The Eclat before I set to work...

To start with, take a look at My Eclat - it gives you a rough idea of what I started out with. Needless to say, I had a lot of 'playing' to do....

The previous owner but one had re-sprayed the car yellow, but had neglected to cover all the insides of the car - hence the first job was laboriously cleaning every part of the interior - upholstery cleaner on the seats, thinners on the leatherette. My wife had this joyous task and, it has to be said, did it brilliantly.

I bought the car with most of the bits separate - everything had to be cleaned and reattached to the car. This was quite an interesting experience, as the official Lotus manual wasn't always crystal clear ! As you can see, the light pods came separately, as did the carburettors which, I understand, are a significant aid to the smooth running of the vehicle.

The carpets had been ruined by ingress of water due to the car standing for about a year. It stank of damp and the upholstery was mouldy. However, once again, taking the insides out was a five minute job and so I obtained advice from a friend who knows about things like fabric and seamstressing etc.