In a message dated 8/6/00 4:37:42 PM Pacific Daylight Time, shiples@home.com
writes:
<< Don't think I've ever seen a Lotus Engineering plate. >>
I do not have one available to look at now, but I seem to recall it was about
2x4 inches and had the following lines:
Lotus Engineering, Ltd.
7 Tottenham Lane
London, England
The plate was black with the lettering being exposed aluminum. There were two
blank squares below the three lines for Chassis number and Engine number.
Here are the Loti I have with identification:
1953 Lotus Mark VI ex-Laverton Chassis # 13, UK Registration PBJ 939 (no
"VIN" plate)
1954 Lotus Mark VIII ex-Margolis/Naylor Chassis # unknown, UK Registration
BMX 867 (no "VIN" plate but this was one of the first "Team" cars)
1955 Lotus Mark IX Chassis # unknown, UK Registration unknown (no "VIN"
plate)
1955 Lotus Mark X ex-Vaughn Havard Chassis # 92, UK Registration RCR 520
("VIN" plate of unknown origin -- just a strip of aluminum with "Lotus Mark X
-- No. 92" stamped on and riveted to the upper left engine bay frame tube)
Lotus Eleven Series Two Chassis # unknown, unknown UK Registration (no "VIN"
plate)
Lotus 14 (Elite) ex-Challman Series Two Chassis # 1366, US Car (with Lotus
Cars "VIN" plate)
Lotus 17 ex-Wilson/Smith Chassis # 666, no UK Registration (with Lotus
Components "VIN" plate, but a "Team" car)
Lotus 22 ex-Von Nieman Chassis # 22-FJ-17, Arch Motors tag # AM 10 (with
Lotus "VIN" plate)
The only Lotus car with a "Lotus Engineering" I owned was a Lotus Eleven
Series One Chassis # 207. The Chassis number was stamped on the plate, but
the engine number was left blank (It was delivered engineless to Alfred Momo)
I also had a Series Four Elan purchased directly from the factory whose
serial number was four numbers beyond the production run published by Lotus,
but that is another story.
David Whiteside
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