LotusRescue

[johnpwalsh]

Well there been a significant start with involvement with Lotus cars as a long time hobby.

As many of you know, over the years I have found a fair few car's in odd locations across the UK and taken them back from, in many cases the brink of the grim reaper, the crusher. So today after an unrepeatable offer from a fellow enthusiast, I am about to launch a new venture which will of course be Lotus.

Now you may think, what next, well we all have heard the stories of a car tucked away in a shed, a barn, a garage, a garden, in fact over the past few year's I have rescued many which have turned out to be bloody good car's and most had been left due to loss of storage, enthusiasm, finance or impending divorce.

Well these last 8 months of unemployment has given me the opportunity to seek out and see more car's in various precarious location's than I would have thought possible. So another Lotus enthusiast who wishes to remain silent has given me the fantastic opportunity of finding, cajoling, dragging these poor unfortunate things of beauty home.

LotusRescue hope to offer the following services.

1/ Search out a car, rescue it and offer for sale as a project.

2/ Get the car back up and running with a full report on their requirements prior to selling on to a  fellow enthusiast for restoration.

3/ As above but bring them up to MOT standard.

4/ Source a buyer for a car we have found and give the above options all the way to full refurbishment.

As an enthusiast and having carried a fair bit or work on our favored toy's, there is nothing worse than hearing of a car stashed away somewhere, get all the details, go find it then find its either a complete basket case, or the current owner can only see pound sign's through rose tinted glasses

Our intention is to try and take all the hours of work and miles traveled out of the future owner's time and provide a service which will the save hassle.

Discussion are about to take place on setting up a web site which will show cars that have passed through to date and what we will have on offer.

Initially this will be on a part time basis, but will hopefully increase as business increases. Premises are under review at the moment to ensure they are suitable for storage and repair of any toys purchased.

We currently know of 10 UK car's available for rescue which I will be listing once confirmed that I can 100% guarantee we can obtain.

What are your thought's guy's, do you think it will work in today's current financial climate. Do you think we maybe up against to many of the bigger guns.

It now seem's our friends over at your side of the pond have the biggest selection of available early car's including the Esprit S1 so if any of you guy's state side have something tucked away which you would like to see restored and back on the highway we are more than willing to pitch in and see if we can secure a buyer her, back in the UK. I am currently organising the shipping of the first S1 Esprit to come back for restoration and she has is going to a happy new owner in France, so we know it can be done.

Anything out there, let me know, you can never tell what may come out of it.

All replies will be taken into consideration.

Please feel free to pass to any other interested organisations or groups, as we all have a common interest.

Attached photographs are two of our most recent finds which have since gone to new homes. Another 3 are currently in process.

Thanks in advance for any response.

 

[silverfrost]

Love it,  lotus rescue goes global     And did i read it right you have managed to bag the first ever production esprit   Please dont tell us it was that one with the roof chop one on ebay recently or we will all be killing ourselves for not buying it !  Especially Barry Kearly 

[Blackngolds3turbo]

I thought the first production esprit was LFU 972R? If I'm right that car definitely isn't in the US. 

Do correct me, but I thought that was the first production esprit, unless you've found a pre production?

Any news on S1's is good news  

[Barrykearley]

Think john means first s1 to be repatriated 

[silverfrost]

My mistake    But yes new hunting ground will be good,  Plenty of projects always seem to be showing up on sites like bring a trailer and such like.  

[johnpwalsh]

Nope guy's, but I wish it were the fist Esprit. To clarify, it's our first Esprit S1 to bring back from the USA. However do do have for sale  THE first production Excel. She has been sitting in a shed up in bonny Scotland for a few years waiting on a restoration which will not happen with the current owner. Now for sale by LotusRescue, not the cheapest Excel on the market, but what KUDOS to own the first (and documented as such) production Excel.

[johnpwalsh]

14 hours ago, Barrykearley said:

Think john means first s1 to be repatriated 

Other than saying the V8's the best Lotus. Barry got this one right. The first Lotus Esprit S1 to be repatriated by Lotus Rescue.

Give that man a coconut.

[johnpwalsh]

Ah well, just had confirmation that the S1 project is going ahead. The car has been paid for by our client and shipping is organised. Delivery due Mid April. The twist in the tail for this one is I sent our client details of a second S1 for sale in Boston. And guess what, he has only gone and bought it as well. So now two S1's coming back to blighty. One in White and one in my favorite color, Bright Yellow.

Double whammy for LotusRescue.

[johnpwalsh]

Well, our next long run is about to start. The S1 has arrived and is now clear of customs etc and ready for collection. The old Tug, i.e the discovery is all checked out, trailer ready and off we go to Felixstowe early on Monday morning for hopefully an uneventful trip South and back. So if you see and old disco chugging North with two knackered looking occupants, gives us a toot, you may just waken us up.

 

 

[pete]

good luck on bank holiday monday

[johnpwalsh]

Well another epic run completed. First info. Go to the office in Felixstowe and the car will be ready for collection. Can I have a contact number please and a post code. Ping, the phone goes dead. So we book a Premier Inn for the night and head off to save more time later. Next day, no one wants to answer the bloody phones before 9 am. At last get a response, only to be told the car is in Lombard storage in Ipswich and has yet to clear customs. Give me a post code and we will head over and get it sorted I say. So off we head and find the said warehouse and after much discussion the car is pushed out of the storage unit and left in the yard. Thanks guys for giving me a hand to load her onto the trailer, not. So car is winched aboard, tied down and off we set. 14 hours later we arrive home after an overnight drive, so yesterday was a 23 hour day. Today, the brain is too busy so change of clothes and a shower and get cracking with some Esprit work.

On top of this LotusRescue has this week been offered the following.

1 x Lotus Elise, one owner and only 6,000 miles on the clock.

1 x Lotus Eclat, pretty good condition but requires a rear windscreen.

1 x Lotus Europa S1 another one owner car in very good condition.

Any interest in any of the above plus the choice of 3 x Lotus Excel's, get in touch.

[johnpwalsh]

On 4/29/2017 at 20:14, pete said:

good luck on bank holiday monday

It was harder yesterday than it was on Monday. Bloody M6 and road works. But its here and the work starts this weekend, she goes to the pain shop for a tear down and see whats under the paint.

 

[AaronQ]

This is good to hear!  I spent 30 years in the air cooled VW scene and enjoyed saving a couple and seeing all those on the forums that where being saved and now that I will be joining the Lotus scene eventually, I like seeing this.  

And congrats on the new venture!