Significance Of Yellow And Black Badges On 68-69?

[Noob]

Hey all,

When I was young my mother had an American version 68 or 69 Elan convertable.
She bought it new and it was primarily kept in the garage.She sold it when I was 18 because she needed money.It only had about 69000 mile on it.

Anyhow I remember seeing other Elans that from what I could tell were primarily the same.But hey I was a kid what did I know, it's not like you saw those cars running around everyday.
The one thing that stood out from the other Elans is that my moms Elan had black and silver badges on the body and on the steering wheel.All the others I had ever seen had green and yellow badges.
What was the significance of those different badges and what year did they appear?


I tried to get my mom not to sell that car.It was supposed to be mine when she passed away but money got so tight that she just had to let it go.
Every time we would take it out for a spin we'd get thumbs up and cool car what is that and if we happened to park it at a store parking lot there would be a note saying nice car or do you want to sell this car.

I remember taking midnight runs in it to get icecream.

God I miss that little car.

[storrar54]

ry the link to: Lotusespritworld.co.uk/EHistory/lotusbadge.html
It gives a good precis of the black badge.
Maybe the black badge was tried because a single colour was cheaper to produce than two colours, if so how very Chapmanesque that would be.
Richard

[types26/36]

And here is another:
<a href='http://www.mikecauser.com/lotus/parts/badges.html' target='_blank'>http://www.mikecauser.com/lotus/parts/badges.html</a>
Brian

[MikeC]

Black/silver nose badge is correct for mid 68 to early 1970. Black/silver steering wheel badge is correct for 1966 to 1974, after which there was no badge there for the Elite/Eclat/Esprit.


Mike

[Hamish Coutts]

Guys,

The black badges were in rememberance of the greatest driver of all time - Jim Clark. He was killed in a crash during a formula 2 race at Hockenheim in Germany. If ever a man deserved tribute for driving a car very, very fast but with consideration, it was Jim Clark. The Master.
Chapman had the badges changed fom Yellow/Green to black/silver when Clark was killed. I can remember the day when that happened - I was at a car club sprint in Scotland when the announcement was made. Still have a lump in my throat thinking about it.

My +2 has black badges in tribute to Clark although the car was made too late for these colours to be correct. If you are ever in South East Scotland, please go to the Jim Clark room in Duns. The old photos are fantastic.

Modern drivers? Nah! They are all premadonas. Clark was the quiet man that could master all and not make a song and dance about it. He just got on with it. Sorry - rant over.
Anybody got any opinions?

Hamish.

[twincamman]

my 64 has a black badge and Clark-and-Peterson were alive then --I think it was an attempt :rolleyes: to save a few pence on badges---------- Hamish i need your e mail to send pics ed

[Hamish Coutts]

Ed,

You amaze me!

I can distinctly remember when I saw the first Lotus with a black badge. This was after Clark's death. It was a new Elan and the owner said the badges were because of Clark.

Are your badges original? If they are, to me, it's a bit like finding a spanner in a stone age excavation.

Is another myth going to hit the dust?

Regards,

Hamish.


Very interested to see the pic. e-mail is [email protected].

[69S4]

"Black/silver nose badge is correct for mid 68 to early 1970" - MikeC

Just to add to the confusion my Aug 69 S4 has the green and yellow badge

[M100]

<!--QuoteBegin-twincamman+May 20 2005, 11:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (twincamman @ May 20 2005, 11:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> my 64 has a black badge and Clark-and-Peterson were alive then --I think it was an attempt :rolleyes: to save a few pence on badges---------- [/quote]
Yes but just how original is it?

Some 2005 Elises have a black badge just because the owner went down to the dealer and plonked 40 quid on their counter, 99.99% of them have probably never even heard of Clark (nor Chapman) and were probably born post 1980

I don't dismiss the impact on both Chapman and Lotus of the death of Jim Clark but last year by chance I came across the first published road test of a Lotus that had a black badge. It was of Graham Arnolds (Lotus Sales Director) personal car and was published in Autocar (although it might have been Autosport as I don't have my archive to hand to confirm) two days BEFORE Jim Clarks's death, implying an actual date of the test maybe a few weeks before. The uniqueness of the black badge was specifically highlighted in the report.

From what Graham Arnold consistently said for many years - for a while his was the *only* black badge in existence basically because he liked black and was trying to get Chapman to agree to production of black painted and black badged cars - maybe he had in mind an estate version like Hexagon did that could double up as an hearse

Clark's death might have been the catalyst for this production run but Graham Arnolds books from the early 80's totally and completely debunk the Clark black badge myth. I'm inclined to agree.....

Martin - 72 Sprint DHC with a green and yellow bonnet badge - black steering wheel badge - everything documented from new so definitely original!

[twincamman]

Hamish its nice to know I amaze someone---pics are sent =any probs email me personally to insure the pics arrive at your e mail---as to your question re authenticity my car sat disassembles for 25 years or so but I doubt the po would have changed such an insignificant thing as a nose badge in racing things that don't make you fast are not important ed --------------------------------------------- myths? I dont need no steekin myths I GOT THE CAR AMIGO

[1964 S1]

Holy smokes twincamman, I promise I'm not picking on you but a 64 S1 shouldn't have a black nose badge.

[twincamman]

well rubbin-- I was just out in the lotus cave and there it is ---round black and says Lotus on it -- -this may be the work of the Riddler ---- -and its a s2-right Hamish? :rolleyes: ed ------ badges?--we don need no steenkin badges----we got guns-----

[types26/36]

[QUOTE=M100,May 22 2005, 09:38 AM]
and was published two days BEFORE Jim Clarks's death,

Hmm! do I detect a conspiracy here? :huh: Marlin Munro, JFK,Lady Diana,Elvis CHAPMAN? the list goes on......
Brian.

[M100]

The magazine was Autosport April 5th 1968 As originally posted to the yahoo list but archived and searchable on escribe.com

<a href='http://www.escribe.com/automotive/european/lotuselan/m31147.html' target='_blank'>http://www.escribe.com/automotive/european...lan/m31147.html</a>

The Autosport article is also reproduced in one of the brooklands books of magazine archives.