S1 Brown interior

[mgfollett]

Hi Guys,

Did Elan S1s with brown interior have brown door panels? I'm trying to figure how the car S1 I have came from lotus? It was blue and has a brown interior now, but I'm not sure if interior is original? It is #260289.

Thanks, Mike

[trw99]

Mike,

The very earliest cars had the following, this from the first Elan brochure:

"The body is available in a choice of four colours: Carmen Red, Fiesta Yellow, Medici Blue and Cirrus White. All cars are fitted with Atlas Grey and Beige trim panels; Tan, Grey and Black seats are optional, trimmed in washable Vynide material. Attractive Grey flecked rubber floor-covering is fitted, tastefully toning with all trim and body options, thus presenting a completely water resistant and washable interior."

Is it possible your car had/has a Light Tan interior and Tan seats? The picture below, from that first brochure, shows a White car with tan seats.

Tim

[Lotus14S2]

I have an early Bourne bodied S1, and it has the grey/black door panels and and tan seats. I think the color scheme is not very pretty, as it seems to me it should have tan door panels, and even a tan center console.
As I am also an owner of a S2 Elite, and having owned four Elites, Lotus made all the interior trim on the Elite matching. My current car has a red interior and the seats, door panels and center console are all red.
Maybe it was a cost savings, but I don't see how. The door panel and seat material must have not cost much differently. The same for the Royalite center console
Outside of the all black cars, the only other I have seen was a car with a door panel in a very light tan, or yellow, but the color and material didn't match the seats, such as i have.
If I didn't want to keep the car original, I would change the seats to black.