1971 +2S 130/4 for sale

[faceman]

Just stuck it in the For Sale forum if anyone is looking for a good everyday useable +2S.

[vernon.taylor]

Salut Steve

Nice car. Mine is almost a cousin to yours - a +2S 130/4 first registered in NI 07/04/1971 and VIN 7100000459L.

Some anorak questions and comments as we're less than 40 cars apart:

- I notice we both have the same dash - a +2S rather than a later +2S 130. A crossover difference, I imagine.
- same comment for the steering wheel
- strange place for the wing mirror
- what insert do you have on your gear knob ?
- does your rear seat fold down ?
- nice to have the original docs!

@+

Vernon

[faceman]

Wasn't aware there was a difference between the +2S and +2S 130 dashboard. I've seen a few 130's and they all had the same dash as mine I beleive. What is the difference? Having said that I beleive at some stage the dashboard may have been replaced which could explain if it is not original +2S 130 spec.

Until you said it it has never really struck me that the wing mirror is mounted in an odd place ! It is perfectly located for rear view when driving but as you say most seem to be mounted on the door itself.

Insert on the gear knob is standard Lotus emblem green with yellow background as attached pic.

Yes the rear seat squab folds down as per "S" spec.

It is amazing that not only the original handbook and service voucher book have survived with the car for over 40 years but the warranty certficate and letters between the original purchaser and Lotus as well.

[vernon.taylor]

Salut Steve

The latter +2S 130 dash has a fuse box/cover in the centre of the dash rather than an ashtray.

My dash has been replaced, too - but I imagine, like yours, we have the factory layout as it's unlikely any restorer would swap back with the difficulty of finding an ashtray and having to change wiring loom.

+2S 130s took over from the the +2S in 1971 and our +2S dashboards would be explained by Lotus using up leftover dashboards and wiring looms. Same goes for the fold-down seats that are not a usual feature of the +2S 130.

Perhaps this explains why our VIN numbers don't have the usual month and date codes - some kind of Lotus identification to say that our cars were a transition.

Who knows and who cares! Meaningless musings...

@+

Vernon

[Robbie693]

Both - The change in dash came with a complete revision of the electrical system from chassis 0732L onwards, apart from the dash layout, the under-bonnet relays and fuses were deleted/repositioned. The +2S style dash ran for the first year or so of the S/130 production.

Hope this helps

Robbie

[vernon.taylor]

Merci, Robbie. I'm a wiser owner

@+

Vernon