Before I start asking questions I thought I would introduce myself on this forum!
My name is Stijn and I have spent the last 8/9 months restoring a Lotus Excel SE from 1988 in my free time.
The car is black with a gold pinstripe and has a beige full leather interior. The car was originally bought by my father in 2000. He already had an Elite 504 which he bought a few years prior and bought the Excel, since the Elite had some issues (of course it had). We lived in Britain at the time.
We moved back to the Netherlands in late 2000 and my dad drove the Excel for about half a year until the right front brake stuck on. He put it away to fix later, but unfortunately a fulltime job and two extra children took all the time. So the car was covered up and put in a CarCoon (airbubble) in the garage for 16 years.
I am 23 now, and a complete car nut. So after saving up some money I was looking for a fun classic car, so I went to take a look at the usual suspects, the Porsche 924, the 944, and scoured the internet for every other possible option. But the Excel always was my first love and after 17 years of envious looks, in the back of my head I knew that had to be it. After discussing it with my father we decided to save this endangered species of a car and do it properly as well (though on a budget).
At the time of writing both the front and rear suspension and the brakes are almost completely disassembled, 75 procent has been sandblasted and most parts have lost their bushes. All bushes will be polyurethane. The brakes will be revised, the wheels will be powder-coated, get new tires, the engine needs work, the headlining needs renewal, and the seat leather need some refurbishing. Plus some small work with the lights, and the electrics.
I hope to get to know my fellow enthousiasts a lot better here, help others with the knowledge I am getting and get some help with the things I can't find the solution for. I also hope to come in contact with other Dutch Excel owners to see how many others there are!
Released from its prisonblock after removing most of its stuck-on brakes
First bit of 'light' (and drizzle) in 17 years
Where it is now, only without wheels or suspension...
