LOTUS ELITE EXPERIENCES

-* LOTUS ELITE EXPERIENCES

Sir,

Recently I have been considering the purchase of a Lotus Elite kit, but the experiences of a friend with this tnarytte have given rise to a change of heart on my part. Readers, especially those with, perhaps, similar intentions, may be concerned to learn that these expensive cars are by no means immune from the spate of indifferent service facilities which abound nowadays.

My friend’s Elite was returned to the makers for repair following an accident in August 1961, and he did not get it back until nearly six months later, when, after less than a day’s use, it had to be abandoned due to serious leakage from the fuel tank into the interior. The car is now back at the makers once again, and no date for its proper completion can even be hinted at.

After ” repair,” it was discovered that one door aperture was half an inch bigger than the other, with results that can be imagined. The finish of the complete respray is so poor that it will have to be done again, while all the wheels and tyres have been lost and replaced at themaker’s expense.

But the prize item (incredible but absolutely true) is the fact that it was impossible to make a new door to fit the car (which, incidentally, is no longer being built) since the only existing set Of door moulds have been thrown away!

All this is a revealing contrast to the sales talk which I received at the Motor Show, and one feels that Colin Chapman is far more interested in designing the ” ultimate ” racing car than providing a proper repair service for the many unsuspecting people who are providing his bread and butter.

Naturally, my friend bitterly regrets haying purchased his Elite, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to benefit from his experience. Others also may wish to be convinced of the availability of after-sales service before purchase.

Littlehampton. A. C. Biun0Liom.