Fascinating Photo Taken in Cheshunt in 1963

[pharriso]

Mike, what are the 'write-offs?'

Cars that had been crashed. Lotus supplied bodies from the Bristol Aircraft stock to customers that had cars which were total write-offs in accidents.

aka"Totalled" in US parlance.

[vstibbard]

Another way of identifying LHD cars is via the three tail lights each side... as distinct to two for rest of world.

V

[baileyman]

...
Right-click the small picture and choose "open in another tab" or window or suchlike to get a higher resolution picture, then download that to magnify and view.

Or as on my iMac, drag the link to a new tab, as some kind of crazy "redirect" warning shows up instead.

John

[ivorbadger2]

i can't see all the details others are talking about in my download of the picture (42Kbytes). What surprises me is how many fully built cars are being shipped, I thought nearly all were supplied as kits in the early days.

Right-click the small picture and choose "open in another tab" or window or suchlike to get a higher resolution picture, then download that to magnify and view.

Thanks, that's much better. The blue Elan in the bottom fore ground appears to be lhd and the chrome work is protected by some sort of red coating. All the Elans on the trucks have the same red chrome work. So export order on the way to the docks.

[elanfan1]

Wonder if the same people live in those houses are still there (or if the houses even still exist) and whether they?d have any period photos tucked away?

[69S4]

From Google street view it would seem that the same houses are still there - Palmers Way, Cheshunt. And selling for typical outer London prices, particularly since that nasty car company has moved elsewhere

It's odd how you can compartmentalise these things as I've been looking at the photograph with mature Elan owner eyes and forgetting that back when the factory was in operation I used to go to school daily on the railway line that runs behind Delamare Rd, getting on/off at the next station. I only lived five or six miles away and used to cycle into Cheshunt / Waltham Cross frequently. If only I'd known I could have nipped round with my Kodak and taken a few pictures.

I probably didn't notice the cars as I was too busy either doing my homework or looking at the girls from Herts and Essex Grammar.

[pharriso]

Wonder if the same people live in those houses are still there (or if the houses even still exist) and whether they?d have any period photos tucked away?

The same houses still exist, as shown by this Google earth photo from April 2018:

Palmers Way is the street with the houses

[Elan Peter]

Oh My what a fascinating photo! I wonder how many of these cars aren't racers now.
I would love to know more of the gold car in the picture (very cool).
Best regards, P