Elan +2 that went missing in 1977

[sean22]

This is a long shot but i am trying to find out any information i can about an Elan +2 s130 5 that belonged to my dad he bought it in about 1975 it was red with a silver roof and reg was JLB888K .
We worked on it through the winter of 1976 rebuilding the engine and suspension and finally respraying it metalic blue with a silver metal flake roof ,i was 12 at the time and this was the first car i had really worked on it was the start of my love of cars.
The car hit the road again in 1977 (i think) and looked amazing it was only driven for a few weeks before it was stolen from a car park in Dartford Kent never to be seen again unfortunately my dad had forgotten to transfer the insurance back so it was not insured ,we were heartbroken .
So the car has remained registered in his name to this day ,my dad is now in his 80s and still talks about this car.

I was wondering if any one had come across a +2 that fitted the description.
It was red with silver roof from new resprayed blue /silver
Was an S130 /5 big Valve but didn't have the 130 badges fitted
Had a vinyl number plate stuck on K reg (this was actually embedded in the paintwork)
Had black vinyl seats.
It was stolen from Dartford

Any help would be appreciated.

[gus]

Go look up the chassis number and post it here.

Every few months there is a story in the US about a long stolen car recovered

[gherlt]

Sorry to hear that, but maybe apart from the "physical" description (which can be altered easily) you could also post the VIN/chassis number, as the "unique" identifier of your dad's car.

[sean22]

Unfortunately after many years of hanging onto the log book my dad dug it out of the loft and we think my mum may have put it in the bin,i am currently trying to get a copy off the DVLA but not sure how successful that will be without knowing the vin number.
Or does anyone know if there is another way of finding out what the vin number was ?

[elanfan1]

I presume you've done a vehicle enquiry on the DVLA online?

It shouldn't show up at all as the the DVLA only went digital in about 1983. Obviously if it does show up something dodgy has gone on. Ring the DVLA they should have a dormant record and providing you prove to them who you (your Dad) are they should be able to give you the VIN. You could probably get them to mark it stolen too so should anyone try to register it, it'll flag up. For ?5 you can can apply via aV888 form for copies of the original logbook providing it was submitted at the time.

[trw99]

JLB 888K would have been first registered in London NW between Aug 1971 and end July 1972.

The dealer for that area at the time would have been either Hexagon of Highgate, Ian Walker or London Sports Car Centre. Hexagon are still around so contact them and see if they have records going back to then. You just might get lucky!

If you can find the VIN then it will be 71 or 72 (year) 08-07 (month) 11-18 (batch number if a 71 car) then the four digit unit no, which will be in the 04## to 07## range, followed by the letter L, indicating a Domestic Plus 2S.

Tim

[sean22]

Thanks,i have submitted a v888 just waiting for the reply from DVLA with fingers crossed.
Also i seem to remember a Len Street Motors of Chelsea sticker in the rear window but i think they've gone now.

[elanfan1]

Have you spoken to DVLA, providing he's to hand or you just say you're him they should tell you what they've got.

Otherwise don't be surprised at a 6 week wait for the info to come back (they're too busy chasing sheep).

[Mazzini]

[quote="elanfan1"](they're too busy chasing sheep).

In Wales????

[elanfan1]

(they're too busy chasing sheep).

In Wales????

Rob, you've not seen my profile have you!

[Mazzini]

(they're too busy chasing sheep).

In Wales????

Rob, you've not seen my profile have you!

I wasn't taking the p*ss

[Barty]

Are you certain of the reg number.

I have had a contact who 'works on the inside'!! check this reg and he drew a blank in all databases.

Cheers.

[elanfan1]

Are you certain of the reg number.

I have had a contact who 'works on the inside'!! check this reg and he drew a blank in all databases.

Cheers.

This is because of what I stated earlier. The DVLA only went computerised in 1983 old logbooks were put on microfiche and new V5's were issued. If the car was stolen prior to this time and the logbook never passed to them then it's probable they have nothing on the car. Dormant records do exist for many cars that there has been no activity on for years i.e. No change of address or not being taxed. I'm not sure how long a lack of activity turns a record to a dormant one.

It does seem likely then that even the V888 enquiry will yield nothing.

I suspect your only other avenue would be to use area code of the registration number to find out where the the car was originally licensed and hope the council have digitised or otherwise kept their original records. This might reveal the full VIN but quite often the clerks only recorded the last 4/5 digits so you may not get the full number anyway.

The whole exercise might be a little pointless as it is highly unlikely the car exists after nearly 40 years (probably broken for parts). If it does it will have a new identity and as I understand it DVLA have no way of searching by VIN on old numbers anyway so it's unlikely to turn the car up with its new registration. If by some miracle you were to find the car today with its original VIN and even original engine and chassis I reckon you'd have a very hard time trying to claim the car back when it will likely have passed through a number of innocent buyers in the meantime.

Taking this to the extreme I suspect you could end up with a current V5C but no car to go with it. Maybe this would get your Dad some closure on the issue which only you can put a value on.

[Barty]

Ok I understand now.

My man did get the chassis number for my former Elan from 65 which i sold in 82... Records existed to 84 before possible scrapping or export so it must have just sneaked onto their database.

Wish you luck with Swansea.

Cheers

[trw99]

Steve, as indicated in my post above, the reg number given by Sean was issued by London NW. Unfortunately the only records held by the Greater London Record Office relate to 1917 - a bit before our time!

Additionally, when the Local Taxation Offices were closed in 1977/8 on completion of computerization of the registration system, their vehicle records were offered to the appropriate local record office or police force. In many cases the records were declined. They didn't all go missing, but London's appear to have done so, unfortunately.

Tim