Sometime in the early 2000, DBE contracted with Lotus to become the official source for vintage Lotus parts - they bought out the Lotus America inventory and took over the distribution agreement for the US and Canda....they have a lot of neat old stuff, great catalogs (everyone reading this list should probably have a copy of their English Ford Racer's catalog, even if you don't race an English Ford). They are master distributors for Girling, which is something that's good to know if you're looking for a replacement cylinder and don't want to pay the premium that some dealers ask. They have great knowledge and stocks of Weber carburettors. They do their best to support the various Ford and Kent products. And you can never tell what will show up in their monthly specials. -- Chris Kantarjiev

Someone asked for comments about Dave Bean Engineering. I have been getting my parts from them for 3 years. They are, in my experience, a good reliable source. The thing I like most is that they are happy to spend time on the phone answering questions. If I am not sure what parts I need to complete a job they will go over the drawings in their catalog with me to help me make decisions. It helps that I have/had a Europa. In short, I am very happy with them. -mikej@wv.mentorg.com They send a big catalog that is mainly elan/plus2/Cortina stuff, but also contains Europa stuff. A second (much smaller) catalog is purely Europa. They also send a price list. - Mark Reichert, markr@eye.com

When it comes to Lotus, they are knowledgeable and helpful. I deal with them only by phone due to the distance between us. Dave Bean does a lot of Weber business, and claims in their catalogs to be more than just a parts house. - ? Dave Bean also has an "English Ford Racer's Catalog" that has lots of ancillaries that are useful for those of us running more mundane cars. In particular, a very helpful section on plumbing fittings and pipes and hoses, stocks of BSP hoses, fittings and adapters, and lots of generic Lucas and Girling-related brake parts. They also have a decent stock of Marchal and Cibie high performance lighting. - Chris Kantarjiev

Definitely get a quote from DBE. Mike is always griping that DBE bookkeeping isn't very up to date, with the result that many parts are sold way too cheaply, sometimes below what DBE is currently paying for them! Mike has been aware of this and has been marking up prices on items like this, but occasionally someone gets off with a remarkable deal! - Steve Valin

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