Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Can anyone help me with my question. Did lotus make any plus 2 dropheads? I have a Christopher Neil drop head myself and was recently at a show where someone insisted that lotus made 2 original plus 2 dropheads which were 1750s. Can anyone shed any light as I didn't think this was the case. Thank you Lotus experts.

You're quite right, the man was talking rubbish.

Lotus never made a drop head +2. Hexagon of Highgate did a couple of conversions. One of them was at Castle Combe this year.

Thought so. The chap was convinced he had one of the two a few years ago and paid top dollar....

No 1750's either!

IIRC, at least one of them was displayed at an auto show, which would give the casual observer the impression that Lotus made it. Now if I was buying the thing for "top dollar", I think I'd determine the actual provenance of the car, but alcohol can be involved in these things.

Though Lotus did not make either of these two cars [into dropheads], I suspect they both have strong value, to the extent they survive, in their uniqueness as first efforts. I doubt the specific manufacturer (Lotus vs. Hexagon) makes much of a difference unless it could be documented that "Peter Kirwan Taylor took a grinder to number xyza on the weekend of the 24th..." Later examples would not share this premium.

As evidence, the Shapecraft Elan shooting brakes. Anybody got one for sale?

Hi All,
Lotus didn't make DHC Plus 2s.
The differentiation between Hexagon conversation and later incarnations such as Christopher Neil is that Hexagon sold them from new in the early 1970s as DHC so they never had a "life" as a FHC.
I think 2 Hexagons still exist and both were at Castle Coombe.
Regards, Peter

TO be fair, it is quite common for 'factory' drop heads to be outsourced.

Jag XJS, IIRC the 1980s Camaro and some others that I cannot pull out of my head just now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Specialty_Cars

These guys it seems

I was very close to having my +2 converted by Chris Neil in he 80's, discussed it with the guys a coupe of times but sadly it was deemed the money would be best spent else where........

I've wanted one ever since..... in my opinion the Chris neil kit that keeps the rear seats is the best looking.

One other company was also doing convertibles during the 80s - Classic Transport Company of Cannock, Staffs run by one Guy Griffiths and team. I don't think that their production was as high as CN, but the product looked very similar.
Nick Baxter
Omaha, NE

HEXAGON has returned as a Lotus dealer.

https://hexagonclassics.com/