Acknowledgements.....

(personal at the top, business at the bottom !)

First and foremost, I have to thank my wife who became a bit of a Lotus widow/tool holder. Lesser mortals would have filed for divorce on the grounds of infidelity, but she gamely believed me when I assured her that I only needed help for "a minute or two".

Many thanks to the following for various forms of help. Without these people, I would still be sitting in the car, grinning inanely and wondering where to start....

The members of the Lotus internet list, whose experience and knowledge must amount to many thousands of years' worth. Thanks for answering my questions, explaining the things that I don't understand and giving all us amateurs your time, advice and encouragement.

Steve Bradshaw - for all the time he's spent on the car with me (I owe you a beer or three). Also for the help with this website which would probably have been a random selection of noughts and ones without his input !

Kingsley Tart - for helping when he could and for 'phoning when he couldn't. And for all the jokes about bottoms, farts and other toilet humour. (Sorry mate, but a V6 Calibra doesn't even come close ! However your Skyline might be a different issue. Mind you, you've still got a Nissan and I've got a Lotus!!!)

My chiropractor for sorting out all those back problems from spending hours in the Lotus position (feet up over the front seat, back arched over the right door sill, neck hyper-extended under the dashboard under the pedal box with bits of rust/dust, wire, nuts & bolts falling in your eyes and a pain in your head where the clutch/brake pedals are sticking in your skull)

Mehrdod (Med) at Auto bits (autobits1@aol.com) - 94, Richmond Road, Kingston, Surrey, U.K. 0044 (0)20 8546 2982 or 0044 (0)20 8288 1111 - for having in stock all those odd bits that you don't think you'll ever find. A great shop that also does paint mixing and alarm fobs.

Chris Stewart, Paul (now left) and Andy in parts at Bell & Colvill in West Horsley - 0044 (0)1483 281000 - for hours spent tracking down dodgy parts numbers and lots of advice and patience. You can E-Mail them for parts info. here

Wayne and colleagues at Wellaway/Merrityre in Great Bookham, Surrey (U.K.) - 0044 (0)1372 452 111. Laser tracking - 20 quid for a total set up and they have the data for all the Lotus models. They do REALLY good tyre deals too. Friendly service.

Gerald at Aaron radiators (54 Whitehorse Lane, London. SE25 6RQ - 0044 (0)20 8653 1144) for doing such a marvellous job on my frankly knackered radiator that, we discovered, had already been fairly terminally bodged by one of the D.P.O.s

Chris Crane and team at RPi Engineering - 0044 (0)1603 891 209 for the advice and parts/special offers.

The bloke in Surbiton with the nut and bolt shop (Jones Industrial Fasteners Limited) - sadly now closed. What he didn't know about screws, threads, nuts, bolts and anything else of that ilk, be it hardened, softened or made out of blancmange wasn't not worth knowing. A fabulous chap who sold you anything in any size and in any quantity AND it was always in stock!