Lotus S4 DWY 4 H

[Daughter of Lotus]

Sorry Hollywood 3645 - now I can see that it was the i phone app, thanks.
Looking over the discussion forum subject headings it seems like I've triggered a whole surge of people seeking original owners
Lotus Elan's very own 'who do yo think you are?' - Brilliant. These cars are not just cars, clearly.

Best Wishes

Jo

[DJ908]

Jo?s request for information on her father?s car brought back a whole lot of memories of my time in Sheffield and the assembly of my Elan and the assembly of a certain Doctor?s car a couple of years later.

I have since been in touch with Jo for it seemed to me to be too much of a coincidence that I too knew a Doctor who emigrated from Yorkshire, and who now lives in Northern Queensland. It turns out that they are one and the same, and that Jo and I have met a couple of times, years ago, back in the early and mid 1970?s.

Oh what a small world.

To the assembly of Jo?s father?s car. There is a story here to be told, a sort of no names story but we will give one of the participants a name, Rick. Rick was an insurance broker working from an office in South Yorkshire and those of us, including Jo?s father would find our way into Rick?s office for it was he who could organise insurance for us young fellows who had not just a desire but a craving to own an Elan. In my case, as a 23 year old, it was all but an impossibility to find me insurance but to our friend Rick it was a challenge, a challenge which he certainly overcame.

Rick was given another challenge when the good doctor?s car arrived, in kit form. For the very same weekend it arrived, a second kitted Elan was also delivered to another prospective owner in Yorkshire. The challenge was who could be at the pub first at an agreed time on the following Sunday afternoon, for the losers would have to buy the drinks!

Well that was a challenge our Rick relished for you see he had already assembled two Elan kits previously ? his own two and had been intimately involved in the assembly of several others as well, probably including mine. So Rick had the experience. But then so did the other ?team?. The owner of the other Elan kit slipped a few quid the way of two of the mechanics from the local Lotus dealership, perhaps best not named in this narrative either, and the race was on.

It was Rick and the good doctor versus the mechanics. The mechanics thought they would have the race well and truly won from the start for they had done what they normally did when delivering a kit, removed the rotor arm from the distributor because all assembled kitted cars were supposed to be returned to the dealership on a trailer for their pre-delivery check. Ah ha, but Rick knew that was the case too. So the rotor arm was removed from Rick?s own Elan and fitted to the doctor?s car, when it was completed.

It was a race all right; largely a one man versus two men race for the good doctor was on call on Friday night and Saturday so our Rick carried on largely on his own, with the doctor joining him, to help him, lift and heave, between patients (and perhaps other domestic duties).

But I can report that Rick and the doctor were parked at the pub supping on their pints when the lads turned up in the other Elan ? on its ?purely a road test? jaunt before it was handed over to its owner - to see the doctor?s Elan parked there already.

They of course had the rotor arm in one of their pockets. It was laid on the bar with the money for the shout.

So Jo, you can add that to your narrative, it?s one of the stories associated with DWY 4 H. And the little seat, the ledge to which you referred to, which your father had installed behind the passenger seat for you to sit on, is now here in New Zealand and was used by my two boys when they, a few years later, wanted to ride in my Elan.

Oh such memories.

Robert

[jimj]

Robert, what a lovely story. I also bought my `73 Sprint from Hallamshire Tyre and Motor Co. in Sheffield in kit form in February before purchase tax was replaced by VAT. It was my first ever new car and my fourth successive Elan. At that time, 4 years later? you were expected to drive the car back to the dealer for inspection but we just couldn`t get the radiator to seat properly so the salesman offered to collect it. As he drove away to the clicking of improperly fitted rotoflexes he summoned a trailer having no confidence in my/our skills. Very sensible.
I sold the car in `74 to buy furniture for the marital home and didn`t get another Elan for 30 years.
Jim

[Daughter of Lotus]

Well now,
memory is subjective - and everyone remembers things differently because my Dad remembers doing more than Rick says he did so ... Heh.
And I remember them both being out the back in the garage, although certainly Rick knew more ad could do more - Also, the process took longer than you suggest, it took about 3 months according to my Dad
Best Regards

Jo

[mikeshield]

Well Jo, minds do wander.

[Daughter of Lotus]

He he.
My Dad fully acknowledges your help Mike - and I remember very well how much you were there.
Dad's not known for his DIY skills, but he's a very good gardener