plate is a Cheshunt one.

Thanks in advance,

David
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PostPost by: TomR » Sun Mar 03, 2019 9:59 pm

A chopped coupe (like my S4SE) would have a 36/xxxx numberplate on the body. Unless someone swapped plates your in a dhc.

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PostPost by: Mazzini » Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:37 pm

DHC = Drop Head Coupe (type 45) or FHC = Fixed Head Coupe (type 36).

Back in the day local registration offices were sloppy.
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PostPost by: Elan45 » Mon Mar 04, 2019 3:15 am

And a type 36 is a FHC, or Fixed Head COUPE. And even my S3-Super Safety has a Cheshunt VIN plate. I suspect that some of the later S3 models which might have been assembled at Hethel, probably left the works with obsolete VIN tags.
'67 Elan S3 SS DHC
'67 Elan FHC pre-airflow
'67 Elan S3 SE upgrade to 26R by Original owner
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PostPost by: Concrete-crusher » Mon Mar 04, 2019 4:49 am

You have a similar chassis number to mine beginning 45 / 7###

Mine is also registered supersafety dhc according to lotus records but is a coupe according to dvla, and is a coupe in real life

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PostPost by: theelanman » Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:44 am

I thought the type 45 was the S4/Sprint....and was either FHC or DHC......

Lotus Type 26 drop head coupes (convertibles), marketed as the Elan 1500, Elan 1600, and Elan S2 (Series 2)
Lotus Type 36 fixed head (coup?s) and drop head coupes, marketed as the Elan S3
Lotus Type 45 fixed head and drop head coupes, initially marketed as the Elan S4 then, later, in a higher performance model, marketed as the Elan Sprint
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PostPost by: theelanman » Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:45 am

Lotus Archive will tell you....
Andy Graham......
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PostPost by: Mazzini » Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:52 am

theelanman wrote:I thought the type 45 was the S4/Sprint....and was either FHC or DHC......

Lotus Type 26 drop head coupes (convertibles), marketed as the Elan 1500, Elan 1600, and Elan S2 (Series 2)
Lotus Type 36 fixed head (coup?s) and drop head coupes, marketed as the Elan S3
Lotus Type 45 fixed head and drop head coupes, initially marketed as the Elan S4 then, later, in a higher performance model, marketed as the Elan Sprint


Type 26's are roadsters as the hood is fully detachable and goes in the boot.

S3 dhc's were also type 45's.
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PostPost by: rgh0 » Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:55 am

theelanman wrote:I thought the type 45 was the S4/Sprint....and was either FHC or DHC......

Lotus Type 26 drop head coupes (convertibles), marketed as the Elan 1500, Elan 1600, and Elan S2 (Series 2)
Lotus Type 36 fixed head (coup?s) and drop head coupes, marketed as the Elan S3
Lotus Type 45 fixed head and drop head coupes, initially marketed as the Elan S4 then, later, in a higher performance model, marketed as the Elan Sprint


Nope

36 was FHC and 45 was DHC when the 26 Convertible S2 was replaced with S3 and these numbers continued on for S4 and sprint

cheers
Rohan
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PostPost by: davidj » Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:20 am

Thanks for all your replies. :) In summary, as my S3 IS a type 45, it IS a dhc, despite the log book just stating "coupe". (I have no reason to think otherwise, other than "coupe" on the log book rather than "dhc".

Ta,

David
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PostPost by: theelanman » Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:29 am

rgh0 wrote:
theelanman wrote:I thought the type 45 was the S4/Sprint....and was either FHC or DHC......

Lotus Type 26 drop head coupes (convertibles), marketed as the Elan 1500, Elan 1600, and Elan S2 (Series 2)
Lotus Type 36 fixed head (coup?s) and drop head coupes, marketed as the Elan S3
Lotus Type 45 fixed head and drop head coupes, initially marketed as the Elan S4 then, later, in a higher performance model, marketed as the Elan Sprint


Nope

36 was FHC and 45 was DHC when the 26 Convertible S2 was replaced with S3 and these numbers continued on for S4 and sprint

cheers
Rohan


hey....every days a school day :mrgreen:
so you can get a type 36 in S3 S3ss S4 and Sprint......
like wise you can get a type 45 in S3 S3ss S4 and Sprint......

until they changed the numbering system............ :lol:

altho' I suppose that apart from the few S4's that were made into sprints then the sprint would have had the later numbering system.....not the 36 or 45 prefix......????
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PostPost by: trw99 » Mon Mar 04, 2019 10:01 am

David, your car was invoiced by Lotus in November 1966, a week before the move to Hethel, so it quite correctly wears the Cheshunt VIN plate.

Here's some homework for you on Elan VIN systems, an article I wrote for the Club Lotus News magazine last year.

Tim
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PostPost by: Mazzini » Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:00 pm

Thanks Tim, that's definitive, though I still stand by type 26's being roadsters and not convertibles. Convertibles have hoods that fold into the body, roadsters on the other hand had detachable hoods. I think Jaguar used that system on the XK's as well.
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PostPost by: RogerFrench » Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:45 pm

Mazzini wrote:Thanks Tim, that's definitive, though I still stand by type 26's being roadsters and not convertibles. Convertibles have hoods that fold into the body, roadsters on the other hand had detachable hoods. I think Jaguar used that system on the XK's as well.


I think it would be more correct to say that 26s are roadsters not drop-head coupes. Roadsters and DHCs are both convertible.
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PostPost by: Mazzini » Mon Mar 04, 2019 10:10 pm

Possibly...maybe...
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