The body was disassembled, stripped, and repainted in its current shade of red during current ownership, and the frame was media-blasted and powder-coated. Additional work included installing electronic linear actuators for the pop-up headlights and replacing the soft top, top boot, and window seals.
Steel 13″ knock-off wheels have been powder-coated in silver and are mounted with 145/80 Vredestein Quatrac 5 tires. Work during current ownership included replacing the suspension bushings and brake lines, rebuilding the master cylinder,…
The body was disassembled, stripped, and repainted in its current shade of red during current ownership, and the frame was media-blasted and powder-coated. Additional work included installing electronic linear actuators for the pop-up headlights and replacing the soft top, top boot, and window seals.
Steel 13″ knock-off wheels have been powder-coated in silver and are mounted with 145/80 Vredestein Quatrac 5 tires. Work during current ownership included replacing the suspension bushings and brake lines, rebuilding the master cylinder, rear wheel hubs, and rear brake calipers, and installing a Kelvedon big-brake kit and shocks. The brake booster was removed during previous ownership. The SS-specific knock-offs have been retained and are included in the sale.
As late-production Series 3 cars, SE/SS examples were equipped with the rocker-switch dashboard and integrated door handles that would be used in the S4. This car’s interior is upholstered in black, and work during current ownership included replacing the seat covers, carpets, door panels, switchgear, seatbelts, and power-window motors. The AM radio was replaced but the seller notes that the sound quality is poor.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel sits ahead of a 140-mph speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, and auxiliary gauges. The speedometer, tachometer, and odometer were serviced in April 2021. The five-digit odometer shows 99k miles, approximately 100 of which were added during current ownership. Total mileage is unknown.
The 1.6-liter inline-four was rebuilt by Ivey Engines of Portland, Oregon, in 2017. Work included balancing the rotating assembly, porting the cylinder heads, converting the electrical system to negative ground, and replacing the clutch disc, throwout bearing, and clutch cylinders, as well as installing the following components:
Removed components are included in the sale. Results from a dyno test are shown in the gallery below.
The four-speed manual transmission was rebuilt and resealed in 2016. The differential was rebuilt in 2017 and is equipped with 3.55:1 gears. The car is equipped with a differential brace and heavy-duty rear axles and CV joints from Dave Bean Engineering.
Refurbishment records, repair manuals, printed emails from a Lotus archivist, and additional literature are included in the sale, along with a tool roll and removed parts.
Photos showing various stages of the refurbishment are provided in the gallery below.