Chassis identification

[jkatthehelm]

I can't see the chassis or it's number being particularly relevant to the provenance of the car as you already know it's not the original.
As long as it's the correct original folded steel design (i.e. not a spaceframe derivative) I would not worry - the body i.d. plate is the important bit defining the car.

[LotusArchives]

I'm trying to work determine the provenance of the chassis on my Elan S1.

It's an early Bourne-bodied car. The identification plate gives a Unit number of 3071 and a chassis number of 26/0087.

I was told when I bought the car that the chassis is not original, and had been replaced by a previous owner, possibly in the 70s. The oldest log book I have access to, from 1984, shows a chassis number of 9086 (as does the current log book). The chassis appears to be a standard Lotus chassis, not galvanised.

If the chassis really is a Lotus replacement, I would have expected it to have an "LR" number, stamped just forward of the nearside engine mount (as per the photo in Robinshaw and Ross, p43). My chassis has no sign of any marking there.

I do have an aluminium plate with the number 9086 stamped on it, attached to the bulkhead, next to the Bourne plate. I was told that this was the identification plate, once attached to the chassis, but was relocated to the bulkhead at the time the car was restored.

So, my questions are:

1) On an original chassis would there have been a separate marking on the chassis (in addition to the main vehicle identification plate) and, if so, where?

2) What might chassis 9086 be? Would this have been a normal production chassis before production of the "LR" series started?

3) Would my aluminium plate be genuine, and where would it have been originally?

Paddy

Can you send me a picture of this aluminium plate with 9086 to my work address [email protected] if you are still trying to investigate this along with picture of the number on the chassis, VIN plate and log book. Thanks, Andy Graham, Lotus Archives.

[rodlittle]

Hi Paddy
My chassis has an LR no I bought it about 15-20 years ago from Miles
Interesting that your unit no is 4 after mine but your original chassis no is only 1 after mine this is in contradiction of the usual explanation of why unit nos were lower than chassis nos due to extra chassis being sold as replacements.
rod