Colin Chapman Steering Wheel

[SimonE]

Hi

I'm after a little information on a Colin Chapman signature steering wheel that I have come across.

Instead of the punched holes it has a tear shaped cut out in each the 3 spokes. It has the black Lotus horn push.

Does anyone have any idea which Lotus (if any!) model this might have been fitted to?

It is in absolutely pristine condition

Thanks

Simon

[SimonE]

Thanks for your prompt replies to my earlier question guys

Its in the Archives - sorry didn't realise there was one - what is wrong with giving a reply to a question??

You folk really need to be more welcoming to new peeps

[dougweall]

I would say you are welcome Si, but then again I know you anyway, so welcome.

By the way you should have asked the Nyloc guru.

Doug.

[SimonE]

Cheers Doug

You know me as a rather serial Lotus owner

I need a quick resolution on this one because what I bought is not what I agreed to buy

Sorry for any upset chaps

[Pastapesto]

Hi Simon & welcome.

I saw your post earlier but did not get a chance to reply until now.
From memory, what you describe sounds like a S3 Special Equipment steering wheel but I always thought that they did not have the Colin Chapman signature on them.
Maybe I'm wrong but is there a chance of a picture?
If I may ask, which wheel did you think you were buying?
I have always thought that it is the best looking wheel but if you want to sell it, I'd be happy to make you an offer.

Hope you get the one you want in the end.

Adam

[Elanintheforest]

Hi Simon
The original late S3, the S4 and the Sprint, as well as the early Plus 2 cars all had the Chapman wheel with, as you say, holes in the spokes. The slotted wheels didn't normally have the sig. However, in conversation with a chap a few weeks ago who is well connected with the factory, he told me that the signatures were only stamped in after manufacture, and that one set of stamps is still around, and wheels can easily be stamped up. And indeed, were easily stamped up in period, and not necessarily on the standard wheels!

If the sig looks right, buy it....an interesting piece of Lotus history that proves yet again that you can't be certain of anything!!

Mark

[Spyder fan]

Gentlemen, perhaps it's best to draw a line under this thread.

The last person to refer to me as a gentleman was very much mistaken

Simon,
Welcome to LotusElan.net, I hope you stay a long time and contribute your knowledge and are not put off by your first tentative outings.

I agree with the consensus that a little patience is required. Sometimes new posts are missed, especially if the new posts page has refreshed shortly after you put up a question or new topic. I visit the forums and click on the new posts on a daily basis, but I didn't see your topic come up and I don't always have time to trawl through the different forums looking for new stuff to read. Further, we are not all experts on steering wheels and even those who are may be a little busy with their day to day lives and won't visit daily. Personally if it hasn't got Moto-Lita stamped on the wheel I'm not interested, so I wouldn't have replied to your post in any case unless I felt compelled to point you towards the archives like Pete did. Pete is the official welcomer of Newbies to the forums and takes his job very seriously, you are required to feel small and insignificant until you achieve at least two gears and a full fledged argument regarding zetecs, duratecs or Lotus Cortinas.

Regards

[Elanintheforest]

I don't think that there's a lot of value pointing folks at the archive when the information being sought isn't covered. The wheel that Simon has seen is unique, as far as I know, and it could just be a very interesting and unusual find. If it is a stamped up S3 S/E wheel, and the stamping looks original, I'd certainly buy it.

Apart from Adams and my response, nobody else bothered to try to answer the question, other than go look in the archive for something that doesn't exist. This is a forum, not a structured database of information where information is designed to be indexed and accessable.

Mark

[Tonyw]

Mark,

I am sure like you I have looked almost all of the steering wheels that have come up on Ebay and other places including this site,probably hundreds over the past six years that I have been lurking around and I have never ever seen a tear drop style steering wheel with a Colin Chapman signature, so i think that your suggestion that this is one that someone has "made" into a Chapman wheel is probably correct. It would be helpful to see a photo of the wheel so we could see if the Chapman signature is the same as we have all seen many times.

Tonyw

PS Mark did you ever get your soda blasting machine working well ? if so how pleased were you with the results?

[Elanintheforest]

I've only done a few panels and some engine bits, Tony, but the results are fantastic. I'm convinced that it's the best way to strip fibreglass. I've seen a complete car done with soda, and the shell had no damage at all. That can't be said for any aggressive method of stripping paint like sanding or chiselling.....you only need to look at an Option 1 painted car to wonder where the mould line that runs along the top of the front wings / through the headlamp pod went!

Alan, I am also a big fan of the MotoLita wheel, and have had one on the S3 for ever! The E Type has one as well, as I really don't like the thin and flexible feel of a woodrim!

If I can persude the guy who knows the guy that has the Colin Chapman stamp, I will get the MotoLita done....and it won't be the first MotoLita with the Colin Chapman signature on it!

Mark

[bilcoh]

TonyW - No, this is Abuse. You want 3rd door on your left, down the hall.

I love this thread if only to get to see the interplay of personalities amongst you old-timey guys. I haven't laughed out loud that much for quite a while. British humor at it's best, truly.

Simon - I'm new to this forum, and have found it incredibly welcoming and, frankly, invaluable. You could probably still find a happy place in this community, though you've shown a lot of your color, so it'll be quite a road of recovery.

My 2 pence - People bring themselves to any situation. This particular person was already convinced of the results he'd get, and frankly, it was a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, wasn't it? The issue certainly wasn't the initial query, just the disrespectful and presumptive tone of the follow-up. And I'd say all the subsequent posts were exactly what was deserved. If he'd left a reasonable amount of time, Mark or others would have brought the help. If he'd "bumped" the post, respectfully, and stated his reason for urgency, again, not problems. But to lambast the very people you're asking for help? Well, don't be surprised when nobody wants to talk to you anymore.

Perhaps we should establish a Service Level Agreement, clearly stating that you should not expect a response at all unless you either:

A) Are witty and detailed in your request, engaging in your tone, understand you are seeking free help from others, and provide lots of photos or links to photos.

-or-

B) You include a receipt for a PayPal donation of $5 to the LotusElan.net general beer fund, in which case, someone will respond within 24 hours.

Cheers to all,

Dave

[types26/36]

B) You include a receipt for a PayPal donation of $5 to the LotusElan.net general beer fund, in which case, someone will respond within 24 hours.Dave

Err....24 minutes or less........is more like

[nebogipfel]

....you only need to look at an Option 1 painted car to wonder where the mould line that runs along the top of the front wings / through the headlamp pod went!

Do they lose them then

I thought they were the dogs wosnames ........or have I grasped the wrong end of the stick as usual

PS .....might be drifting a bit off topic

[ardee_selby]

This thread has raised some interesting issues.

I've been waiting since 8th Feb this year for some sort of response to:

elan-f14/what-happened-all-the-coupe-roofs-rear-screens-t22064.html

(It was around the time that guys were seeking Coupe rear screens)

274 "viewings" and not a peep! Nada, Nicht,

Have I taken umbrage? No. Why? Because I figured it had been read 274 times by the same guy who didn't have any information to add!

[types26/36]

I've been waiting since 8th Feb this year for some sort of response to:http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/elan-f14/what-happened-all-the-coupe-roofs-rear-screens-t22064.html!

Richard dont get a complex about it ....there are 49 pages of "unanswered posts" I'm sure someone loves you... .