Mk1 Special Equipment
- Thread starter twiggs396
- Start date
Steve 155C
New member
Did you just buy the one the sold at auction in Sussex?
David Baldock
New member
Isn't yours an SE Pete?
Dave B
Dave B
Keith Halstead
New member
David Baldock said:
Pete & Don both have one - 25/27 VUR cars.
For sure, I’ve counted both the VUR cars you mentioned and Hiro’s VUR car in Japan - that’s three. Then there is DP’s, ex-AT’s (NAR 364D), ex-DT’s, SS’s, three others that i’ve seen in the past and mine and another that once belonged to a guy (Magivelry)? I met who ran an exhaust company in Caterham back in the early 1980s when I first bought my car (it may have been one of the VUR cars), there could be a few others of course, Rick my have more of an idea I guess.
As far as I am aware, SE models were fitted with the same Lotus Cortina exhaust system of cars built in the same year.
With regard to the "Cold Air Duct Fitted with Special Lotus Air Filter" mentioned on the spec sheet, I chatted with Lotus Sales Director Graham Arnold at a Club Lotus meeting way back in 1994 and asked him what that was all about. He told me that it was a design idea that someone at Lotus had for the SE model that was never followed up!
He went on to say that the SE model was conceived by Peter Warr and introduced in order for Lotus Components to boost their income and at the same time have a second bite of PR cherry with road tests.
With regard to the "Cold Air Duct Fitted with Special Lotus Air Filter" mentioned on the spec sheet, I chatted with Lotus Sales Director Graham Arnold at a Club Lotus meeting way back in 1994 and asked him what that was all about. He told me that it was a design idea that someone at Lotus had for the SE model that was never followed up!
He went on to say that the SE model was conceived by Peter Warr and introduced in order for Lotus Components to boost their income and at the same time have a second bite of PR cherry with road tests.
srrc
New member
Graham
I'd say you are spot on!
My father paid for the car with two cheques dated the same day, one to Lotus Cars (£386 which was the balance after the Zodiac was traded in) and the other to Lotus Components for £95. I still have the cheque book stubs.
I don't know what the relationship was between our main Ford dealer, White's of Taunton, and Lotus, as I understood that the car was ordered through Whites but my father collected from Cheshunt and delivered the Zodiac there.
The next cheque was to Somerset County Council for £15 road tax.
I'd say you are spot on!
My father paid for the car with two cheques dated the same day, one to Lotus Cars (£386 which was the balance after the Zodiac was traded in) and the other to Lotus Components for £95. I still have the cheque book stubs.
I don't know what the relationship was between our main Ford dealer, White's of Taunton, and Lotus, as I understood that the car was ordered through Whites but my father collected from Cheshunt and delivered the Zodiac there.
The next cheque was to Somerset County Council for £15 road tax.
I have a copy of that,- unfortunately not dated!
Mine has a single prop but they did change to a two piece one to solve vibration problems.
There is a Ford Service Bulletin with a note saying that the SE items were not covered by the Ford service or warranty (they were Lotus supplied). These were listed and include the exhaust, 'no expansion box'.
Also, when Lotus started selling the race prepared cars to the public the exhaust is described, 'as SE but with 2" bore', some believe the SE 'free flow' system was bigger than a standard LC exhaust, maybe 1 3/4" instead of 1 1/2" id?
Mine has a single prop but they did change to a two piece one to solve vibration problems.
There is a Ford Service Bulletin with a note saying that the SE items were not covered by the Ford service or warranty (they were Lotus supplied). These were listed and include the exhaust, 'no expansion box'.
Also, when Lotus started selling the race prepared cars to the public the exhaust is described, 'as SE but with 2" bore', some believe the SE 'free flow' system was bigger than a standard LC exhaust, maybe 1 3/4" instead of 1 1/2" id?
Michael Winstock
New member
I was interested to read that the 0-60 acceleration time for the SE is quoted as 7.8 seconds (and as low as 7.5 seconds in an earlier post ).
Given that the SE developed "only" 10 bhp more than the standard car, and that the 0-60 time for this is usually quoted at around 9.5 seconds, I wonder if the 7.5/7.8 figure can be believed.
It takes an awful lot of extra power (or much less weight) to reduce the acceleration time by a full 2 seconds.....much more than 10bhp......so were the times exaggerated (surely not!), or did the test car have something extra special under the bonnet?
The top speed is quoted in the earlier post as 116mph......with a standard 3.9 diff., this would indicate pulling over 6500rpm.....really?.....or another bit of Lotus artistic licence?
Given that the SE developed "only" 10 bhp more than the standard car, and that the 0-60 time for this is usually quoted at around 9.5 seconds, I wonder if the 7.5/7.8 figure can be believed.
It takes an awful lot of extra power (or much less weight) to reduce the acceleration time by a full 2 seconds.....much more than 10bhp......so were the times exaggerated (surely not!), or did the test car have something extra special under the bonnet?
The top speed is quoted in the earlier post as 116mph......with a standard 3.9 diff., this would indicate pulling over 6500rpm.....really?.....or another bit of Lotus artistic licence?