Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I'm sad - no, devastated - to have to report the demise of my pride and joy, My 1967 S3 SE FHC caught fire on 24 April and burned out. My insurance company only wants to pay what was listed as its value nearly nine years ago so I'm considering bidding for the remains and selling it for parts. I installed a new stainless steel exhaust last autumn. It has a high torque starter, alternator, electronic ignition and electronic advance unit. There is a Colin Chapman signature steering wheel that would need recovering but otherwise seems ok. The fire was in the engine bay and driver's side of the cockpit so the rest of the car only suffered smoke damage. If anyone is interested, please P.M. me and I can supply further details and post-fire photos. The car is located in the west of Ireland.

I'm very sorry to see that has happened to you and your beautiful car. I hope you are physically ok after an incident like that.

Regards and condolences,

Sorry to read that. I would think that someone would pay good money to buy the whole thing from you as it is, maybe, say, ?10k. I`m sure the insurance company would sell the salvage to you for peanuts.
Jim

Oh my

I am so sorry for your loss.

"My insurance company only wants to pay what was listed as its value nearly nine years ago"

Can't you fight that with comparable values today?

pharriso wrote:Oh my

I am so sorry for your loss.

"My insurance company only wants to pay what was listed as its value nearly nine years ago"

Can't you fight that with comparable values today?

Apparently not as I hadn't revised the value upward over the years. They'll only pay the lower of market value or the value listed on the policy.

Bombay Racing Green wrote:I'm very sorry to see that has happened to you and your beautiful car. I hope you are physically ok after an incident like that.

Regards and condolences,

Physically, yes, although I I had a very badly singed beard and hair! I inhaled quite a bit of smoke but recovered later after a few hours of breathing clean air.

Terrible news. Glad that you are ok. Any idea as to the cause?

So sorry to read about this... Can it not be rebuilt???

Sincere condolences.

Electrical fire?

I did see your original post about this but it disappeared. Main thing is you are OK. Please be careful around the car as it stands as some of the smoke soot etc will contain some corrosives and toxins that could be potentially nasty.

IMHO (having had a car totally burn on me) that is very lucky and light fire damage. In your shoes I'd retain the salvage, do not allow it to be written off (hardly ever should Elans be written off as they are ultimately rebuildable), get the maximum cash payout you can and set about rebuilding it. No idea whether there's any engine damage but wiring, clean up and a bit of new paint shouldn't be more than ?7/8k unless I'm miles out.

If you can't do or can't face the work the same would apply, get maximum payout and sell the remainder as a project. It does depend on what the insurers will pay but can't see you getting less than ?15/17k in total

all of our mates here say (and must say) - rebuild the mutha, add a new loom, body wont take much, there's better radiators for no money: if you can do a lot yourself (incl sanding!!) i'd say your lookin at 5 grand sterling! sandy

Dream on, i rebuilt one with fire damage to the interior and right front body a bit worse than yours.i did it about 15 years ago myself everything except spraying, had a lot of parts lying around but needed plenty more , dash , instruments , door panel etc. I wouldn't count on anything less than 12 to 15 k costs.
cheers rene

Very sorry to hear about this.

If it was me I would do the following:

1. Get the car back from the insurers if their salvage price is OK.

2. Clean up the car to get the burn marks off as much as possible. The true extent of the damage will then be clearer.

3. Make a list of everything that needs to be replaced or re-painted etc. Most of the GRP tub seems to be OK.

4. Assess whether I could do the work myself or farm it out.

5. Get quotes for each item from separate sub-contractors, or if preferred, a one-stop shop approach.

It is hard to tell if the heat has been enough to damage the internal gaskets and oil seals on the engine. Once the engine has been cleaned up this might be clearer. The carbs, wiring and other ancillaries will have to be rebuilt or replaced of course.

Good luck whatever you do and... chin up!

Dave Chapman.

My sincere condolences. And a yellow Elan as well!

Take your time if possible, certainly try to retain the salvage, and the very best of luck with whatever you decide.

Vince

So sorry to see and hear about this. I would say that is very rebuildable but fully appreciate contemplating that may be difficult at present. Do you know the cause of the fire?