Tawny S4 Spotted

[iancockshull]

Hi folks

I have just been following a tawny S4 fixed head (L registration) with gold bumpers, it was on a trailer behind a transit van and passed through Hailsham and Battle area in East Sussex.
Does it belong to anyone in the group?
Not often you see them in that colour.

[johnsimister]

It will be that rare beast, a Sprint with the extra-cost single-colour option.

John

[iancockshull]

Hi John

It was single colour, but how did you know as I never mentioned that !!


Is the car something to do with you perhaps?

[paddy]

You said S4 - if it was two-tone you would have said Sprint.

[512BB]

I suspect it belonged to a gentleman in Herstmonceux. He had 2 Elans for sale, 1 FHC and 1 DHC, both Sprints. I bought the DHC, and wanted to buy the FHC, but we couldnt agree on the price for that car, as Arnolds Garage had put a front end on it, badly! It was tawny and an L reg, and he has prob sold it now, and hence it was being trailered. I could be wrong of course.

Leslie

[bcmc33]

It's difficult to imagine an S4 registered in 1973, and Tawny cannot be the original colour.

I am told tawny (which was the orignal colour of my Sprint), was introduced in Oct. 72

The Sprint was introduced in Feb. 71 and quite a number of S4 built cars were updated from that date to Sprint spec.

Some Sprints were painted mono - so it is most likely to be a late 72 Sprint.

[elansprint71]

You said S4 - if it was two-tone you would have said Sprint.

.... but by "L" registration they would all be Sprints........

[iancockshull]

I suspect it belonged to a gentleman in Herstmonceux.

Very interesting Leslie, in fact I was travelling from Hailsham and I caught up with the trailed car at Herstmonceux so it may not have travelled through Hailsham as I originally thought. Sounds like the same car I would say, it looked as if it had recent rear lamps and SP Sport tyres on black steel KO rims.

.... but by "L" registration they would all be Sprints........

I never thought of that - makes sense now - it did not seem to have any sprint decals though.

Ian

[trw99]

Seven UK Sprint FHCs left the factory in Ford Tawny L16 mono. Yours was one of them Brian. So assuming this car was still wearing it's original paint job, pretty rare.

Tawny was introduced at the 1972 London Motor Show by Lotus and the Sprint on the stand was a FHC painted tawny over white duo tone. Lotus kept the car, LAH 690L, for 6 months for publicity purposes, then got Hexagon to sell it, advertsied at ?2,095 with 7000 miles on the clock.

And of passing interest, I know of another tawny over white FHC still in it's original ownership from March 1973 in northern England.

Tim

[elans3]

As a matter of interest, some seven or eight years ago I went to view the tawny over white ex show car when it was advertised for sale. It was advertised as an ex show car, in immaculate condition. It was being sold by the daughter of a long standing owner who, I believe, had passed away some time before. On enquiring about the car, I was told to contact a well known specialist, who had looked after the car for years. I did so, and was told that the car was a very good example, so I made the long trek to see it.
Not to put too fine a point on it, for the money being asked, the car was poor value. It had had a nearside front corner on it, and possibly an offside one too, the paintwork was poor, it drove badly with drive train noises, and the vendor truly believed it was a good 'un.
I was so disappointed, and in the end I bought a'66 S3 DHC for ?4000 less which had been rebuilt to a near concours standard over a ten year period by a very good amateur.
The sad thing was that the vendor had been led to believe that the car was something special and therefore worth a lot more money.
I didn't blame her, I blamed the advisor.
But of course, I've since made similar abortive trips many times over.....
elans3