Have you Owned Red SE Reg H185HOD

[Mike Y]

I am trying to trace the the history of Red Elan SE reg number H185HOD

Does anyone know the car it has a LEC sticker on the windscreen and a MLOC sticker on the rear window?
I am trying to trace its service history and previous owners.

Cheers Mike

[Dave Eds]

No to all of that Mike. Hope that helps but guess it won't
much!

[lotusles]

I realise this is not technically a club with memberships etc, but does anybody keep a register of cars etc and were the factory records ever made available?

I also have a car that I don't know a great deal about.

Thanks
Les

[lotusflasherman]

I realise this is not technically a club with memberships etc, but does anybody keep a register of cars etc and were the factory records ever made available?

I also have a car that I don't know a great deal about.

Thanks
Les

Factory Records are available from Lotus, but it will cost you... This is the man:-
Andy Graham – Technical Publications and Archives
LOTUS AFTERSALES, Units 6 & 7 John Hyrne Way, Longwater Business Park, Costessey, Norwich, Norfolk NR5 0AF England.
T +44 (0)1603 732178 agraham@lotuscars.com http://www.lotuscars.com

[lotusles]

Brilliant news, thank you. Any idea of costs?

Has anybody ever thought of forming a club specifically for M100's and therefore having an official platform to take over databases and of course have owner/car detail history. The reason I ask is that I belong to another limited product club and we have original factory records, history of previous owners, and even the original bodyshell moulds, and club funds go towards remanufacture of obsolete parts. Its also amazing the extra information that comes by just having the odd couple of cars on a stand at cars shows.

Les

[Jamie N]

Yep I know this one Mikey, it was sold at Salvage Auction on the 3rd of November for around 2 grand IIRC. HTH.
Could potentionally make a nice car for someone with the appropriate skills, very nice seats were/are in it.

[lotusflasherman]

Brilliant news, thank you. Any idea of costs?

Has anybody ever thought of forming a club specifically for M100's and therefore having an official platform to take over databases and of course have owner/car detail history. The reason I ask is that I belong to another limited product club and we have original factory records, history of previous owners, and even the original bodyshell moulds, and club funds go towards remanufacture of obsolete parts. Its also amazing the extra information that comes by just having the odd couple of cars on a stand at cars shows.

Les

Think about £80 for research and info' printed on Lotus parchment but can't really remember. Thought it worthwhile for my L Reg SE that Hethel did the PDI on 7/12/93 and was registered with DVLA on 22/12/93 to Elf Oil Co as L1 ELF - bit of unusual history on that one as long after SE production had ceased.

As for 'club specifically for M100's' - think this is it. Lots of socialising and event attending goes on via LEC and you'll find a wealth of useful information can be obtained.
On your other points - Lotus don't give anything away, they sold the bodyshell moulds and rights to continue production to Kia ... but theirs has a different engine and it's not a Lotus!

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Most of the excess parts and molds came back from KIA and Lotus provided them to Miles at FGS in London who will make new parts but at a fairly steep price. FGS has an agreement to continue parts availability for most all Lotus models that are now out of production. They make the galvanized rear wishbones but the Lotus Dealer Price Book has thousands of descriptions for obsolete parts that say "RING FGS 01243554422". Most all of the suspension bushings are now labeled with this note but FGS will not sell the bushings separately. A fair number of Baby Elan parts that are now being offered come from FGS or contracts with them.

[lotusles]

Most of the excess parts and molds came back from KIA and Lotus provided them to Miles at FGS in London who will make new parts but at a fairly steep price. FGS has an agreement to continue parts availability for most all Lotus models that are now out of production. They make the galvanized rear wishbones but the Lotus Dealer Price Book has thousands of descriptions for obsolete parts that say "RING FGS 01243554422". Most all of the suspension bushings are now labeled with this note but FGS will not sell the bushings separately. A fair number of Baby Elan parts that are now being offered come from FGS or contracts with them.

That's a real shame that enthusiasts have to rely on an external company that needs to naturally make money, and perhaps if a club had been up and running things might have been different.
So for example could the suspension bushes be sourced elsewhere using patterns from a dismantled car?

[Brit-Car-Nut]

That's a real shame that enthusiasts have to rely on an external company that needs to naturally make money, and perhaps if a club had been up and running things might have been different.
So for example could the suspension bushes be sourced elsewhere using patterns from a dismantled car?

Patterns are not the problem. I have brand new samples. The bushes are a very old design and few companies make bushes like them now. The original manufacturer has been bought out twice since Lotus used them and now, Michelin owns the old company and isn't interested in small runs (less that 10,000 pieces) IF THEY CAN EVEN FIND THE TOOLING.

When LEC tried to reproduce the rear wishbones, pressure was brought against the company that made them and after the first run no more could be made. Without bushings, being available, they were supplied with urethane bushes which sort of work, but the geometry is not exactly the same while driving. Lotus was not thrilled when the wishbones were offered just as they are not happy with the suggestion that the brake pressure valves can be rebuilt. In one of my manuals I read a notice to dealers that the valves were NEVER to be rebuilt and they mentioned "a group's suggestion to the contrary" in the verbage.

A lot of parts manufacturers won't deal with enthusiast groups as liability is always a problem. When they make parts for a car manufacturer, the car manufacturer provides the overall liability insurance for fitability and performance. The parts manufacturer is only liable if they improperly make the part, not if the design is flawed. I tried to get the original supplier that made the fuel line from pump to filter to make more and they refused because I couldn't provide adequate insurance coverage.

Mike: I am sorry that this thread has gone off topic. If the Mods want to move these posts to a different thread, that is fine by me.

[lotusles]

Yes apologies for hi-jacking this thread

Do please start another if appropriate.

Les

[Mike Y]

No Problem.

Just another note about F G Services. Miles Wilkins has an agreement set in stone with the Colin Chapman back in the 70s where by any part Lotus make obsolete the rights of manufacture technical specs original supplier details etc pass over to Miles.

Various owners of Lotus over the years have tried to circumvent this and explored the legal situation but they cannot. Miles is a great guy and stated he will have any part re-manufactured that is obsolete if at all possible by the original manufacturer but he would need a guaranteed number of buyers for he part which would also be subject minimum production requirements of the manufacturer.So I am afraid we will never be able to re-manufacture parts from Lotus models with the original moulds tooling etc.

Cheers Mike

How do you know the reg of the car in the photo?

[lotusles]

Yep I know this one Mikey, it was sold at Salvage Auction on the 3rd of November for around 2 grand IIRC. HTH.

Picture of it at the salvage yard.


Could potentionally make a nice car for someone with the appropriate skills, very nice seats were/are in it.

[Jamie N]

Can I pre warn you that COPART strongly object to having images lifted from their site[/b][/quote]

They might object but its not against the law as far as I'm aware , I will remove it anyway its no big deal.

Mike.....

You just call the yard anytime before the sale starts and they give you the reg. I was going to give it a bid but by the time transport costs up the road to Bonnie Scotland and fees were paid it was looking a bit expensive given it appeared like a reasonably hard hit and no pictures of the "undercarriage" damage were posted on the site, the N/S front wheel has been pushed right back and contacting the inner arch which could have turned out to be an expensive gamble as well so i let it pass.

[GeoffSmith]

If Copart ask to have the above removed, I'm sure the Admins will remove them.



This should be OK though:

H185HOD.png

[epipete]

Can you resize that info please Geoff, It's not fitting on the page and I'd like to read it?

[GeoffSmith]

Forget to check if I could use that image, so just in case I can't....

http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/wp ... cture4.jpg

[dapinky]

Surely the fact that the image was posted on the WWW by the company puts it firmly into the public domain anyway.

My understanding is that the use of images applies primarily to those printed pictures (brochures etc), and not those published in an open format for anyone to view anyway.

As TBL said when he built the WWW, "There should be no expectation of privacy on the internet.....")

[GeoffSmith]

That's what I thought, but I just read that any image has an inherent copyright from when it's produced. I suppose that's why the camel or monkey or whateveritwas sued the photographer for the hilarious picture that no doubt made loads of money...

[lotusles]

That's what I thought, but I just read that any image has an inherent copyright from when it's produced. I suppose that's why the camel or monkey or whateveritwas sued the photographer for the hilarious picture that no doubt made loads of money...