A bit of history

[Benmac]

Dunno if anyone's interested but my car is three reg numbers older than the red car that was used as the main press car. Interestingly there is a silver car in the Top Gear review but you don't see the reg number.

Thinking it may be mine I got in touch with Lotus as it was a case of 'you never know' with regard to their records.

Anyway, a very helpful chap there who looks after the archive dug out my cars build book and found this lot out about it....

"I have finally had chance to have a good look through the build book for
your Elan with chassis number SCC100ZT1LHD16104 and it looks like your car was an engineering car. It seems as if there were a number of cars which were taken from the production line which were general prototype cars, these were being built on line and testing various fit and function processesalong the way. Some items may have been fitted for testing purposes but before the car was sold would have been converted back to standard and agreed specification.

There were many M100's being used for durability testing, your Elan was only used for a 5.000 test where as car 6105 had six trips to Rome on consecutive weekends as well as further durability testing. I feel that as your car was basically an engineering car it would not have been used for any press use, as it would have been unlikely that all the correct and signed off components would have been fitted at this stage, although I am not able to totally confirm either way.

As you mentioned your car was first registered on 4th December 1989 and
looks to have been built around 9th November 1989, it was then sold without warranty and put back to standard before being sold to a A.Beeson of Norwich."

So there you go, probably not the car in the Top Gear vid but its still had an interesting life. I suppose harbingers of doom would say its bound to be trouble having been a very early car but after 105k miles and just about 17 years I'm sure any such issues will have been ironed out!

[Steve_P]

Very interesting as this car features in the Mark Hughes Lotus Elan book and is pictured as G389 JEX on page 124 in Rome!

The book lists 6105 as being used for "Road Durability, including six weekend runs to Rome. Retained for continuing durability in general use."

So I think it has got to be worth premium money to a Lotus enthusiast with this sort of history

I just wonder if anyone is driving 462,464-466???




Listed as USA CRASH cars!

[Specky]

Just found this....

So your car is I.B.5.

I have one or maybe both of your doors...

viewtopic.php?f=79&t=11475&start=120#p195005

viewtopic.php?f=79&t=11475&start=140#p195109

So how's this

Earls court show car still about
I.B.3. still about (My N/A)
I.B.4. still about (Andy)
I.B.5. still about (Yours)

Amazing to think these cars are still about

TTFN

[Benmac]

Wow, all very interesting.

Well, I'm just now wondering whether I'm going to be the first to hit 20 years? On 12th December mine wll be exactly 20 years old.