On Wed, 29 May 2002, John F. Kelly Jr. wrote:
> Hello Scott Zediker, here's the info you were looking for:
>
> Q. Where can I purchase a Lotus Race Car such as the Elise Sport 190?
> A. Lotus Race Cars are distributed in North America by Lotus Cars USA, Inc.
> They can be contacted at 1 800 245 6887.
>
> I don't think a car from Lotus Cars USA, Inc. can be called a "Gray Market"
> car.
> The Elise is supposed to be certified (smog etc) and for sale in late
> 2002/early 2003. The company says they've sold over 10,000 Elise models
> world wide so far, just not too many in the U.S.
Any Elise you see driving around on the street is either doing so
illegally, or has been imported and had the drivetrain altered and is
rendered street-legal in a one-off manner similar to an imported Skyline.
"Gray market" is a very common term for the latter configuration.
As John very well knows, the Elise does not meet the production criteria
specified in the rulebook for Stock or Street Prepared classes:
"Cars running in Stock Category must have been series produced with normal
road touring equipment capable of being licensed for normal road use in
the United States, and normally sold and delivered through the
manufacturer's retail sales outlets in the United States. Car models not
specifically listed in any Stock Category class must have been produced,
and must meet the above requirements and been sold through normal U.S.
dealerships, in quantities of at least 1,000 in a 12- month period in
order to be eligible for the Stock Category."
The SP listing reads the same with appropriate class changes.
It looks like there are some exemptions in the Prepared rules that allow
the SEB to classify non-street-legal cars, see 15.A.3. If John is talking
about the Elise not being classed in Prepared, then I can't speak to that.
I don't think he is because he is focusing on the "grey-market" issue,
which isn't relevant to Prepared eligibility.
The Elise isn't eligible for Stock/Street Prepared for exactly the same
reason that the Skyline, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo (new model), some Subarus,
and other European/Asian models aren't. If you want to campaign for world
cars to be permitted in those classes, fine. I think it's an absolutely
terrible idea, but go right ahead. Presenting their non-eligibility for
Stock/SP classes as an example of Lotus-bashing doesn't hold water.
KeS
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