Re: 1966 Price list
Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 1:23 pm
Elanintheforest wrote:Andy, the Special Equipment package was first devised by Graham Arnold I believe, and was available for the Lotus Cortina from December 1963.
It was a simialr package, with engine upgrade, seat belts, radial tyres and a badge and a few other bits and pieces. By October 1964 the S/E package also included the leather covered steering wheel.
Certainly in the early days, Lotus Components modified standard cars to S/E specification, rather than them being built to order. So a fully build car was driven down the ramp, into Lotus Components unit where it was stripped and the S/E mods applied. Only 64 Lotus Cortinas were declared to have been upgraded, but the real number was almost certainly much higher....it was a highly proifitable upgrade, and the less the taxman got.......
So in answer to your guess of if you asked you paid.....I'm sure it was just as easy to take an Elan into Lotus Components as it was a Cortina!
Here's the spec of the Lotus Cortina S/E package....scroll down to 'Options'
http://www.lotuscortinainfo.com/?page_id=430
And here's a picture of the demonstrator S/E Lotus Cortina at the Racing Car show in London in Jan 1964, with illustrations behind of what went into the S/E upgrade....
Mark
Wasn't the Elite offered in SE form as well?