Lotus Elan History

[bblanckley]

I have owned my FHC Elan since 1977 and it's just in the final throws of its complete restoration after being stuck in the barn for over 30 years while I was away as an Expat!

Like most of the 1968 Elans, it was supposed to be a Jim Clark Memorial car. It came out of the factory in all white with black bumpers and black badge. It's registration number is VCL 70 and I was wondering if anyone has any idea of it's early history and if there is such a thing as a "Jim Clark Memorial car" or is it another myth that needs to be closed out.

Look forward to any information that is available
Cheers
Bruce

[Mazzini]

Hi Bruce,

Welcome to the forum.

Have a trawl though the archives for 'black badge'. It seems that Graham Arnold had some black bonnet badges made prior to Clark's death, the badges were then adopted across the range thereafter ( and for perhaps twelve months). The horn push was changed to black in '66.

I'm sure some members of this forum will say that no Elan ever left the factory with black bumpers, but for a fee Lotus would paint your Elan any colour you wanted, though I suspect the choice was limited to what was available at the local motor factors. And there is that famous picture of Jimi Hendrix and a black bumpered car.

I think it might have been considered bad taste to market a memorial car so soon after a drivers death, it would have looked like cashing in, personally I think the memorial thing happened after the fact and possibly to help sellers persuade prospective purchasers.

I'll be in Singapore in June, fancy a beer at the Pump room?

[LotusArchives]

E-mail me the chassis number & registration number to my work address [email protected] I will see what records we have at Lotus.
I am on holiday this week so I will look at the records next week when I return.