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We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 7:35 am
by john.p.clegg
Dear All
This surfaced again...

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2 ... lotus+elan

John :wink:

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 8:25 am
by JJDraper
Is it coincidental that the DHC Sprints have increased by almost the same number as the FHC Sprints have decreased?

Jeremy

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 9:00 am
by rgh0
Does the decrease in S2's match the increase in 26R's ?

cheers
Rohan

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 12:43 pm
by gherlt
I do not like the presentation because it misleads, at least for classic cars.
The decrese in S2 is only for licensed cars, the SORN are increasing ...

2008 Q3: 352+49 = 401
2016 Q4: 238+170 = 408

Same applies to other models
I was astonished to see only 3 S1 (Dave has all of them :wink: ? )
Then there are 10 cars SORN ...
Not many either, but at least some more ....

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 1:47 pm
by billwill
It doesn't look right, it shows only 20 S3s last year.

I think we have more than that on this forum alone,

Also I don't think my V5 specifically says S3 on it anywhere so many of the classifications may be wrong.

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 3:02 pm
by alan.barker
JJDraper wrote:Is it coincidental that the DHC Sprints have increased by almost the same number as the FHC Sprints have decreased?

Jeremy

Does that mean fhc sprints will increase in value 8)
Alan

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 3:21 pm
by JJDraper
Just had a look at my registration documents - my +2 is down as an Elan... no mention of the +2. The car is and always has been a +2, but perhaps I can now lose the back seats and a bit of extra weight and sell it for a shed load more!

I guess this means that my car is in the miscellaneous 'Elan' category.

Jeremy

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 3:39 pm
by Fred Talmadge
As time goes by cars are removed from the road and get "lost" or worse get destroyed and parted out. I'd expect this is normal except for cars with extreme values like 356 or many F cars that are financially able to be restored. Then you have cars that have probably increased in number, as the fore mentioned 26R.

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 9:53 pm
by NickD
The "Years" data needs to be reviewed along with the Tax/SORN figures to make any sense of this data.
As an example, 371 of the 401 S2 Elans shown for Q4 2016 were first registered in the 1990s and so are for the fwd Elan.
Many of the other models show quite a good match to the correct years of manufacture, although the general "Elan" category is like the S2, with a mix of old & new models.

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sat May 20, 2017 10:43 pm
by MarkDa
The numbers are only a snapshot of what cars there are and are subject to the vagaries of the DVLA reporting system
There are still some cars appearing out of 'nowhere'!
For example I'm about to tax a Sprint DHC that was last taxed before SORN was dreamt up.
I don't think this is that uncommon judging by a lot of the posts on the forum.
Anyway I've been making good use of my retirement and am looking forward to driving again my dream car after years of not having time to complete the repairs and restoration.
Really close now - can barely contain my excitement!
I certainly intend to finally make the most of it before I personally become part of the dying breed!

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2017 3:57 am
by AHM
Most of the registration records for our cars were created by a person with a pen and a piece of card... Which doesn't fit with today's exact computer mentality. It is likely that the average person at the DVLA has no interest in cars and there is no value in correcting the record.

Mark assuming you have a V5; when you get the follow-up letter think hard about how you respond. You can cause yourself problems if you are too honest.

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2017 7:14 am
by MarkDa
This is a little cryptic - are we talking about the 'old car' from a pile of new bits syndrome created by Bugatti Owners Club?
I do have the V5 and the car is on DVLA system when I enter reg no.
So I won't be registering merely taxing for the first time in a long while.
The point I was making is that my car is not taxed or sorned so probably is not being reported.
I wa probably being a bit dramatic with 'out of nowhere' - sorry.

Whilst I may have replaced a subframe I do know where the car vin numbers are so won't be saying very much about just what I've done in terms of restoration.

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2017 7:59 am
by Concrete-crusher
Interesting point about the low numbers of S3 elan.

Mine is a S3, if you look at the body , the dashboard or the wiring. But the Registration doc. Says S4 so could I get the registration changed and increase my value ?

Always hopeful

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2017 9:41 am
by Maulden7
The only way to produce an accurate result regarding survivors in the UK is via a manual check through the HPI database. However, there are significant costs related to this (the database access has been franchised to HPI by DVLA) & it is also very time consuming.

I am a committee member of the Sunbeam Lotus OC & we are currently going through this process to accurately establish how many Lotus Sunbeams still exist in the UK (not very many!!) This from a production run of around 1200 & is only possible if you have the accurate factory production records to work from (showing the VIN - this is the search detail)

The "how many left" figures are pretty much meaningless for the reasons already mentioned above if overall survival rates are being investigated.

Dave M.

Re: We're a dying breed ( or are we?)

PostPosted: Mon May 29, 2017 3:02 pm
by HAIRY
There are also cars that have been reimported. I for one have a USA Elan S4 that has been reimported to the UK and is being rebuilt prior to registration with the DVLA in 2018.