The Lotus Grand Tourers

MetBlue wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:44

Question time.

Anyone know if any LHD Excels were actually made. Without exports to America, I'm sure demand would be low.
Back to Matthew Vales book, it states 2158 as best guess total production. Taking the difference between first and last UK destined serial numbers, I get 1993 RHD cars. Possible I suppose that the other 165 are RHD exports to countries that drive on the correct side of the road - or a mix of exported Left and right hand drive.
Tony.

I’m sure some must have been made. They definitely did the engineering for it as my car was both RHD and has had a LHD pedal box fitted.

This one, on the Wikipedia entry for the Excel is clearly LHD:



From the notes it seems to be a Swedish model.

It seems Lotus have also managed to park the windscreen wiper on the other side for the LHD market too.

Here's another one - from https://www.sportovnivozy.cz/141594-lot ... alozkaFoto



Has a VIN No as well: SCC089912GHG10320

Latest summary of the register:

Elite / Eclat ( approx 60 extra cars found since last update)


Excels ( approx 100 extra cars found since last update)


And lastly an update on what the Excels are registered as by DVLA:


Comparing back to the summer, the stats for the DVLA registered names aren't changing a great deal despite a good few extra cars being added, so would seems are a pretty good estimate of how many Excels are registered as Eclats, hence messing up the data on "How Many Left".

Most sources I can think of are now exhausted for finding new cars, so the rate new data is being added is slowing up. Mainly from when another Ebay Barn find surfaces.
Anyone with a car that's been in the garage for several years, would love to hear from you either via PM or on here.

Tony

Great work Tony.

Bash

Excellent work!

Out of interest do you know if total production numbers include the 5 pre-production cars
Also how many SAs are there on the register?

Alan_M wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 19, 2022 13:28

Also how many SAs are there on the register?

Note that after about 1989 the SA morphed into an SE with Auto option so wasnt badged there after as an SA, so difficult to count (IIRC)

This is a dead 1990 Automatic, but not badged as an SA!

Hawaiis0 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 19, 2022 21:15

Alan_M wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 19, 2022 13:28

Also how many SAs are there on the register?

Note that after about 1989 the SA morphed into an SE with Auto option so wasnt badged there after as an SA, so difficult to count (IIRC)

This is a dead 1990 Automatic, but not badged as an SA!

Interesting - I did not know that.

Nor did I, but I think I may have the gearbox out of that dead car!?

Pete

Pete Boole wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 20, 2022 18:18

Nor did I, but I think I may have the gearbox out of that dead car!?

Pete

yes - and I got the speedo and throttle cables

Well here's a find:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11453
Carries a link to a German site with probably around 24 car, many with Chassis no's. Data compiled in the early 2000's.
http://excelregister.lotusexcel.de/
Be interesting to see if any of them are already on the register.

Tony

Alan_M wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:54

MetBlue wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:44

Question time.

Anyone know if any LHD Excels were actually made. Without exports to America, I'm sure demand would be low.
Back to Matthew Vales book, it states 2158 as best guess total production. Taking the difference between first and last UK destined serial numbers, I get 1993 RHD cars. Possible I suppose that the other 165 are RHD exports to countries that drive on the correct side of the road - or a mix of exported Left and right hand drive.
Tony.

I’m sure some must have been made. They definitely did the engineering for it as my car was both RHD and has had a LHD pedal box fitted.

I missed this post earlier. Since I own a LHD example that came from Switzerland, I know there was at least one. I keyed in the info from Team Excel into Excel (the spreadsheet software, not the car), and came up with 211 export cars. I assumed that the export VIN sequences were separate to designate left hand drive cars, but the veterans here probably know better than I do.

Just off an auction site

PSU845P Elite

Nice one Stu.
That's the Elite Trevor saw last week. Just putting it to register now.
Tony

Out of interest do you know if total production numbers include the 5 pre-production cars
Also how many SAs are there on the register?

I have 22 SA's currently on the register. 18 off MY 86 onwards and 4 off MY 89's.

The count in my sheet for RHD Narrow body car of 505 excludes the 5 pre production cars.

Tony