MusCat Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 If anyone is in the market there is a S1 for sale at the forthcoming H&H auction - here. Suggested price very reasonable at £10k to £12k. Quoted chassis number doesn't make any sense.
peterg Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Reg No AAY 929J would indicate it was first registered in 1971 too isn't that a bit er, recent
MusCat Posted October 30, 2007 Author Posted October 30, 2007 Yes - the title says "1958/197 Lotus 7" - I think they forgot the "1" after the "197". I have no knowledge of this car but a history such as, raced, dumped in barn, resurrected and registered for the road, would not appear that unusual.
Alex Wong1697456877 Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 From 7faq Series 1: Chassis Numbers 400-499 built at Hornsey Chassis Numbers 750-892 built at Cheshunt The gap in the sequence can be confusing. Numbers 500-553 were Elevens, and numbers 600-615 were Fifteens. Apparently some numbers between 750 and 892 were used for Formula Junior cars Chassis number on auction car (JMH71) doesn't seem to match this? The 71 I would guess is the year it was made and Mr JMH probably assembled the car in 71 but it seems the original chassis number may be missing? Edited by - Alex Wong on 30 Oct 2007 16:30:31
Mike C Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Quite simply, it is NOT a series one. however they would like to dress it up, this is not what they say. You cannot re register a car and give it an identity that makes it seem YOUNGER than it really is. So in other words, if it were ever a series one, you could not possibly re register it on a newer number plate. Apart from having a different body and reg year from a series one, it could still be afun car to own though. Mike C No longer K9 JPE
Area Representative finmac Posted October 30, 2007 Area Representative Posted October 30, 2007 Lot of money for dubious provenance
Davey Bee Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 Mike, what you say is correct, in as much that since the mid-80's that as been the rule. However before that if my memory is correct, it was possible to put a newer number on a car that had on been previously registered in this country. A few friends would import cars and they always came with current reg' numbers. Having said all that I doubt that this is a genuine series 1, but as you say, I'm sure it would be a lot of fun owning it, at the right price. R600 VX here
Irrelevant Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 DB: You are right . . . . as a kid, my father had an R plated (1977ish) Pug 504 that was made in 1973 but lived in Gibraltar for it's first few years. One of bro's Land Rovers is also 1973 but has an X plate (Ex-Military). Pretty much anything went back in the 1970's though and as there were next to no checks, loads of race cars would have been pensioned off and registered in what we'd now see as a bit of a dodgy manner.
TOM91ACE Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 I agree,things were very different back in the seventies In 1974 I built a motorcycle special, I used a 1957 Ducati frame and a 1959 Triumph engine, the only new parts were the wheel rims and the exhaust pipes. It was registered as new in 74 on an N with my name as the manufacturer. The only thing I had to do was to have a Police inspection to say it was safe to use on the road. Tom.
Irrelevant Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 It was registered as new in 74 on an N with my name as the manufacturer. You could do this up to c1996 IIRC - mate's Dad got is 'Orchard Cosworth' Gp A rally car reg'd on a current plate just before they closed this option.
andy couchman Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 Wasn't that how Q regs came about? Think the Police inspection was often just to check for stolen goods as well... Andy
Alex Wong1697456877 Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 More info now. Like many an old warhorse this Lotus Seven has quite a story to tell. Although, lacking a Lotus chassis plate, the car has the number 'P00018' stamped into one of its chassis members which may have been the work of the Progress Chassis Co (the firm responsible for supplying early Seven chassis). Sadly, any production records that Progress might have kept have disappeared so there is no way of cross-referencing the car's origins. That said, Lotus Seven Historian & Archivist John Watson identified several interesting features from photographs: "The steering arm position behind the centre line of the front wheels and the steering column travelling between the clutch and the brake pedals suggest a Series One car (September 1957 - June 1960). The mounting brackets for the master cylinders being on top of the footbox are a feature of the later Series One cars. However, it does look as though these have been re-welded at a later date". Although, there is no documentary proof that the Lotus began life as a racer, the circumstantial evidence is plentiful. As well as extra cross-bracing, the front end of the chassis sports camber-adjustable double-wishbone suspension, a lower-mounted anti-roll bar and Herald-derived disc brakes. While at the rear, the lower chassis rails are angular rather than curved in shape, the Nash Metropolitan back axle (4.55:1) is located via straight-top radius arms and the diagonal link has been substantially straightened / braced. Many of these modifications are similar to those outlined in 'Lotus Seven: A Collector's Guide' by Jeremy Coulter (and practiced by the likes of David Bettison and Reg Price). The fact that the two-seater was road registered as a rebuilt vehicle by the then custodian John Markham Hartill in 1971 (hence the 'JMH 71' chassis number) indicates that it had not long finished competing. According to John Watson, it was not unknown for drivers to keep the chassis plates of their successful Sevens as keepsakes. Purchased by its previous keeper in 1972, the Lotus has been in the current ownership since 1994. The subject of much restoration work over the last thirteen years, it retains an early Series One scuttle but otherwise wears a mixture of battle-scarred or new aluminium panels. Powered by a replacement 948cc A-series four-cylinder engine allied to BMC four-speed manual transmission (it had a pre-crossflow Ford engine and gearbox installed when acquired), the Lotus has also had attention paid to its suspension, brake and steering assemblies. Riding on 13-inch JAP Magna alloys, this intriguing car is offered for sale with V5C Registration Document, daylight use MOT certificate and historic class (free) road tax both valid until August 2008.
alextangent Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 daylight use MOT certificate What's one of those? I thought there was no such animal; certainly the regs don't mention it. *confused* Alex McDonald A loud 1700 SS
peterg Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 If you work your way through the MOT manual you'll see several mentions (mostly in the lights section) which says "this inspection is not required for vehicles only to be used in daylight" like for instance on this page, first column...
Archie Procter Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 one or two of the megagrads have daylight MOTs, their spec runs without lights but they want to be able to drive them on the road
Irrelevant Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 Hmmmmmmmmm . . . even if your lights have not been tested, you still get a normal MOT though? After all, you can drive a car with no lights in a 30mph zone if the street lights are XXX feet away from one another. A daylight only MOT would stop you from (legally) doing this.
Budjuggler Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 So: Is it possible to see the resul5ts of the above auction? Andy The Cat in front is a thirsty Toyota ....
MusCat Posted November 1, 2007 Author Posted November 1, 2007 The auction is on the 21st November - result usually appear a couple of days later
Sheds Moderator Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 A daylight MoT is marked as such and you may only use the car in daylight hours. Whether this is sunrise to set official figures or a copper's sayso, I don't know. It's a bit of a favourite for old bikes with acetylene lights - you can keep the original casings but you don't have to mess about converting them to electric lamps.
Sheds Moderator Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 I bet it goes for a lot more than 12k. Good ones with all the right numbers go for 25-30k ☹️ so a punt on this one at 12k is worthwhile. If it turns out to be a S2 or S3 dressed up as a S1 (and why change the axle for one as bobbins as a Nash Met?) then it's still worth the 12k.
K200CSR Posted December 19, 2007 Posted December 19, 2007 Does anyone know what it sold for? Edited by - pecccl on 19 Dec 2007 15:44:36
1WEL Posted December 20, 2007 Posted December 20, 2007 SOLD for £350 Gary LADS website WANTED - hood bag and Momo s/wheel boss
MusCat Posted December 21, 2007 Author Posted December 21, 2007 It didn't sell at the auction. It's for sale here for £12,750.
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