Photos from previous owners

[alaric]

Hi all. I was wondering whether anyone has tried contacting previous owners to get photos of their car through its life. I've got all the registration docs so could start writing to them, but am concerned that they may have passed on etc. Certainly some will have moved. I just thought it would be interesting to see the car when it was new. If anyone's tried this was it worth bothering and what reactions did you get?

Sean.

[1964 S1]

Hi, speaking from the currently poorly governed wild west I say go for it. Why not? Even if a PO has passed away, direct relatives would love to know the old Elan is in good hands.
I've got bunches of pictures of my old sold Elans and would gladly share them.
The guy I bought my current +2 from included some great shots from Florida when the car was a gorgeous dark emerald green. (the green was paint job #3 and now it's yellow...) They're a fun thing to have, and any old photo/documentation you have if you sell the car will enhance its value.

Eric

[nebogipfel]

......Even if a PO has passed away, direct relatives would love to know the old Elan is in good hands.....

Unless of course the car was instrumental in the death of the PO

That said, I have often thought of giving it a try.

[alaric]

Crikey, hadn't thought of that. There's also a danger that the car could have been stolen at some point, although it's fully registered now so should be ok. Probably wise to choose words very carefully. I have some of the receipts from when the car was sold also.

Sean.

[dougweall]

http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16571

Reading the above post and this one, I have a little bit different story.

I bought my Elan basicially as a box of bits, got some good info from the last owner (A) who put me in touch with the guy he bought it from (B).
The engine had supposedly been rebuilt to a high standard when A bought from B. However A had never had it running (or so he said) and having met A a couple of times since I think I believe him.

Anyway, I had a long period of rebuilding to do, and in the meantime met up with B, he then produced what seemed to be an endless set of bills for work carried out, I was quite impressed, QED parts bills etc etc.
So I thought I was on a winner. Just how far from the truth I could have been was unbelievable. The engine was total 'doggy do do' once I could hear it running. Valve stems ground on the ends to give clearance, standard bores that had new rings fitted to standard pistons, HA, they were 20 thou oval. Yet all the bills were there before my eyes. Cost me ?1200 to get it right.

So yes I was delighted to find the history (bills) but obviously disappointed with what I found.

Have since met A again at Donington this year, had a chat, he just could not believe what I was telling him. But hey it's history, so no big deal.

I think we have to do as previously has been said, look with your eyes open, but also assume the worst at all times.

One last thing I did find out that my Elan had spent most of it's life off the road after a front end bump with only 17000 on the clock, then got passed around owners for something like 17-18 years before I got it back on the road. So yes there is sometimes a bit of the unusual in a cars history if you dig it out, and I found that out from C who owned the car before A and B.

Hopefully we will make it to Classic Le Mans 'again' this year.

[archigator]

I've had my Elan for 20 years now, and I am the third owner. I live in the States, but my Elan is a 1971 RHD Coupe so I know it was originally sold in Great Britain. The second owner, who I purchased it from, was not a car guy and apparently got the Lotus as part of a business settlement. He knew nothing about the car's history, and only owned it for a few months.

When I got the Elan home (not under its own power), I found an old registration under one of the seats, and discovered that the original owner had registered it in North Carolina. I sent a letter to the name and address on the registration with a stamped return envelope and a list of questions. A few weeks later I got a response with all of my questions answered by the father of the original owner. I found that the original owner was an American serviceman stationed in England in the early 1970's, and that the car had been raced twice (although it has no roll bar, it was upgraded with different Weber jets and an oil cooler, but is otherwise stock). The fact that he was a serviceman also explains the spent bullet casings I found in the trunk when I replaced the gas tank! It was fun tracking down the history of my car, but I wish now that I had asked for a few photos of it "back in the day.".

I say go for it! The more you know about the history of your car, the richer the experience.

Gary
'71 Elan Sprint
Miami, Florida

[alaric]

Wow. That's great - just the sort of result I'd be hoping for. Sounds like a car that was really appreciated and enjoyed in its early days.

All the best.

Sean.

[ppnelan]

My 1971 Elan (imported back from US) came with a couple of Polaroid photos down the side of the fuel tank. They are dated 1973 and show the results of a front impact which removed everything forward of the front wheels! The chassis was 'repaired' and all the fibreglass bits appear to have been picked up & stuck back together, using copious quantities of filler where necessary...
Disadvantages: chassis was not straight (easily cured with a new chassis), and bodywork is trying to return to post-accident 'component' form...
Advantages: car must have been so bad to drive (since 1973) that it is fairly low mileage!
Perhaps the 'improvised' rear brake pads had something to do with it: they were cut down from a larger pad, but the friction material overhung the edges of the discs so that the pads only pushed against EACH OTHER once they had worn down in the disc area...

Matthew