Should I bid? (POINTED IN RIGHT DIRECTION)

[wingwalker]

There is a very ratty 1969 Lotus Elan listed on eBay, but the seller says he cannot find a VIN number on the car. I certainly don't want to begin a huge project on what could be a stolen vehicle. But perhaps he's not looking in the right places. Where should he look? I'd like to send him a query to see if he can find it.

By the way, this is beyond basket case. The engine is apart and parts are missing, and at least part of the head is broken. There is some rust on the chassis and the front windshield is cracked. The interior is trashed. I am certain this is just the tip of the iceberg.

My plan would be to turn it into a track car (that could be driven on the streets), using aluminum panels on the doors and so forth. I do have the skills for this (I recently did this for an Alfa Romeo Spider, and it is a wonderful car that now sports a hotter engine and it now weighs 350 pounds less than when it left the factory).

But I certainly don't want to further consider it, if I am buying into a legal mess.

Thanks for your help.

[theelanman]

wingwalker....
welcome.....I hope you enjoy the site and if you do buy your car, enjoy the project
however.....you may find www.lotuselan.net is where you may find more help...
cheers
G

[Fredjohn]

Hi wingwalker and welcome to this site. However as the elanman indicates, this site is for the "modern" Elan 1989 onwards.

The http://www.lotuselan.net site is for the 1960's Elans, incl the Plus 2 which is the model you are looking at. As it is on US ebay in Seattle, I assume you are US based.
These older cars are becoming rarer and are always well worth restoring, probably even this one. Parts for the old models are relatively easy to come across, but are expensive. At least most things can be found here in the UK, but not so sure about the US.

Good luck with your project: I personally would rather see it restored to its original specification than made into a hybrid track car, any modern tin box could be used to do this. These old specialist sports cars should be treasured and looked after, but then that's just my old nostalgic opinion!

[Megwenda]

THIS may help you find it, particularily the last link

Also, he may be looking for a 'modern' VIN, and not realise that it is really only a 4 digit body number, sometimes preceded by a 50 ...ie 50/xxxx

[wingwalker]

Thank you. I'll ask the seller to look for a four-digit body number. And thanks for the re-direct to the other, more appropriate site.

I've always wanted an older Lotus, so this my be my chance. And by the way, while restoring the car, I'll ensure any modifications are easily reversed in the event someone wants to carry on and take it to the full restoration.