From: Pat Kelly <lollipop@ricochet.net>
To: Colbert, Raymond J. <Raymond.Colbert@alcoa.com>
Cc: autox@autox.team.net <autox@autox.team.net>; 'Phil Ethier'
<pethier@isd.net>
Date: Friday, July 28, 2000 4:42 PM
Subject: Re: Kit cars in Prepared
>some 7s arrived already assembled by the factory. Still are, in fact.
Not THAT factory. Lotus sold the rights to the Seven to Caterham many years
ago.
> The Elan isn't a kit car either...nor most of the Lotuses produced
>since as the factory went upscale.
>--Pat K
>
>"Colbert, Raymond J." wrote:
>>
>> The Europa was the first Lotus not to be considered a kit.
Nonsense. Lotus cars were factory-built. Some of them were available in
England as a box of parts because of a substantial tax break there. In
fact, the way the game was played, they were not supposed to sell "kits".
The idea is that to skip out on the new-car tax, you had to build your own
car from parts. The factory sold you parts, not a kit. To meet the legal
hoops, you could not have help from a professional at the local petrol
station. Also, the manufacturer could not print an instruction book, since
that would make it a "kit". So you would go to the local car-book shop and
pick up a book. The weird part is that after you got the Ministry of
Transport to sign off on your "home-made car", you could drive it over to
the Lotus factory and have it inspected again. After the Lotus inspection,
if you put it together right, it was pronounced a Lotus car and you got a
new-car warranty. I can't remember which models were available this way.
I'm pretty sure that the Elite was a little too complicated for this sort of
thing, but maybe not.
Phil Ethier Saint Paul Minnesota USA
1970 Lotus Europa, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Chev Suburban
LOON, MAC pethier@isd.net http://www.mnautox.com/
"If I can do it, it's not art" - Red Green
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