USAndretti42

I would post this on Lotuselan.net as well.

Spotted this this lunchtime. It was heading towards the A14 on the A45. It looked very good, but then I would say that as it used to be my car!

Nice looking car, though.

It was heading West on the A45 through the edge of Northampton at about 11:30 this morning (the 21st).

I wonder why someone has taken a saw to the nearside, front wing?

I saw it at about 4:30 this afternoon (April 26th). It was heading towards Silverstone/Brackley and had the registration A1 NJP, I think.

I don't know what the official name for the colour is but it did look nice. Was heading west and I saw it at about 4 this afternoon (16th April)

It's very shiny, though.

Currently at £4000.

Looks like the writer forgot to check all they wrote was accurate.

This S3 has been in a barn for a few years but, apart from being filthy, it doesn't look too bad. The thing that puts me off most is the buyer's premium of 11% + VAT. This means a winning bid of £14,000 (the lower estimate) would attract an extra £1,848 which seems a lot to me. Anyway, if you are after a cheapish S3, check it out.

Great post. Shame he's getting into the Granada rather than the Lotus. Or is he getting out of the Granada to get into the Lotus?

Looked at this Elite on Thursday. https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/classic-auctions/2565-28-Jan-2023/797~1-1976-lotus-elite Interior was tidy. Blurb said it had an MX5 motor conversion for the headlamps. There were old dampers and brake shoes in the boot.I The paintwork was not as good as it looks in the photos needing a heavy compounding and polish at least. I would say it was a 20 yard car. It sold for £5000 plus buyer's premium which, I would say, was a decent buy.

I posted about this car on LotusElan.net and got this response:- "I wish to reassure you and all others reading this thread that the Duckworth Elan at auction at Race Retro is indeed the very car gifted to Keith Duckworth. It was invoiced by the factory in February 1968. No Colour Code or Engine No is recorded against the car, which was built up by the factory. This concurs with other cars gifted by the factory. Similarly, there is no dealer name but the first owner is recorded as D. LK. Duckworth (sic). The car was registered in Northamptonshire on 7 Jun 68. We now come to that part of the story where I suspect some confusion has arisen. Around 2005 the car caught fire and was declared an insurance write-off. However, the fire had taken hold only around the carburetors, the remainder of the car being original. The car was then purchased back from the salvage company by Ken and Neil Myers and stripped, with the intention of a full restoration when funds permitted. In 2016 the consignor agreed to pay for the restoration and to purchase the car. Once the car had been restored DVLA was approached for a V5, with the help and support of Club Lotus. Even the police confirmed that the identity of the car was legitimate and approved the re-registration. I do not know what more the consignor of the car, the DVLA, the police or Club Lotus could do to confirm the originality of this Elan. In addition, it would be incumbent on the auction house to satisfy themselves as to the legitimacy of this or any other car they put up for public auction. " The consensus is that the car had a fuel fire and the insurance company wrote it off. There is some information about it on the Autosport Nostalgia forums. It was rebuilt and restored although some elements of the timeline are not clear such as how many owner's, when it was sold and bought by various parties and how severe the damage was. Whether any of this is a concern depends on the fire of any potential owner, I guess.

I heard that the "Duckworth" Alan was written off. Someone worked out the chassis number was and "recreated" it. Keith Duckworth never sat in it, let alone drove it. Whether the seller knows this, I don't know.

I quite like the front bumper but not so keen on the rear.

Wow! What a lot of work Good luck for the coming season. The car looks great. Your dad would be proud. 👍

It sold for £11,250. A friend of mine looked at it on the viewing day and he said it needed some work. All the wheels had been kerbed and the top windscreen trim was in a poor state, for example.

The top switch is the ice warning lamp but it does look as thought the lamp itself has disappeared.

Mind you, the mirrors are unobtainable.

It has S3 "ears" and an S3-style engine surround and locking fuel-filler caps so I think it's an S3 so the chassis should be galvanized. I guess the answer to the original question is that it could be a bargain if you have the skills and facilities to do the work yourself but, if you have to pay for a respray, body repair, possible engine rebuild if the bores are corroded, someone to fit new chassis coolant pipe, new radiator, new shocks and springs, brake pipes, etc. it could easily become a money pit. I hope the new owner comes on here to let us know how they get on.

This S3 Esprit was listed with an ever-reducing starting bid but still attracted no bids and went back on with the same result. It's got some body damage and has stood outside for 10 years so it needs a little attention. 😄 but as it didn't get a hit at £7,500 it could turn out to be a bargain. Or is it clearly a money pit?

We used to start the Honda Champ Car engines when cold using a 5 and 5 technique where the engine was bumped over on the starter 5 times and then cranked for 5 seconds before switching on the ignition. This helped clear oil out of the (dry) sump and circulate the oil before firing up.

I think the Elite seats' squabs are thicker and the squab release handle (to gain access to the backseat) has a wooden knob.

Congratulations on your purchase. I remember this car from Ebay and I think it has XJS front seats which is a common modification when the originals get worn. You could get then recovered to match the rest of the interior or you could hunt down some Elite seats. I thing the XJS seats are a bit thinner than the Elite seats and thus give a little more rear legroom.