Overpriced? Sprints, & Register of Dodgy Stripes, Arches & D

[Spyder fan]

Just spotted this on Ebay, is this the current price for a freshly restored car? It almost makes the cost of a restoration bearable.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180698570226&ih=008&category=31359&clk_rvr_id=250987615524

[Steve G]

It's been on Pistonheads for a while, couldn't believe the ?40K price tag until I saw the rebuild pictures. It is, for all intents and purposes, a brand new car. Stunning.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2911783.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63314577@N ... 6864448341

[trw99]

Do keep up chaps!

elan-f14/sprint-for-sale-and-will-for-ages-t22672.html

Tim

[Spyder fan]

I didn't say I was the first to spot it

The question I am asking is whether ?40k is the going rate for a freshly restored car? Is this good news or bad news for those amongst us who like original cars. (I like original cars, but prefer modified ones).

[trw99]

Alan

I think that question is well covered in the link I posted. Short answer is no, not at the standard this car has been restored.

For that money the car has to be perfect in all respects with the right bits fitted. I'm sure this car looks and drives just fine but for me I would want it to be the bees knees.

Tim

[billwill]

Is it not considered necessary to paint a galvanised chassis then?

For those of you who have fitted galvanised chassis, how well are they standing up to wear/corrosion?

[elansprint71]

Does no-one know how to put the side-stripes on correctly?

Attached here is another car, where the side-stripe has been put on wrongly- in fact this one is possibly the worst-ever stripe job!

http://www.thehairpincompany.co.uk/42o.htm

I don't see the price but these folks usually know how to charge. Apart from the stripe, it looks quite tidy.

[Spyder fan]

Pete,
Looks like a late night Friday after the pub application of the side stripes Adam (Pasta Pesto) has promised to get mine spot on if SMS or Spyder cock them up.

[elansprint71]

Even Option 1 managed to get mine wrong, despite me giving them a photo of a Sprint just out of the factory- fortunately it was only the solid bit (over the rear bumper), which they put on at a jaunty angle. Adam fixed me up with some of his solid gold non-stripey stripe and I corrected it.

[trw99]

The rear gold sidewinder changed positions slightly during the Sprint's production. In the attached photos, the red car is the early factory press car, an S4 converted to Sprint spec (hence the silver wheels). The stripe on it has been placed higher than the later yellow factory press car (yes, I know it's a black and white photo, but it was a yellow car!), where the stripe is dissected by the rear bumper.

What the factory never appeared to do was to have that gold stripe ending exactly at the top of the bumper; there was always an amount sticking up, as it were.

Tim

[alan.barker]

Thanks Tim ,
you have made my day because when my car was painted i put the stripes exactly like the "Yellow" Sprint
Alan B

[nebogipfel]

The rear gold sidewinder changed positions slightly during the Sprint's production. In the attached photos, the red car is the early factory press car, an S4 converted to Sprint spec (hence the silver wheels). The stripe on it has been placed higher than the later yellow factory press car (yes, I know it's a black and white photo, but it was a yellow car!), where the stripe is dissected by the rear bumper.

What the factory never appeared to do was to have that gold stripe ending exactly at the top of the bumper; there was always an amount sticking up, as it were.

Tim

I'm amazed (and to be honest I'd never noticed) that Lotus ever fitted the rear bit above the bumper .... it just looks wrong.

The stripe looks so much better when it's straight and tapers into the bumper.

[Elanintheforest]

And people wonder why the mono-colour Sprints were more expensive!

Mark

[elansprint71]

Hey- neat change of thread title... how do you do that?

I find it hard to believe that the "red car photo" is actually a Lotus shot- presumably they had an apprentice working on stripe-sticking that week! The shot I always use for reference is the double-page colour picture in Chris Harvey's "Lotus: the Elite, Elan, Europa" (sic). this is a Lagoon Blue over White studio shot.

Here are two more variations on a theme. Both wrong. Let's not even get into ride-heights.

http://www.uksportscars.com/view/lotus-elan-s4-dhc-rebuilt-on-spyder-chassis-engine-rebuilt-800-miles-ago-1970/

http://www.uksportscars.com/view/lotus-elan-sprint-dhc-with-zetec-engine-5-speed-gearbox-model-year-1972/

This outfit have been advertising a low mileage S3 in the rags for a while but the photo shows an S4. They seem to have corrected it on their website. They also advertise on Pistonheads under the name of Clug, no mention of being a trader; allegedly.

Edit: forgot to mention the dreadful stripes which feature on the cover and through Ian Ward's "Lotus Elan Coupe, convertible; Plus2" (sic) book. this shows a Yellow over White car with solid gold stripe running downwards from the front bumper to the rear bumper.

[nebogipfel]

Edit: forgot to mention the dreadful stripes which feature on the cover and through Ian Ward's "Lotus Elan Coupe, convertible; Plus2" (sic) book. this shows a Yellow over White car with solid gold stripe running downwards from the front bumper to the rear bumper.

Yes I was deeply offended by that one

To be serious why would anyone pick that as a cover shot?