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RE: Kit cars in Prepared

To: Pat Kelly <lollipop@ricochet.net>,
Subject: RE: Kit cars in Prepared
From: "Colbert, Raymond J." <Raymond.Colbert@alcoa.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 08:54:50 -0400
So at least some of my asumptions were correct.

Ray

> ----------
> From:         Phil Ethier[SMTP:pethier@isd.net]
> Sent:         Friday, July 28, 2000 10:25 PM
> To:   Pat Kelly; Colbert, Raymond J.
> Cc:   autox@autox.team.net
> Subject:      Re: Kit cars in Prepared
> 
> 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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