In early 1979 at the request of John DeLorean, Lotus Cars and the DeLorean team commenced a search for a variety of products that would be specified for the DMC12 to satisfy the car's ethos in being corrosion resistant. One of the first items to be investigated would be the fuel tank. Most production tanks made then were from mild steel and coated both inside and out. Fuel tanks often corrode from the inside after water ingresses into the tank during filling or via resident minute drops of water in the gasoline hence rusting from both sides.

Of many variants chosen to be reviewed a blow moulded plastic tank was one of the favourite options. Without the aid of the internet or on line business connections the only rout for investigation was the local library. After a few hours search a few possible contenders were identified. One of these was a French Company who I thought made the only production -on road - blow moulded fuel tank in the world and specified for the wonderful Renault R4. There were other applications and products made by other manufacturers for off highway applications but this was the only on road application I could find.

I sent a telex to the Company and offered to meet up when next in France - which was quite frequent because we held the joint DMC/Renault meetings at Renault (DRM) at their offices at Plessy Robinson, Paris, France. A meeting was arranged for one late afternoon after a scheduled DRM meeting and was to take place at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris specifically at the European terminal in the coffee shop.

Messr. Le Clerc representing the French supplier was identified by a good description given on the phone and he would be carrying two suitcases. On the button he appeared exactly as planned. There were two of us from DeLorean - Barrie Wills Purchasing Director and myself. Barrie took the lead and introduced us and details of our mission. We sat down at a the table and ordered coffee whilst Messr Le Clerc described his company and the products they made. His two suitcases were placed on the floor his side of the table out of sight from Barrie and myself.
"This a sample of one of our more complex mouldings" he said with a great deal of pride. He placed the article on the coffee table. It was a doll's body like the ones little girls play with but devoid of head, arms and legs. It was about 9 inches in length. He held the body up to the light so as to show the consistency of thickness. He marveled at the quality of the blow moulding.

Now, Charles De Gaulle airport is quite busy late afternoons and the coffee shop was no exception. The people on the next table stared as Messr. Le Clerc lifted from his suitcase one dolls body after another. Then doll's arms and legs appeared, all the samples being placed on the table until there was little room for the cups and saucers. We had now attracted a significant interest in the activity from not only the next table but others further afield in the coffee shop. Dolls parts were now piled high and Barrie not usually lost for words decided that another coffee was required and he'd hunt down the waiter.He was clearly disappointed that I had wasted his time by inviting this man who had no relevance to cars and certainly non to fuel tanks.

I assume by the length of time he was away that he'd gone to Heathrow London to get the waiter because he didn't return for some time, I was left talking to Messr LeClerc with an uninvited coffee shop audience listening to the conversation. I was red in the face.

At last Barrie returned and said briskly "Thank you - we'll be in touch" with that I was whisked off to check in for the flight. " What else did he say?" asked Barrie.

I remember Messr. Le Clerc's final words very clearly.

"He said - I had to bring the doll's because I'd look silly bringing the Renault R4 petrol tank into the airport!" Which of course his company did make but he took too long to get around to it that Barrie had lost interest.

Eventually we chose DYNO Industries in Norway as the supplier of the fuel tank for the DMC12.But this was only after a period of deliberating about the choice of supplier and process.

© Copyright 2010 - Nick Sutton