Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Sorry to have offended anyone.

As well as owning the two elans, I am also the owner of two Classic minis which are ongoing projects, but both are tucked away under cover and worked on when time allows, I therefore fully understand the connections that people have with cars, some of these cars being a strange marque and some very quirky but most having some historical bond with the owner.

It just that it breaks my heart to see them outside like this one is and clearly being eaten away by the elements.

That was the point I was trying to make, maybe not made so well

I will post a letter through the front door, expressing an interest, no rush, contact me if it's something you may consider. That puts the ball firmly in their court without pressure.

Maybe wait until dark...when he takes his pit bulls out for their walk

KevJ+2 wrote:Maybe wait until dark...when he takes his pit bulls out for their walk

Only if you come with me.

There's a Sprint that I know of that has not moved for 25years. Uncovered in a front garden. Apparently the 6th last off the line. Sadly my advances have been rejected.

I can recall back in 2010 when I bought my Esprit. I have no garage, as I live in a basement-apartment in somebody else's house, therefore the car got parked in a gravel-and-pavers parking spot I'd built next to the driveway and right by the street. I almost always parked with the car pointing at the street, as backing it into the street was a bit of a gamble what with the poor visibility out of the rear half of the car, and the limited visibility of my street.

At least one person must have thought that I wanted to part with it, as shortly after I bought it I found a business-card tucked into the window-seal, showing its backside upon which was written I WILL BUY YOUR CAR. I remember thinking to myself, 'the poor sod, if he's like most Yanks he has no idea what it is and even if he does, he most likely has no idea what he'd be in for!'

Needless to say, I never called the guy, not even when I did actually sell the car four years later.

Zuvendis, yes, I`m sure no end of people will have pushed a note through his letterbox and been ignored. A vague interest in buying the car will probably get no reponse. I`d be inclined to post, through the mail, a formal, reasonably generous, offer. The trouble is that, for whatever reason, a Sprint attracts a much higher value than an S4 and you`ve no way of knowing which it is at the moment.
Jim

jimj wrote:Zuvendis, yes, I`m sure no end of people will have pushed a note through his letterbox and been ignored. A vague interest in buying the car will probably get no reponse. I`d be inclined to post, through the mail, a formal, reasonably generous, offer. The trouble is that, for whatever reason, a Sprint attracts a much higher value than an S4 and you`ve no way of knowing which it is at the moment.
Jim

Thanks Jim, you're spot on there. Until it's unwrapped and its completeness, numbers and papers are checked, it could be anything. Offering a generous amount based on a hope, only to backtrack rapidly when one discovers a shunted S4 with a 1300 X-Flow, isn't fair to anyone. I suppose the best wording would be to clearly state, once examined, the car could be worth many thousands of pounds. If it transpires that it is an ordinary model and incomplete, the brutal financial implications would have to make it a labour of love. Perhaps that's why it's sitting there? As Spyderfan said earlier, it could end up being a source of parts for a more valuable car. Wrong I know, and not something I would ever do, but then, we're all aware on here how many Elans, +2s and Europas have been quietly murdered in the not too distant past as engine sources for valuable Fords. I'm not a car dealer, but even so, there still has to be some semblance of financial reality when restoring, particularly at this market level.

People do all sorts of strange things with cars. I know of an S3 drop top elan (barn find) that was sold many many years ago for $10,000AU, the elan has never been collected by the person who purchased the car. Now that is odd. You'd think if one was keen to get on with a restoration, that the car would have been collected by now. I have been told that there is a law concerning goods that have paid for, but never collected. This car would certainly come under that law.
I do not wish to purchase the car, but I bet it would be sold in a snap if it was listed on ebay or elsewhere.