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Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 9:31 am
by motoring-man
Hi
my name is Paul Chadwick I have a memorabilia business after being a lifelong fan of cars and racing. I also do write a fair amount on the subject. I am a Lotus Fan but do not own one. I have often browsed your threads here and picked up lots of useful historical facts so I decided to join your forum because I have just picked up to two Lotus collections from former employees. I can share some of the pictures with you all and hopefully it will of course help me with identification and provenance. I am sure you will enjoy the photographs especially. They will all be for sale but I will not place links on the forum. If you are ever interested just give me an email :
[email protected]

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 2:53 pm
by tedtaylor
welcome, but please DO post pics here as tasty samplers.... :lol:

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 3:01 pm
by motoring-man
No problems, here is a nice start

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 3:35 pm
by SENC
Great picture!

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:18 am
by Elan45
These look to be S3 Elan drop head coupes, type 45, parked in the side lot at the Cheshunt works, so probably dated around 1966.

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 6:48 am
by Mazzini
Type 26's with 1600 badges, so S1's. LHD with 'Ship Dates' in the front screen.

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:46 am
by motoring-man
71.jpg and


Lotus components

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:47 am
by motoring-man
70.jpg and


Nice Elan picture.

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:58 am
by RonR
motoring-man wrote:Nice Elan picture.

Is that a chrome front bumper?

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 12:42 pm
by pharriso
Great pictures, keep them coming!

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 1:51 pm
by motoring-man
80.jpg and

Now this is really rare!
Could do with a bit more info before I sell this one if anyone can help?

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:24 pm
by Elan45
Yes, there was one set of chrome bumpers and only one. There was a Graham Arnold story about them and how they moved from press car to press car.

I have a Lotus flier w/ that Coupe photo or one very near to it and a list of specifications and also a matching S2 or S3 DHC flier with the swans on the canal and a list of specs. Both on plain paper (not glossy) and I believe stamped w/ Lotus East or Dutchess. I wrote to Lotus East in 1966 inquiring about availability of Elan in kit form. Their reply was a nice letter on letterhead stating the Elan was not available as a kit in the USA, but the Seven was in differing stages of tune and including a nice flier on the Seven.

I should have sold my TR3 and bought a Super Seven at that time, but I didn't. I still have the fliers in a file 900 miles away. Included in that file is the newspaper article on Jim Clark's death, which is how I learned of the loss.

Roger

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 6:36 pm
by archigator
Paul, I bought this very large (48"x64") vintage poster of "Mr. Monaco" from you at the Goodwood Revival in 2009, and you were kind enough to post it in a very long PVC tube to the US.

It was so large that I had to send away to a company in Hollywood, California that specialized in framing large movie posters to find a frame big enough... and then I had to locally source a very large sheet of plexiglass to protect it. (As I recall, you said that you had sold the only other one that you had to Clive Chapman in the previous week.) At any rate, I do cherish it, and it sits in a place of prominence in my son's room (although he is now 29, and has since left the nest.)

Gary
'71 Sprint FHC
Miami, Florida

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 7:26 pm
by trw99
From an article I wrote for Club Lotus News magazine last year on Elan fastbacks:

Fortunately much more is known about the next fastback, a styling exercise by Carrozzeria Pietro Frua, who had penned the Lancia Aprilia Cabriolet, O.S.C.A. 2000 S Spider, Fiat 600 Multipla and went on to design the Saab Sonnet IV, Fiat 127 Coupe, Maserati Kyalami Spider and others. The car, with Unit Number 3403, was invoiced by the factory in January 1964 to Holiday Cars Import, the Swiss importer for Lotus. The Carrozzeria worked hard and fast, in time to show the car at the opening of the Geneva motor show on 22nd March 1964. The body was fabricated in steel, with aluminium doors and bonnet, then painted a custom red. A stainless stiffening rod was secured between the two rear suspension turrets, intruding into the load space somewhat. The interior was fitted out in luxury ivory-coloured leather. The rear side windows could be hinged open, whilst the rear screen itself, made with a substantial yet slim-looking surround, opened up to give access to the rear load area. At the front a smaller than standard chromed bumper stood proud above twin radiator openings, with the headlights given Perspex coverings, reflective of the 26R and E Type Jaguar. Below the front Lotus badge was a chromed script ?Lotus Elan 1600 SS Coupe?. Rudge type wire-spoked wheels were fitted. The car was, intriguingly, fitted with an engine number indicative of the earliest 1500cc Twin Cam type. It did have to be replaced subsequently, once it had finished duty with Frua. Perhaps Lotus had the engine spare and thought that as a concept car, it would not be doing many road miles.

According to the first owner, Silvio Mosers, who bought the car from Frua in 1966, the styling exercise had been commissioned by Colin Chapman to test the possibility of mass producing a fastback Elan version. Indeed, in a press release the plan was announced to construct the Frua body and to then complete cars at three plants in England, Italy and Switzerland. As we know, this never came about. The car was exhibited at the Salon de l'Automobile in Paris in October 1964. The car remained in Switzerland, changing hands several times, until the 1980s. It then spent time in the UK and in Germany before finding its way to Japan, where it is currently in private ownership in Tokyo.

Tim

Re: Hi from Motoring-Man

PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:33 am
by rgh0
How much did a steel bodied Elan weigh ?

cheers
Rohan