The Lotus Grand Tourers

I know Dunc has created and maintains the Elite and Eclat register but is there a register for Excel? Or are they included on Dunc's register as many were registered by the DVLA as Eclat Excels?

If not, what is the interest in having one set up? What should such a register include?

This could be a useful resource. I'd suggest that some details should be voluntary, since the owner may or may not be willing to share that information.

To kick off, I'd suggest the following information should be included:

• Model (base/SE/SA)
  Year first registered (or built, if known)
  Number plate
  Colour
  Original colour (if different)
  Chassis number
  Engine number (unless replaced with non-Lotus engine)
  Is engine original?
  Current owner
  Previous owners (if known, and willing to share)
  Is current owner a member of Excel.net?
  Current location
  General Notes section, where the owner can add what they want - modifications, upgrades, restoration date, interesting history etc.

Adding a photo would be a nice touch.

What have I missed?

EDIT: - Been advised to keep it simple -which is not a bad idea- hence MSAccess idea withdrawn.

I would be interested in joining a register but only if the potential for use and abuse is collectively brainstormed discussed first (on this forum) and that the aims and objectives for the register are defined. I'm happy to provide my data but I'd want to know how it's going to be used.

So let's start the debate as soon as possible.

Lotus-e-Clan wrote:I would volunteer to apply my creative juices in MSACCESS programming for free - if required.

So let's start the debate as soon as possible.

Good thing you said that at the end Peter - after espousing all the benefits you would be bound to have been considered as volunteered!

probably wouldn't include these

Current owner
Previous owners (if known, and willing to share)
Is current owner a member of Excel.net?
Current location

Data protection could bite if we go into personal name data, we only concerned with the car really anyway

Number of owners yes.

Reg number is nice but use chassis to identify

milage

Lotus provenance present would be good

non standard changes

Fair point about Data Protection - although it's a PITA, that would be helpful to have. Although many of us will recognise each other's cars anyway! Location alone surely wouldn't give anything away - at least for those whose cars are outside the UK it's an interesting detail.

Mileage may be impractical - mine changes daily!

For similar reasons I was tempted to suggest Status - e.g. in daily use, occasional use, off road undergoing restoration, off road awaiting restoration. But that sort of info is bound to go out of date, people are highly likely not to remember to update it.

A question for you all to think about..... would the sierra cosworth owner want all this information to hand ( or any other stealable car ), of course 'owner' could fall under the general heading 'possesion at the time'.
I won't be putting much info for my car on here.

bash
( ex bobby )

What I was thinking of was an Open Office spreadsheet (for accessibility) with columns for Chassis number, Type (base, SE, SA), Engine no., colour, location(e.g. UK, France, USA, etc.), lotusexcelnet username, comments such as used on the road, being restored, etc. and date of last update. Using such a spreadsheet would allow sorting in engine number, by location, type, whatever and it would be searchable.

I think the registration number would be a step too far and the names of previous owners would lead to GPDR issues.

I was thinking it would be a central record of where cars were and in what state. Sometimes cars come up for sale and we ask, "Is that so-and-so's car?" The register would help answer that. It might be of use tracking stolen cars.

Long time ago Jimmy Bondi startet this: http://excelregister.lotusexcel.de there. for instance V8 fou's car is in it...

Could be a good start. Every register of a small numbered car is useful. Keep the clear name out, use the board name and everything should be fine.

I am a great fan of registers.

Why not start with the Chassis Number as the whole population then a display page of those updated as Taxed/SORN/Emigtrated/Alive

bash wrote: I won't be putting much info for my car on here.

bash
( ex bobby )

Me neither

Of course, if it were to happen, all information for it would be given voluntarily. It would be nice to keep track of how many and which cars are still on the road.

Bear in mind chaps even though you have "owned" the vehicle for X number of years it is no guarantee that you are the actual owner.
The V5 does not show ownership it merely represents a keeper or curator of said vehicle.
With the V5 now being electronic and no signature required and with the new forms - a vehicle that has been on your property for 12months without contact from an individual can be claimed and the V5 transferred to the owner of the land it sits on. The DVLA does not check the vehicles circumstances.

It's easier to transfer than you think. I am aware of one situation currently ongoing where ownership is being transferred by the DVLA to someone legally due to storage debts unpaid.

Chassis numbers given freely is a dangerous precedent..

dead right, with our cars going up in value they could be a target so in my view too much information publically available is a bad thing. I can see some of the attraction of knowing how many are left but I think I probably know of more excels not on this forum than on, which defeats the object of the list, sorry.

Bash

So it looks like there are legitimate concerns about security should this information be publicly available and keeping is secret would defeat the object, in my view so it would be best to drop the idea.