Year of elans

[Kailuaboy]

I have 2 elans…one roadster and a coupe. The roadster number is 45/9167 and the coupe is 36/9189 the roadster I believe is a 1969 but the coupe I do not know….gifted without a title.
Thanks for anyone who knows my manufacture date for either. Thanks for your help.
Aloha

[gjz30075]

Welcome to the forums. The Coupe will be a type 36, never a 56. This might be helpful and
post some pictures.,
https://elanregistry.org/app/identification.php

[rgh0]

Both will be1969. The last 4 digits are the production unit number and as they are close together they probably were made at a similar time. The type 45 DHC and type 36 FHC shared the same sequential unit numbers. I say they were 'probably made " at a similar time as with all things Lotus their numbering and record keeping was somewhat fluid.

cheers
Rohan

[Kailuaboy]

That is really helpful. When you say lotus used a sequential numbering system do you mean the coupe and roadster had separate numbering or were they integrated together? I understand that coupe bodies came from the same mold and roadster just had their roofs off.

Both ended up here in Hawaii. And made almost the same time ending up here in Hawaii. Now that is quite a coincidence.

[The Veg]

Aloha Kailuaboy!

Interesting about your cars being perhaps made at a similar time as well as arriving in Hawaii at a similar time. I've owned two very different Lotuses -a 1986 Esprit and my current 1970 Elan Plus 2- but they both began their US lives in the same city, in this case St. Pete FL, and each wound-up in the mountain states at some point before coming to Georgia. These cars often seem to some with weird coincidences but that just adds to the fun!

Would love to hear more of your cars' histories.

[rgh0]

That is really helpful. When you say lotus used a sequential numbering system do you mean the coupe and roadster had separate numbering or were they integrated together? I understand that coupe bodies came from the same mold and roadster just had their roofs off.

Both ended up here in Hawaii. And made almost the same time ending up here in Hawaii. Now that is quite a coincidence.

Yes the unit numbering of the type 36 and type 45 was integrated together so your cars are nominally 22 apart on the production line

cheers
Rohan

[h20hamelan]

looks like MGB?
and yellow Elan coupe?

[Kailuaboy]

Good eyes. The MGB is gone replaced by an Alfa spider and an E Type.

[Kailuaboy]

Veg,
You asked about the histories of the 2 cars. I found the roadster in a barn on the big island and have been working on it for 10 years. The coupe came from a woman in Honolulu who gifted it without a title. The owner had died and it was on someone’s driveway and wanted it gone. I prefer the coupe body and will swap it for the restoration I am close to finishing on the roadster. My plan is to restore the coupe chassis and put the roadster body on it. Maybe too ambitious . I turn 80 in a few weeks.

[gjz30075]

I turn 80 in a few weeks.

Excellent! This stuff keeps us going (or so I like to think).

[trw99]

Both your cars were invoiced by the factory on the same day, 18th June 1969. They both left the factory as Federal Elans with Stromberg SE engines.

There are a batch of 17 cars, all for the Federal market, invoiced that day. My assumption would be that they were destined for one of the major Lotus distributors, probably the Lotus South West Importer, British Motor Car Distributors.

If you write to Andy Graham, the Lotus archivist, at [email protected] he should be able to confirm these details to you and maybe some additional data that would be helpful.

Tim

[Kailuaboy]

Tim,
Unbelievable. Such detail. I really appreciate this history. Clearly some of the shipping went to a distributor in Hawaii. One ended up in a barn on the big island with an original but trashed the entire car. I shipped it over to my house on Oahu in 2008 or so and I have been doing an off body total restoration. You know the old story but it’s getting finished this fall…fingers crossed. And the other stayed on Oahu being restored by himself. He painted the body but all of the running gear has to be restored and engine needs rebuilding. He died and left the car in the a friend’s driveway. He was going to junk it but found the British car club and me. He gave it to me without a title. I will need to deal with that someway but that restoration will be next year’s project.

Your great information completes the puzzle. Warmest aloha,
Victor