HELP! Lotus Concours Classes

[...m...]

...i've been tasked with providing a list of lotus classes for an all-british concourse event, something with which i have negligible experience, thus i'm begging for any seasoned assistance you folks might be able to offer...

...obviously, i could do my own basic breakdown by model/era/type, but i don't have a clue what's really considered appropriate or overkill in car show culture - for example, the jaguar folks are very persnickety about their own concours treatments, and i'd hate inadvertently to commit some sort of faux pas about what's expected of a lotus concours event...

...does anyone have an entry form/class list from LOG's concours events, or something similar?..any advice would be appreciated, particularly in short order, since we're meeting in just a few short hours...

[lotus69f2]

THe LOG concours is popular vote. Consequently cars win that often would totally passed over in a real concours. Newer cars like Elise/Exige usually win because of color selection. Older cars win because they look like their in good condition. Often cars win because they've been tarted up (in the M100 class there is little to differentiate one car from the next so someone who tarted up the engine bay and put aftermarket wheels on draws attention.

Car shows can be a mixed bag. At some the individual marque clubs are left to determine their own winners. THe Jaguar and Corvette clubs tend to be extremely nitpicky. Lotus poeple are very casual about the whole thing and often (like myself) don't give a crap about an award.

Having said that, the standards for Lotus should be those of a concours in general. Cars that are in the best and most original condition should be the winners. If there are a large number of Lotus then there can be multiple classes. At LOG individual models get their own classes, and are often even subdivided (S1 and S2 Europa in one class Europa TC in another) or groups can be historic ("50's through '74, '75 through '87, '88 through '04, '05 through present). PALS often looked at the number of cars present and how many awards the show organizers were willing to give, then figured out the fairest way to subdivide and award the trinkets.

Keep in mind it is not particularly "fair" to award a 3 year old Elise best Lotus, when there is a '68 Elan in original and good condition present.

Did this help?

[...m...]

...a bit, yes - i especially appreciate the reassurance that i'm unlikely to step on any toes by taking my own best stab at organising the classes...

...so far, i've broken things in the five major classes, each subdivided a bit as applicable, although in truth i expect most of these will lump together in just a few overall categories at the real event since i have little reason to expect an epic turnout this autumn...

L1a Elan M100, Elise/Exige S1
L1b S2 Elise
L1c S2 Exige

L2a Esprit S1, S2
L2b Esprit Turbo, S3
L2c Esprit 1987-2004

L3a Elite II, Eclat
L3b Excel

L4a Elite (original)
L4b Elan (original)
L4c Europa

L5a Seven
L5b 2-Eleven
L5c Race Cars

L6a Other Lotus
L6b Lotus Derived

...i'll be surprised to see any L3 cars...

...should i break L5c into three eras?..should i break down L6b?..

[lotus69f2]

I would offer the following comments;

M100 is a difficult model to place, may be amoot point because it is rare. Since styled by Stevens could go in with Stevens Esprits to balance classes if needed.

Other Lotus is only really the Cortina as other Other Lotus would all technically be race cars. Cortinas can go with L4 group.

If needed S1/2 Esprit can go in with the L3 group as they were contemporaries.

Doubt a significant number of VI, Eleven(real not replicas), etc would show up, but they can get their own class.

Seven - what exactly are you including in this group. Lotus?, Caterham?, Birkin?
In my opinion, and this is contravestial and will likely engender animosity from certain owners. The only Sevens that should be in a Lotus concours are Lotus Sevens. Catherhams are not Lotus. They are Catherhams. They usuall show up with and get lumped in with Lotus. At LOG they get their own class. Your Lotus derived class is appropriate for them along with all of the other Seven like vehicles, or because they truly are the real descendants of Lotus could get their own class.

[...m...]

...believe it or not, i intended L6a to lump cortinas with bicycles, soapbox cars, and the like, mostly due to their status as extremely rare curiosities - i doubt we'll manage more than one or two entries in that class...L6b i figured would cover the caterhams, replicas, and such...

...do you think it'd be more interesting breaking apart the esprits to be grouped against contemporaries rather than each other?..would grouping VIs and elevens with race cars be a bad thing, or how about grouping them with the sevens?..

[dwkoski]

Just my thoughts but unless you are in a major metropolitan area which is also a hotbed for Lotus fanciers, you will have far too many classes and trophies. The British Auto Festival in Chicago, shich usually has 600-800 total entries, has TWO classes for Lotus, late model and vintage. The British Auto Festival in Sussex Wisconsin which has 400 to 500 entries has ONE class. The Wings and Wheels show with about 600 cars has one class. You may want more classes than that but it is very unlikely that you will have entrants in even half of your proposed list unless the show is massive. You have two classes proposed for the late Elite/Eclat variants. I have attended LOGs where there were no entrants from that family of vehicles. My recommendation would be dividing the classes by year of production and having two or at the most, three classes. I may not be a purist but I would lump in the Caterhams, Birkins, Westfields, etc., by their build year (not the year they were intended to represent.)...Dave

[...m...]

...point taken - really the list is meant to be read as 5 (6) classes, the subdivisions are only there if enough entrants show up to justify using them...

[RacyTracy]

These were the categories at LOG 29.


Historic (Mark I through VI)
Open Wheel
Race Prepared
Saloons
Replicas
Sevens
Caterham
Elite (Type 14)
Elan S1, S2
Elan Sprint, S3, S4
Elan Plus 2
Elite (Type 75), Eclat, Excel
Europa S1, S2
Europa Twin Cam and Special
Elan M100
Esprit Type 79, S1, S2
Esprit Turbo Type 81 (Guigiaro)
Esprit Turbo (Stevens)
Esprit V8
Elise S1, Exige S1, 340R, 2-Eleven, Cup Car
Elise S2
Exige S2, S240
Extreme Street Modified
Best of Show, Overall

Photos from that event-

http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/m...29%20Concours/




.

[...m...]

...thanks all!..

...having now met with the organisers, it's clear this is a much more modest and informal show than the jaguar club led me to believe, so we're probably going with just three lotus classes - L1, L2, and L3-L5 as defined above...

[lotusforsale]

Originally Posted by lotus69f2

Other Lotus is only really the Cortina as other Other Lotus would all technically be race cars. Cortinas can go with L4 group.

What....you wouldn't put the 'handling by Lotus' Isuzu Impulse, or the 1990 ZR1 Corvette with the Lotus designed engine in the 'other Lotus' category? Years ago, when I had my G Bodied Esprit, I talked my way into an all-GM show because GM USED to own Lotus.

Seriously, even when dividing by 'vintage,' there are now some problems with how folks view it.

Last weekend here at the largest local BCD, they had 2 Lotus classes: up to 1980, and 81 to present. The Esprit guys were not happy about being in class with all the Elise/Exige, and the Elige folks didn't seem too happy in the same class with the Esprits. As it was, in the more recent class...'Special Edition' cars took the top three spots: Jim Clark Esprit 1st (mystifying with that dayglow yellow interior...but the Mario Andretti photo clinched it), Club Racer Exige 2nd (at 20 in the US, one of the most common colors for an Exige), and an uber-rare roadworthy Essex Esprit 3rd.

Then again, there was a guy with a 77 Esprit who wasn't happy his car wasn't in the same class with other Esprits. Blamed me, even though I was simply directing cars to park per the organizer's request. But, with his Buick V8 conversion, not sure where he really belonged.

Most car shows require pre-registrations to establish a class. In other words, if 3 or more Europas pre register, there would be a Europa class.

A lot of folks at last week's show did not pre-register, myself included. If we had done so, there may indeed have been a separate Elige/Exise class.

Were I doing one around here, now, having a good sense of car distribution in the region, I'd break the more recent vintage to M100 and Esprit, and another class for Elise and Exige.