Chassie Plate

M

Matthew

New member
I know this will read like I am doing something shifty.... but I do have good intentions of saving an original Lotus from being broken up....
If an original Lotus Cortina is missing its Chassie Plate, is there any way of finding out the correct details (eg, color, trim, axle ratio) to be stamped on a new chassie plate? From what I understand of the UK registration system (DLVA?) its not important to have the body number or chassie plate on the car for rego as long as you have the log book. (Please correct me if I am wrong!)
I am looking at a car to import to Australia to restore, but here it gets very difficult to register a car without its chassie plate and body number in place. I know the log book will give me the body number (BA91***) to re-stamp in the correct spot, and I can buy a blank reproduced chassie plate, but can I get the right details for it? If I am going to go to the trouble to import and restore a Lotus, then it is important to me to know I can get the right info before I buy the car.
Any help would be apreciated.
Regards Matthew.
 
Try lotus-cortina.com they explain all chassis details on that site.
I would make sure the logbook you have with chassis number is the correct one for the car before you buy. There was a Lotus Mk2 logbook for sale on ebay the other month ??????
 
Hi Rob, I have been to that site and it tells me what the details could be, but I want to know what they should be for the car I am looking at.

Hi Louis, no I have not... how do I contact them?

Thanks for the replies to date.

Matthew.
 
Hi Matthew,
Sorry forgot you're not a LCR member. Probably best to private message Rick or Andy M with as much info and evidence you have.
Cheers
Louis
P.S Including the enquiry with a completed membership form will no doubt help.
 
I should stress that I dont want the info now, but I do want to know if it is available or can be found.
I would like to become a member... how long till the paypal system is activated? (probably not the right place to ask about this :oops: )

Matthew.
 
Buy my Mk1, it´s got the original VIN plate and the number stamped in the body. :D

For me the VIN plate is important, if it is missing there shall be a good explanation why it is missing. Fex respray, a picture of the car before respray and some during-the-job pics is very good. To buy a car in blind with out the plate is a bit dangerous I think.
 
If the car is original with no stories attached and you have the log book with VIN No, you can get the other details from web. Trim, engine, axle, paint codes are all listed ?? I have a Mk2 workshop manual (The A4 size green one thats always for sale on ebay) That also lists all codes.
If the car is suspect with wrong trim axle etc then you have a problem but who would want it anyway?? These chassis tags in my view are to easy to obtain and get stamped.
 
The car in question has been sitting for some time, something like 15 years Im told. It has had a replacement top plate on the drivers side at some stage. If your UK built cars are like the Australian built ones then the body number will be on the drivers side top plate, that in this case was replaced many years ago.
I know its easy to look up the codes for the color and trims and so on, but is there a way of knowing what trims and color is correct for any given car/body number? Here in Australia you can go to Ford with a vin/body number of an Australian built or sold Ford and they can tell you everything about that car, from its color to what dealer the car was delivered to, they even know what options were fitted by the factory (eg: LSD, radio, sunfoof, body stripes and so on).
Can ford in the UK tell you this kind of info? or is there someone else that might know?
I guess that one could have an educated guess at what the codes should be by looking at the car.... but how do you know what trim your car has when there is 259 diffrent options from Oct 68 onwards? ( I am looking at a MK2 series 2 ) I know they are diffrent colors, but without counting them there has to be 30 diffrent black codes!
Thanks for the replies so far.... Matthew.
 
I can only speak for Sweden: There are no way to find out like you can in Australia. But on the swdish cars there was not to many trim codes that was used on the LC. You can most certainly get help from the anoraks to find out if it is a LC or not you are buying from a set of good pictures. MkII is more difficult than a MkI, but there are ways if know the cars. Stamping a new plate is no problem, I have access to a machine that does it the correct way from behind. The most important is that the car is genuine, if you buy and pay for one.

Like the aussie cars the swedish cars also have the VIN on the right inner wing. Cars sold here was bulit in UK and Netherlands. I have seen some south african built cars here, 2 or 3 maybe but they was imported.
A friend of mine has a estate that was sold new in Perth, built in UK and exported as diplomatic goods to Norway. Been round the world that car.
 
If this is a mk1 Lotus Cortina is located in N.Y. in the USA you may want to talk to me. It may be the one I looked at briefly.

Gary
 
Hi all,

Just to answer a few questions at once, the car is a Mk2, series 2 in the UK.

And again, thanks for all the input and replies.

Matthew
 
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