[DML] Re: wheres the prototype?

[Martin Gutkowski <martin.is@xxxx>]

Okay, I had to ring Dave Howarth this evening about the upcoming Coys festival, and so asked
him about this car. He came up with a lot of information - I just hope I can remember it!

[BTW, Dave has just bought his FOURTH DeLorean. He now owns the car in Back From The Future -
the right-hooker formerly owned by John Taylor of Duran Duran]

1) The car is STILL at Lotus in Norwich. It is sitting in a yard of test/prototype cars used
for everything from crash tests to bodywork.
2) Usually such cars are destroyed or recycled within 8 weeks BUT this is one of the original
DMC prototypes from before Lotus' involvement. Nobody can officially claim ownership, so
although Dave and Simon have both attempted to buy it, there is no owner to sell it!
3) It is the same as the car on the cover of the DeLorean portfolio - not the same car - one
of four with 4 cylinder engines built for promotional purposes. The one at Lotus was shipped
over for experimentation by Lotus.
4) It has the two-piece chassis ditched by Lotus for the backbone frame.
5) The only glass in place is the windscreen.
6) It has a grey interior, UNlike the brown prototypes.
7) The interior is now green :o)
8) The bonnet opens in the same way as the production cars.
9) Until you speak to the "right" people, Lotus will deny its existence.
10) The opinion of it when it drove was that it was awful - and VERY unsafe in that chassis
design.
11) Don't expect to turn up at Lotus and to go and see it - Simon and Dave had to wait a long
time to be invited, and they were very wary of the Cameras. Only Simon was allowed to take
photos and then ONLY of that car!

If you want to see that car moved, keep trying with Lotus! Dave said if he ever got his hands
on it, he'd take the restoration project on, and eventually donate it to the museum in Belfast
with the original wooden mock-up. A realistic price given him by Colin Chapman's son (who Dave
has done work for) would be twice its scrap value - and that would be well under £1000 in
total. Unfortunately, having nothing to do with Lotus himself other than a cordial
relationship, he couldn't help.

Hope this is interesting!

Martin

DeLorean Owners Club UK
http://delorean.connect-2.co.uk

James Espey wrote:

> A car that matches this description is/was in the possession of Lotus as
> recently as 1997. The DMC UK website featured it in their newsletter - very
> sad condition.
>
> James Espey
> DeLorean Motor Company
> Houston, Texas
>
> 281/568-9573
> 800/USA-DMC1
> http://www.usadmc.com



------------------------------------------------------------------------
To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address moderator@xxxx