S3 Elan documents/tools when new

[mbracing]

A question for the experts:
When delivered new from the Factory, which documents had a S3 Elan apart from the owner’s handbook? It had also a service voucher booklet or any other paper?
And also, which tools were given with the car?
Regards, thanks.
mbracing

[Elan45]

There was a "sticker" on the top tray showing how the top was to be stored or stowed. A replacement is available from at least one of the usual Elan parts suppliers. My original is still in place but I have purchased a new one for when the original decides to fly away.

If your S3 was late enough to have been a Super Safety, there was an owners manual supplement available. I have a photo copy of one, but it would need to be sized to be able to create a good duplicate.

Roger

[elanfan1]

You have mail.

[Verve]

I`m not sure about S3`s ... but my Sprint has the 2 original Sales Invoices ( being a Component Car ) , Lotus Cars Goods Acceptance Letter , Lotus Parts Supply & After Sales Operations Letter (c/w 1972 Worldwide Dealer List -33 pages ) , Purchase Tax Explanatory Notes & a Lotus Congratulation Letter , that states " With the car -usually in the glove box- you will find the following items -

1.Rebuild instructions .
2.Service Voucher Book (including Registration of Sale & Warranty Certificate ) .
3.Owner`s Handbook .
4.Wiring Diagram . "

Btw., I know Tim already has the 1974 Dealer List ... but if he wants to compare it to this 72 list ( or even copy it ) , I`m more than happy to bring it to the fantastic annual Castle Combe , which is only 2 months away now !o!

Cheers ,

Paul .

[mbracing]

Hi all
First of all thanks about the kind replies.
The car I’m looking to understand the documents/tools it had from the Factory when new is a very early S3 Coupe (late ‘65 built). Therefore it will be great to hear about similar cars of the same age.
Cheers
mbracing

[trw99]

Thanks, Paul, I'm always happy to receive dealer lists and other Elan ephemera, or copies of them.

mbracing, your early S3 Elan probably came with very little in the way of paperwork, as was the case with most cars/marques at that time. There would have been an Owners Handbook (see attached cover) and a Service Voucher Book (see attached cover). If the car was in component form, the original owner may have been handed two invoices, one for the engine and one for the body. These tended not to be passed on with the car from owner to owner then. Nowadays of course, all such provenance, when original, adds to a cars value.

Dealer lists were not included at that time. Owners could buy a Workshop Manual and a Parts List as optional extras.

By the way, the hood folding instructions pasted to the rear shelf of DHCs was merely a reduced sized photocopy of the relevant page from the Workshop Manual!

Tim

[mbracing]

Thanks, Paul, I'm always happy to receive dealer lists and other Elan ephemera, or copies of them.

mbracing, your early S3 Elan probably came with very little in the way of paperwork, as was the case with most cars/marques at that time. There would have been an Owners Handbook (see attached cover) and a Service Voucher Book (see attached cover). If the car was in component form, the original owner may have been handed two invoices, one for the engine and one for the body. These tended not to be passed on with the car from owner to owner then. Nowadays of course, all such provenance, when original, adds to a cars value.

Dealer lists were not included at that time. Owners could buy a Workshop Manual and a Parts List as optional extras.

By the way, the hood folding instructions pasted to the rear shelf of DHCs was merely a reduced sized photocopy of the relevant page from the Workshop Manual!

Tim

Thanks Tim, this is exactly the kind of Info I was looking for. The car still has the original Owner’s Handbook similar to the one in the pic you posted, but no service vouchers. May be I’ll find a set on ebay or thru Forum members? The car was delivered in Italy fully assembled and not in kit form. Do you also might know which tools were originally delivered with the car?
Kind regards, thanks.
mbracing

[trw99]

The best reference is this, from the Elan Parts List.

Tim

[mbracing]

The best reference is this, from the Elan Parts List.

Tim

Thank you.
For reference, the Owners Handbook I have with the car is this. Probably an earlier version than the one in your picture?
Cheers
mbracing

[trw99]

No, the one I showed was for the Type 36 S2 Coupe, before the Type 36 S3 FHC and 45 DHC Elans came out.

There's probably very little different between the two, though of course the Coupe version would have no instructions for lowering/raising the hood etc.

Tim

[mbracing]

Ok thanks I was thinking the very first Coupe did arrive in late ‘65 with the S3 model, in this case there was also a S2 Coupe?
mbracing

[trw99]

Yes, there was the S2 Coupe, which was introduced before the FHC and the DHC versions.

Generally it is distinguished by the lack of air grills behind the side windows and is referred to as a pre-Airflow. However, like most Elan features, that is not a hard and fast rule in telling it apart.

Tim

[mbracing]

Well my very early S3 Coupe is without air grills on the hood (pre-airflow) but it is clearly an S3 with the different rear trunk etc. and it has early door mounted switches for the electric windows. And the chassis tag no. is with the 36/….number, not 26. I looked again to all my Lotus books but I can’t find a an S2 with 26/…chassis no. prefix in Coupe (FHC) guise.
mbracing

[trw99]

Yes, that is correct. The Coupe was introduced as the Type 36 (I have corrected my error above!), but whilst the S2 was in production. There is therefore a difference between the S2 Coupe, as it was known on its introduction and the S3 FHC, which came later. See my article below.

Tim

[samplomp]

Yes, that is correct. The Coupe was introduced as the Type 36 (I have corrected my error above!), but whilst the S2 was in production. There is therefore a difference between the S2 Coupe, as it was known on its introduction and the S3 FHC, which came later. See my article below.

Tim

Nice article, Tim, many thanks for posting !

Best regards,

Sam.