Elite 50th Anniversary - Banner / Display ?

[MetBlue]

Some great thoughts Andy.
I'm OK for the proposed Zoom meeting.
Tony

[richardw]

Great input guys, seems like there is a meaningful quorum. I’ll set the zoom up and post details here over the weekend.

Cheers, Richard

[richardw]

Zoom meeting details:

Topic: Elite 50th anniversary
Time: Jan 10, 2024 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79347011506?p ... A87v7m1c.1

Meeting ID: 793 4701 1506
Passcode: VEy7Rz

[Pete Boole]

Thanks Richard - but it was going to be on 17th I thought.

Pete

[DavidOliver]

The first post mentions that a Robinson Prototype Elite Coupe will be on show.
If this is the same car that was carved up some months ago I strongly oppose to such an unsafe vehicle being shown on a Lotusexcelnet stand.
We cannot promote the concept of destroying the concept of structural capacity of COMPLETE fibreglass bodies.

Dave the cog.

[rbgosling]

Hi Dave,

Richard W met Mark Robinson at the NEC show last November, and in the ensuing chat it was suggested that he bring his Elite Coupe prototype to the Resto Show. I know little more about it, beyond being in touch with Mark to confirm he and his car can attend. I don't know anything about it being carved up, can you elaborate? Richard, was any of this apparent from your discussion in November?

[rbgosling]

Dave - is this the car you are talking about? Sold last August it seems:

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1627477



If the blurb is true this is the only surviving Elite Coupe prototype, and was in need of recommissioning at the time of sale. Obviously I don't have any further knowledge or information, but it seems astounding to me that anyone would carve up a car with such provenance??

[richardw]

I don’t know where this info about it being ‘carved up’ comes from - as Richard says I met Mark Robinson at the show and was also in touch with the previous owner. Dave, can you elaborate?

Thanks, Richard

[richardw]

Sorry chaps - amended to 17th - same login info.

Cheers, Richard

[DavidOliver]

This green Elite is not the one which appeared some months ago as a Youtube video and showed a yellow car having the top half cut off to make a coupe.
The carvery is somewhere on this Forum but I have not been able to find the reference.
Sorry to the owner of the green Elite if my comment has caused any concern.

Dave the cog.

[rbgosling]

Oh, that one I recall well! Funny how that project has gone quiet for a bit. I think the outrage would have been a lot worse if that had been a unique factory prototype, rather than an almost-beyond-repair barn find.

[MetBlue]

Zoom meeting details:

Topic: Elite 50th anniversary
Time: Jan 17. 2024 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79347011506?p ... A87v7m1c.1

Meeting ID: 793 4701 1506
Passcode: VEy7Rz

Reminder for tomorrow nights meeting.

See you all there with lots of ideas

[Marcus]

Ahead of our Zoom meeting.
I am sticking my neck out ahead of the Zoom meeting, but I feel that that to give meeting a focus, I have produced the following agenda with a number of points which could merit discussion. I hope that it will be of assistance to the meeting,

What are we celebrating
1. 50 years of the Lotus Elite
2. What are we trying to achieve

Who do we want to tell / inform
1. Magazines
2. National newspapers
3. The media
4. Car Shows- the big ones eg NEC Restoration Show 22 to 24 March – Classic Car Show 8 to 10 November
5. Goodwood Revival 6 to 8 September
6. Techno-Classica Essen (3 to 7 April 2024) the world-leading Classic Car Show, with 21 exhibition segments and a high international flavour.
7. Small local car shows

Accumulation of information
1. Interview with Mike Kimberley
2. Is their an archive section at Hethel
3. A salesman from a Lotus garage selling the Elite in 1974
4. Anybody who worked at Lotus when the Elite was being designed / put into production
5. Suggestion We write a letter to car magazines asking if they have any readers that can tell a story about the early days of the Elite
6. Marcus has some press cuttings with embargo until ………………..????
7. Autocar 18th May 1974 – launch article of the Elite

Where was Lotus at this time
1. Where was the Esprit when the Elite was launced
2. Strong / weak financial position
3. Success / failure on the race track
4. Existing cars / capacity at Hethel

Funding
1. Does the club have a budget
2. Contribution from Lotus Cars
3. Other income sources

What do we want to produce
1. Magazine articles written by journalists –
a. Martin Buckley – Classic & Sports Cars
2. Video – produced by Martin at Grand Thrift Autos
3. Press release – to be given to any motoring journalist
4. A web site specific to the Elite (based on Lotus Esprit World)
5. Martin Webber has mentioned his son produces videos from drones
6. Social media - Facebook / Twitter - are there others..............
7. Sufficient material for a book - 50 years of The Wedges (it will sell more copies if the Esprit is included)
8. Banners, flags, T shirts, bouncy castles????
9. Can we use Hethel - a collection of 50 Elites with the original office block in the back ground - if you don't ask, you don't get?

Sub Committee (oh dear, mention of the word committee)
We need somebody & somewhere to store the information

Contacts
1. Central contact - I would suggest that we have a name and phone number of somebody so that should anybody requiring further info, then he / she is the knowledge box
2. Names & contact details of those helping to put this project together

Looking forward to our first Zoom meeting on this subject. (Wed 17th Jan)
Marcus

[Hawaiis0]

Sorry Guys, missed all this. Life and stuff.

[rbgosling]

I posted about our plans to celebrate the Elite 50th across several Lotus-related Facebook groups I belong to (Lotus Excel, Lotus Elite/Eclat/Excel Owners, Lotus Owners, Lotus Remembered - for ex-employees). Plenty of enthusiasm, judging by the number of "Likes" (or they just liked the pic of Chapman with an Elite!). No-one else said they were considering planning anything yet, but there were a few suggestions:

• Silverstone Festival - Chris Tresadern-Jones of the LDC has offered to have us join that group and help co-ordinate something there. I'm tempted, as it's just down the road from me, but it is an expensive day out compared to most shows.
• Chris also proposed entering an Elite at the Salon Prive at Blenheim in September, but I'd imagine that would be up to an individual Elite owner.
• Chris has also suggested attending the Donington Historic Festival (4/5 May). I've enjoyed that one before, my kids like the racing, and it's not far from me, but then I don't have an Elite! (and last time I went I suffered a failure-to-proceed on the way home, which the family may not yet have forgiven me for ) )
• Most promisingly, Alan Nobbs has suggested incorporating an Elite 50th as the focus of the Lotus Remembered reunion event - this would be in September at Hethel. Richard W has proposed combining this with this year's Winterbottom Run, which makes good sense.