Sports car 'no one ever knew about' is to go on display

[oldelanman]

Just came across this.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedd50y8d97o

[gherlt]

Anybody has information on which gearbox is installed ?

[types26/36]

Is it the same car as mentioned in this thread?
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47294

[Lotusian]

Yes it is.
Not exactly “no one ever knew about”.

[trw99]

Quite. Graham Arnold published his Elan & Plus 2 Buyers Guide in 1981. This was included in a list of unusual Elans:

Tim

[Lotusian]

Black and silver indeed, as also confirmed in Denis Jenkinson’s magazine article.
When I went to see the unfinished car three years ago, the owner insisted that the original roof colour was gold. I told him that I believed the original silver metal flake and lacquer tended to turn to a more golden colour over a number of years of exposure to the light, but he insisted that it should be gold, as the finished article now.

[Barney]

Yes it is.
Not exactly “no one ever knew about”.

Typical poor reporting, we have come to expect from the BBC these days.

[Andy8421]

Yes it is.
Not exactly “no one ever knew about”.

Typical poor reporting, we have come to expect from the BBC these days.

To be fair to the BBC, the article is reporting that Martin Ginsberg (ex of Lotus PR department) made the claim that 'no one ever knew about' the car. The journalist isn't making that claim herself or on behalf of the BBC.

It would be a fair criticism however that a modicum of checking (simply Googling 'automatic lotus elan plus 2' brings up a number of links to historic threads on this site discussing the car) would have shown that Martin Ginsberg is very much mistaken.

I am afraid that the majority of journalism these days seems simply to be reformatting existing press announcements and copying stories without doing even the most basic fact checking. It is why I anticipate that ChatGPT and other large language models will put most journalists out of work.


Edit: Just as a FWIW, this is what ChatGPT had to say when prompted with "did anyone know about the automatic lotus elan plus 2 manufactured by lotus"

"The existence of a few automatic Lotus Elan Plus 2 models is known primarily among Lotus enthusiasts and classic car aficionados. These experimental models were fitted with Borg Warner automatic transmissions. However, this information isn't widely known outside these circles.

- LotusElan.net: A notable example, NAH 120F, is often discussed in forums dedicated to the Lotus Elan. This car was fitted with a Borg Warner autobox and featured in Car magazine in June 1970. The discussion includes contributions from individuals who have seen or worked on this specific car, highlighting its unique features and experimental nature​ (Lotus Elan)​.

- Classic Car Listings: Some classic car sale listings occasionally reference these rare automatic models. For instance, a sale listing on Classic.com discussed a Lotus Elan Plus 2 S130, although it emphasized the rarity and experimental status of such models, noting that most were manual​ (Classic.com)​.

- Historical Articles: Historical automotive articles and magazines, such as Car magazine and Motor Sport, have occasionally covered these unique vehicles. These sources provide context and details about the experimental nature of the automatic transmission in the Lotus Elan Plus 2, particularly aimed at the US market.

Overall, while the general public may not be widely aware of these automatic Lotus Elan Plus 2 models, they are a well-documented curiosity within the classic car community."

You might argue about the accuracy, but it seems a darn sight more accurate than the BBC article.