1968 Lotus Elan S3 SE (ex Don Tingle)

[argo19c]

Originally owned by Lotus Elan expert Don Tingle of Tingle Lotus Center, in Cambridge, Mass is this 1968 Lotus Elan S3 SE Roadster. It is chassis # 45/6460, with the engine # LP 6989. The engine is Matching to the Chassis. The car came standard with electric windows (work perfectly). Over the years Don Tingle improved and modified this car so it would not only be stronger, but highly competitive as well. Items improved are: a new gusseted chassis (10 years ago), solid rear axles, custom Isky cams, Webers, headers, oil cooler, competition shocks, Momo steering wheel and a roll bar, The engine puts out 155 HP. The car was campaigned in local sports car events throughout the years Tingle owned it. The car was fully maintained by Don Tingle, even after he parted with the car, as the full box of maintenance records (included with the sale of the car) indicate. Local to Cambridge, Mass. sports car enthusiast George Zahaykevich purchased the car and continued to campaign it in sports car events. George continued to have Don Tingle maintain the car and 10 years ago he had Tingles Lotus Center rebuild the engine, transmission, the solid mounted rear end and service everything else (as the records show).The car has 2000 miles on it since that rebuild. George moved to Florida and his health begin to fail. The car was parked about 5 years ago and sat. George had intended to replace and repair the items needed on the car that required attention. Those items are, the seats need to be recovered, new carpeting needs to be installed, and the car should be repainted, as well. Included with the sale of the cars is a brand new set of original type and period correct carpeting, complete upholstery set, dash board (already installed) new head light trim rings, new glove box and glove box door, interior windshield trim pieces, center console and pad. The original radio and outside mirror is still with the car. Missing are the two SE badges, one interior door handle trim ring, one tag light, wheel trim rings and a few tonneau buttons. The top is good overall condition and quite usable. The body is in fine condition and solid, (even the floors), with the typical crazing and it does have chips in the paint, in various places. The paint is ok and should be resprayed, as do the wheels. The tires are period correct Michelin XAS's and have plenty of tread. Since I have owned the car I have gotten the car running, the brakes operating properly and the transmission shifting properly (no crunching or grinding). However, the clutch is stuck to the flywheel and I am in the process of trying to separate the two. The Florida title in George Zahaykevich's name shows 2,244 miles. The odometer on the car shows 2,245 miles. The odometer is not functioning presently (speedometer works). George stated that the car has approx. 15,000 original miles on it, as it sits today. With very little effort this car can be made to be quite presentable and it will have truly remarkable performance capabilities. $18,000. Amelia Island, Fl. For further photos and information please contact me at: (904) 432 7026 or [email protected]" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

[tvacc]

I have sent you an email.

[mfast]

Sold on ebay last year

[ericbushby]

Is there something odd with this cars dating. My car is some 500 later and was registered in September 1967. The dating of mine seems to fit in OK with the listing on the Elan Registry.
If lotus built 1000 cars per year then this one would have been built about March 1967 even if it was registered immediately.
Or is it just that a dealer kept it in stock until sometime the following year?. If so, was this normal?
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

[tedtaylor]

It is NOW listed on Ebay for auction and exceeds the $18K asking price. Does this mean "argo19c" will no longer sell it for $18K to LE forum members as posted?

[tvacc]

Must be the case. I asked for pictures and was prepared to buy car today. Even had transport being set up as I was pretty sure I was going to buy it. Pictures got hung up because my server will not take more than 8 meg in an email. He apologized to me for putting it up on Ebay, but it is now more than 18k. I do not want to get into a bidding thing.

[tvacc]

I am not going to make a big deal of this. But what I fail to understand is the lack of common business courtesy.

We are talking, negotiating. I asked a few questions like was 18K firm. How was the frame? Was it bent at all right before the upper cross member in front of the tranny. Would the car be able to get on a transport?

My phone number is at the bottom of all my emails. If I was selling the car, and I was talking to someone. It was not like we were not in contact. , I would have called me and said "I am putting this up on EBay if you are not ready to commit". Now I don't know how I would have taken that sort of pressure, but would have liked to have been given the chance to make a decision. I sold an Elan to a very nice person last year after he was on his way to buy that one up in MIch. The white one that sold for 38K? He was a 1/2 hour from the guy (a five hour trip) when the guy sold it to someone else. It seems to me that when a deal is in progress, it is only common courtesy to at least offer the person in the middle of the deal some sort of option before you commit to something else.

There is a line in the Godfather movie when Michael tells Sonny "Its only business" It seems to me these days that that sort of thinking covers all sorts of rude behavior, cut throat dealings, whatever. I am really tired of it. I deal with this crap all day long in my regular business. I don't need it in my hobby.

[Elanconvert]

tony...have to agree with you...
I recently sold a vw camper on ebay [classified ad with best offer]....... i must have underpriced it, because I received 12 offers, with 4 at the asking price.
so I e-mailed ALL the people who had made an offer, and asked them to submit their best offer by a deadline a few days later. when the deadline came I had three offers over the asking price, and I e-mailed the highest bidder to accept their offer.
a few MINUTES later, I received a phone call from another bidder who explained that he had been held up in traffic without a phone or internet signal, and he made an offer much higher than the one I had just accepted........so, what would you have done?
well, I stuck by my original deal, although the higher bidder was dumbfounded!
but look at it this way.....you and I can sleep at night with a clear conscience! [ok, I suppose one still can if one has NO conscience!]
also, it is fate! and what goes round, comes round!
fred

[tvacc]

As a very old friend and my new business partner in the Caterham dealership tells me. "if you are going to sell your reputation, you had better get a lot for it as you can only sell it once".

I have never ever knowingly screwed someone, or backed out on my word. Ed L (on this list) in Niagara Falls tells me I sold him a aluminum bell housing that I was told was and thought was for a crossflow , Elan,or Zetec (cannot remember which) that was not what I said it was. He never told me about it till a few years later. I offered to take it back and give him back the old crossflow he gave me for it, he declined, but that is the only time I can recall where something went amiss. And I am not mad at Ed and I hope likewise with him to me.

Which brings me that I wanted to tell all that I am the new Caterham dealer, located just outside of Buffalo NY. So if you want a Caterham, give me a call or send me an email.

[argo19c]

Tony, as I explained to you in the email I sent to you this morning, After you called me about the Lotus Elan I have available, I sent the photos that you requested to you. I waited several hours before I sent an email to you asking if you received the additional photos, as did I for every other person that I had sent photos to, that had not responded. I heard nothing else from you, or any of the others until I read your emails this morning.
I felt that if I gave the ad here on LotusElan.net a couple of days and it had not sold it,I had planned on placing it on ebay. I readied an ebay ad yesterday morning that became effective at 9:30 PM eastern last night. Before the super bowl game I checked to see if there any emails about the Elan. There were none from you or anyone else at that point. I assumed you had no further interest and I went to watch the game, took a shower and hit the sack.
As I explained to you in my response to your email this morning, I am very sorry how this turned out. However, when I looked at ebay this morning, there were two bids on the car. I felt that because of the bids I could not withdraw the ad. I was prepared to sell the car to you yesterday, but I felt you had lost interest. I hope that this is now clarified and we can move on. Ralph

[tvacc]

Again
I don't want to make a big deal of thi BUT You posted the ad on a Friday night. 9:30 at night. I asked for pictures at3:57 pm on Sat .You emailed me Sunday at 3:48 pm asking me if I got the photos. I emailed back right away saying I did not. I then realized a bit later, about 5:45pm probably what happened and looked at my webmail box, saw the photos and emailed you back at 6pm saying this:

I have them in my account on the webmail. That large an email will not come down to my exchange server. Limit is 8 meg per email. I saw them but want to look at them closer. Just forwarded them to my sons gmail account. Will see them later. Let you know. Is 18K firm?
Is there anything that you know wrong with the car? Other than what you have mentioned? I would be buying it sight unseen.
How is the rust on the chassis, the uprights? Is the chassis bent anywhere. Like right before the top crossmember infront of the tranny?
Thanks.

You knew I was interested, I asked you if the car could go on transport. I think a phone call would have been in order. In my mind, you did not give me enough time to buy a car sight unseen, 1000 miles away at the same time I am wondering why the car that sold for last year for 10K less is now at 18K. It was not a slam dunk sort of car purchase. A lot of unknowns. I asked some questions. You gave me no answers other then the pictures and a statement that the car ran good, which is tough for me to understand as the clutch is frozen.

It still does not change the fact that you put it on Ebay Sunday morning BEFORE you asked me if I go the pictures. It was going on EBay no matter what I said. There was no way I could have committed to a sale by 9:30 Sunday night. I never could have got money to you in that time on a Sunday.

If you think that was OK, then you and I have different opinions on horse trading as my Dad used to call deals like this. I hope you sell it for whatever you want on EBay.

[tvacc]

but look at it this way.....you and I can sleep at night with a clear conscience! [ok, I suppose you still can if you have NO conscience!]
also, it is fate! and what goes round, comes round!
fred[/quote]
I have been in business my entire life. Have only had one job that I did not create myself. Back in 1975 I had a job selling ultrasonic rodent control machines. Got laid off even though i was their best sales man but was not related or friends with the owner of the company. and decided I would never work for anyone else again.
I have been screwed, cheated, lied to and had people not keep their "word and handshake" and if I had conducted business that way, there is no question in my mind I would be flying my own personal jet and have a car collection worth millions.
To be perfectly honest, I am sorry I am the way I am. I cannot be the other way. It is just not in my nature. My son yells at me all the time about it. I constantly "give away the store". Take people on their word.

I am never going to be able to retire, do not have a car collection worth millions, no Lear Jet.

The bad guys finish first. (money wise) That is the way it is. I am sure of it.

[argo19c]

Tony,

First, the car sold for a lot more on ebay than you state, last year. Secondly, the current ad was submitted on ebay Sunday, but did not start until 9:30 PM eastern. I waited all day for you to respond after I sent the additional photos to you. How can it be a fault of mine that your server could only take 8 mgs? I told you that I would send the additional photos to you within 1/2 hour of your phone call to me. I did just that. I did everything I could to respond to you and I did not get your further questions until this morning when I checked my emails. By that time there were two bids on the Lotus and I could not back out. I hope that you will understand and have no hard feelings. Thank you, Ralph

[elansprint71]

LotusElan.net RIP.


Hey, is it me?


Enough is enough, perhaps it is time to set up a UK-based Lotus Elan Forum?

[tvacc]

Sorry, sometimes I get carried away. I apologize to the list. I should have kept it off list.
I will speak no more to the matter.