Euro bumber cover on US car

[ksgrimsr]

I have a US car and the front bumper protrudes in a way that gives the car's "face" the appearance of a fat lower lip. I think the original UK setup has cleaner lines and looks nicer.

Can the UK front bumper cover be made to fit a US car, or are the other panels also different in such a way that the UK bumper cover would not match up properly with the other panels?

Knut

[Specky]

I think the ultimate answer would be yes, but.......and it's a big BUT

You'll have to change/modify the crash structure,metal work and numerous other under lying things

It's a good project if you fancy it...

ttfn

[ksgrimsr]

... You'll have to change/modify the crash structure,metal work and numerous other under lying things

That sounds more involved than I was hoping (I was thinking it was just a matter of removing the front energy absorbers that are fitted to the US cars but are not present on the UK cars).

Thanks for the advice.

Knut

[TheBard]

Wouldn't just be the front bumper either, you'd also have the airbag gubbins to deal with, plus possible issues with the front wheel arch and panels immediately in front of the doors, since these are also subtly different.

The FED cars are a touch higher, a touch longer, but I think we're stuck with it that way.

Cheers,

Ian

[lotusgirlmarie]

The clamshell, front quarters, bumper reinforcement, radiator and mounts as well as the bumper itself. Basically the front of the car foreward of the windscreen would need to be changed over. The only body pieces the ROW cars and the FED cars have in common is the engine bonnet, doors, rocker pannels, toneau cover and soft top. Part of the reason the Elan was such an expensive car to produce.

[nitroman]

The clamshell, front quarters, bumper reinforcement, radiator and mounts as well as the bumper itself. Basically the front of the car foreward of the windscreen would need to be changed over. The only body pieces the ROW cars and the FED cars have in common is the engine bonnet, doors, rocker pannels, toneau cover and soft top. Part of the reason the Elan was such an expensive car to produce.

That just shows me Lotus was counting on MUCH higher production numbers, especially in the
USA. Even if their planned numbers materialized though, it is still a wonder they did not rationalize the car for all markets. Of course, if you've read the Mark Hughes book, they were under the all-powerful directive of "get it to market, period", and figure everything else out later.

I just finished reading the Triumph TR7/TR8 book, and the TR7 suffered greatly from this same push. Most all manufacturers have learned by now that the initial impression a car makes can ruin it forever, regardless of how great a product you may later turn out.

BTW I too like the Euro front, but in concert with the USA rear.

[lotusgirlmarie]

I must admitt I like the look and the length of the FED cars. Long and sleek.

[lotos]

I definitely prefer the spoiler / trunklid of the Fed cars, personally. I like the horizontal line better than the vertical one on the ROW.