Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Grizzly wrote:In my opinion Ebay gets a bit addictive, its almost like they will pay that bit more for the rush of winning an Auction
.

yep.....I was looking recently for a laser level.......one came up for auction and bid up to ?17.......

at least a dozen identical ones listed with a BIN price of ?5......

fred

elanfan1 wrote:If you think the prices for our cars are mad remember that old original Ferrari Jack that went for around 10 grand?

Yes but some blue chip Ferrari owners are in a different world to us

I have a new bonnet on my +2 bought from SJ Sportscars, it's okay and made by Boss motors. BUT it's half the weight of an original (adds lightness) and deforms when made to fit the original body line using the essential metalwork that is not supplied from the original bonnet. I have painted it to match my existing paint and it looks good, (ask Tim Wilkes who has seen it ) but I know it's not right.

Mark (Elan in the Forest) very kindly donated an original bonnet with the metalwork, it weighs twice what the reproduction SJ Sportscars item does, but it fits perfectly and doesn't deform. It will take me a few months over the winter to prep it properly for paint but it will look good AND it's original!

Apparently boot lids, bonnets and doors (apart from window frames) are very difficult to sell, I really can't see why given the poor quality of reproduction parts in my experience.

Original stuff is like a good woman and worth Rubies...... Apart from Elanfan1's Sparto lenses which are a notable exception.

stevebroad wrote:Mind you, this seems a little steep, even for me

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MK1-LOTUS-COR ... 2050778889?

I removed one of those from a twink engined Caterham that I bought and converted to bike engined propulsion, I will not be able to sleep at night now with my brain trying to remember where I stored it

Having kept my Elan in storage for the best part of 2 d?cades awaiting me to have the time to restore it I have to say that each time I see what are no rare bits up for higher and higher money I am less and less likely to restore it because my old fashioned values (I'm stuck at least 10 years in the past) mean I would be physically sick to pay the current prices for what are to me mundane parts from what were once common vehicles, parts that I have given freely away in the past to other enthusiasts on an "i've got one, you need one so its yours" and also recieved in the same manner, things have changed so much that I feel like I am from another planet let alone another age, the classic car scene is all the poorer these days IMHO.

It also means that were I to decide to sell it to someone who doesnt have the same affliction as I, who claims to want to restore it they might just want to turn a quick profit and break it for spares, when the day of reckoning comes if I cannot/wont restore it myself then I would in many ways be foolish and naive to not break it myself, or part it out as you say across the pond.

To do that to a perfectly restorable vehicle would absolutely break my heart, I honestly wish I could have seen the way things were going to go, not to have invested in other classics but to have sold mine and avoided the heartache that I will one day have.

That said at least the prices of roadworthy Elans reflect their true value now and not some inflated raity value like MK 1 Cortinas and Escorts and its understandable that the price of parts remanufactured in small batches will be high, I have absolutely no problem with the prices asked by the specialist stockists but when I start to worry that someone might break into a storage unit to steal a horn push and some side repeaters its all getting rather too much.

Spyder fan wrote:I have a new bonnet on my +2 bought from SJ Sportscars, it's okay and made by Boss motors. BUT it's half the weight of an original (adds lightness) and deforms when made to fit the original body line using the essential metalwork that is not supplied from the original bonnet. I have painted it to match my existing paint and it looks good, (ask Tim Wilkes who has seen it ) but I know it's not right.

Mark (Elan in the Forest) very kindly donated an original bonnet with the metalwork, it weighs twice what the reproduction SJ Sportscars item does, but it fits perfectly and doesn't deform. It will take me a few months over the winter to prep it properly for paint but it will look good AND it's original!

Apparently boot lids, bonnets and doors (apart from window frames) are very difficult to sell, I really can't see why given the poor quality of reproduction parts in my experience.

Original stuff is like a good woman and worth Rubies...... Apart from Elanfan1's Sparto lenses which are a notable exception.

I get what your saying but with no disrespect to Sjsports cars there GRP is poor and not just poorly formed, i bought a front bumper from them that not only didn't fit (3/4" too wide and looked like some one had chewed the excess of the edges) but had the wrong bobbins fitted in the wrong place (was not impressed) i could have made one myself and it be less messing about, i ended up binning it and buying a second hand one...... That said i've had countless things of Sue Miller / Paul Matty not been disappointed yet. So yes there are Poor reproductions but to be fair there are some good things too. The trick is knowing when original is best and as i'm sure you have found GRP is one of those things where Original is best.

Just as an example i've just bought an off the shelf Hood from Sue Miller and i'm not sure a trimmer could have made one a better fit to my car. Very pleased.

I'm not sure about all this Purist thing, yes i get it and i'm in a unique position to understand how far people will go with it but if you rebuild a car to enjoy it that's very different to concourse and i'm not sure how you would make an Elan truly Concourse as there doesn't seem to be two that left the factory truly identical. So not like for example building an E-type that is identical to the next e-type.

elanfan1 wrote:If you think the prices for our cars are mad remember that old original Ferrari Jack that went for around 10 grand?

Yes, but that probably added ?20k to the value of the car!

Chris,
I'm not sure why you replied apart from stating the bleeding obvious! P please note the smiley face here!

For a replacement panel to be good quality it needs to use an original mould thereby being of the original dimensions, unfortunately a lot of replacement panels are made from moulds taken from original panels which actually makes them smaller than originals, sligthtly....... Add to this the different techniques inevitably used to lay up the fibreglass and you get something a lot different to what was done back in the 1960s.... Poor quality when compared to riginals, but perhaps acceptable to some but not you or me.

I'm very pleased to have a good original to work from, thanks Mark!

Sorry it was just how i read the last bit 'Original stuff is like a good woman and worth Rubies...... Apart from Elanfan1's Sparto lenses which are a notable exception.' just sounded like you where putting the whole Aftermarket side of things down apart from Elanfan1's Sparto lenses of course I do tend to take things very Literal at times

No comment on the first bit

Why are you comparing women to curries?

He's listed more,this time a relay with missing connector,but what do you expect for a measly ?40:00 ??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-1972- ... Swf-VWUcKK

but at last listed a complete one,but with no guarantee that it's working...and only ?100:00

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-1972- ... Sw7FRWUaPI

is it me?

John

Second hand ones go for around ?6-10 and new are less than ?30.

I have asked him if he has added an extra 0 by mistake and await response

john.p.clegg wrote:He's listed more,this time a relay with missing connector,but what do you expect for a measly ?40:00 ??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-1972- ... Swf-VWUcKK

but at last listed a complete one,but with no guarantee that it's working...and only ?100:00

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-1972- ... Sw7FRWUaPI

is it me?

John

I must say a rusty Lucas 6RA relay for ?100:00 is really taking the buscuit!

4 Terminal 6RA's are fairly common & as Steve has said can still be had new.

Now 3 Terminal 6RAs (#33232E) that's a different matter

I was recently watching a lip seal sump pan on E bay , it was sold for over ?300, Have these become rare items?

Andy

elanfan1 wrote:Why are you comparing women to curries?

Because I like them hot

Looking at some of those prices, one of our Yank-sayings is: somebody's smoking some serious crack.