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Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 8:13 pm
by au-yt
I looked a very nicely restored S2 Elan yesterday but the engine number has me curious, please enlighten me. The Wilkins book be it what it may say the perfix should be an E where as its LP3885
Rex engine number.jpg and

Re: Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:22 pm
by Quart Meg Miles
Wilkins (2012 edition) prefix list actually quotes D for a standard Elan, E being for the Cortina. I'll ask him what its relevance is when I see him next but I believe it is a factory classificaton.

My own car doesn't have any mark D or E on block, head or the plate, and all early engines are marked and registered (like mine here) in the form LP2447 LBA where the last three letters indicate the bore wall's suitability for over-boring.

Re: Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:27 pm
by rgh0
LPxxxx is the typical engine number for an S2 Elan in my observations

cheers
Rohan

Re: Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:43 pm
by au-yt
Guys, Thank you for the clarification.
So that gives me the impression that its the original engine?


Graeme

Re: Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 5:58 am
by trw99
That is the correct engine number for that car. It was invoiced by the factory in September 1965 to Mr CH Ellen and was delivered complete, not in component form.

I have attached an article on engine types I wrote for Club Lotus News magazine, which explains their prefixes further.

Tim

Re: Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 7:40 am
by au-yt
Tim,
That's fantastic I don,t know what to say except thank you

Graeme

Re: Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 5:32 am
by Stephen D Crook
I have engine number 7802 in my Elan S3 DHC so a very early 6 bolt crank one

Re: Another Engine number Question please

PostPosted: Thu Nov 04, 2021 2:03 pm
by teto10
My own car doesn't have any mark D or E on block, head or the plate, and all early engines are marked and registered