R500 Duratec Numbers
Discussion
DCL said:
My understanding is that each car in a particular model has a number that is stamped on the chassis as per the photo (in this case a R400 2008 car 31). 2009 is very early for a R500D and I would expect this number to be very low. If it is not there, or obviously out of sequence, then this is not an original R500 car.
Hi, thanks for this info, where exactly is this stamp please?Gav
Oysterman said:
Hello Nigel. A guy called Martin Phipps, I was told he was the guy to contact regarding the 'Archive' .
Gav.
I think that Martin Phipps actually is the lotus seven club archivist , but he could now work for CC of course.Gav.
Either way he should at least know that most R500 Duratec models come with a numbered plaque.
The link above to the Superlight register also gives you lots of insight into the plaque numbers.
Oysterman said:
Hi, thanks for this info, where exactly is this stamp please?
Gav
As Stuart, who knows his stuff said above, that number bears no relation to the plaque number.Gav
As new owners of cars with plaques, we have the option to pick a number in the series if it's available, but most seem to be quite random allocations.
Amris said:
My understanding is that all of the factory built cars received a plaque and the self build models did not as standard.
Nope that's not correct either.As I stated above, my first R500 Duratec was a kit. And that came with a Plaque as standard.
Mine was number 008.
And my second R500 Duratec was a Factory Built Model, which also came as standard with a plaque.
nigelpugh7 said:
Nope that's not correct either.
As I stated above, my first R500 Duratec was a kit. And that came with a Plaque as standard.
Mine was number 008.
And my second R500 Duratec was a Factory Built Model, which also came as standard with a plaque.
could be none standard though As I stated above, my first R500 Duratec was a kit. And that came with a Plaque as standard.
Mine was number 008.
And my second R500 Duratec was a Factory Built Model, which also came as standard with a plaque.
Hello all - Martin Phipps, the Caterham Cars archivist, here.
I now appreciate that I passed on inaccurate information to 'Oysterman' about R500D dash plaques when he contacted me at Caterham, for which I have apologised to him when we spoke last week. I have since spoken to a couple of CC staff and looked at a sample of archive files for both the K-Series and Duratec R500 models. Sampling around a dozen files of each, I found that all the sampled invoices for the K's specify the edition number, so the number is linked to the chassis. However, none of the sampled invoices for the Duratecs show an edition number. Speaking to CC staff, it is the case that not all of the Duratecs were fitted with dash plaques, either because the supply of plaques was exhausted and they were only fitted to early production or perhaps because they were fitted on an intermittent basis. The earlier post about being supplied one on request supports the latter. Because of this, I understand it is unlikely to be possible to determine the edition number of those Duratecs that do not have numbered dash plaques.
As far as my status is concerned, I am not formally an employee of Caterham Cars. I took on the role of archivist after responding to an appeal in Low Flying magazine, so in effect this is a resource provided to CC by the Club (of which I am the Treasurer). I am typically in the Crawley office one day each week. The archives are well-organised and in great shape, dating all the way back to 1974 and it is only on rare occasions that the file for a car cannot be found. For example, this week I was able to provide copies of original documents to assist with the registration in Greece of a 1976 car and help other customers with queries on cars dating from 1985, 1998 and 2011. (Please note a fee is charged for some services).
I now appreciate that I passed on inaccurate information to 'Oysterman' about R500D dash plaques when he contacted me at Caterham, for which I have apologised to him when we spoke last week. I have since spoken to a couple of CC staff and looked at a sample of archive files for both the K-Series and Duratec R500 models. Sampling around a dozen files of each, I found that all the sampled invoices for the K's specify the edition number, so the number is linked to the chassis. However, none of the sampled invoices for the Duratecs show an edition number. Speaking to CC staff, it is the case that not all of the Duratecs were fitted with dash plaques, either because the supply of plaques was exhausted and they were only fitted to early production or perhaps because they were fitted on an intermittent basis. The earlier post about being supplied one on request supports the latter. Because of this, I understand it is unlikely to be possible to determine the edition number of those Duratecs that do not have numbered dash plaques.
As far as my status is concerned, I am not formally an employee of Caterham Cars. I took on the role of archivist after responding to an appeal in Low Flying magazine, so in effect this is a resource provided to CC by the Club (of which I am the Treasurer). I am typically in the Crawley office one day each week. The archives are well-organised and in great shape, dating all the way back to 1974 and it is only on rare occasions that the file for a car cannot be found. For example, this week I was able to provide copies of original documents to assist with the registration in Greece of a 1976 car and help other customers with queries on cars dating from 1985, 1998 and 2011. (Please note a fee is charged for some services).
Hello Martin, thank you very much for your time and patience concerning this somewhat confusing matter,your reply puts a lot of question to bed and I am satisfied with this 100% . I collected my car today and drove home some 220 miles and can only say WOW! This car may not have a plaque but sure is an R500 and after going through all the original paperwork from the factory confirming it most definitely is .
Thank you Martin.
Thank you Martin.
Gassing Station | Caterham | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff