S4 63/65/68 Badge

[smo17003]

Hello,

Something has always puzzled me since I bought my '68 S4 SE as a box of bits. Instead of having one 63/65/68 Contructors Champion badge and one SE badge as per topic - viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17649 - it has two of the 63/65/68 badges. Both have obviously been fitted in the past as they both have remains of the same adhesive on the fixing pins, and both are equally worn and faded.
The car was invoiced by Lotus on 15th November 1968. The 1968 Car Constructors Championship was not, I believe, decided until the very last race that season; the Mexican GP on November 3rd.
So, I would like to ask the forum - are there any more Nov./Dec. 68 cars out there with double 63/65/68 badges? What could be the reason - customer preference maybe? What would you do now - put them both back on or replace one with an SE badge?
I presume all pre-November '68 S4's are badged S4/S4 or S4/SE, depending on specification, as obviously the title was still undecided - or maybe not?

Cheers

Mike

[512BB]

It sounds to me as though the 2 badges were fiited by a previous owner and not by the factory, or an I missing something. I doubt the factory would have fitted identical badges. Could be wrong.

Leslie

[mwhitaker]

Hi- my car is a 69 S4 SE-invoiced in October 68-federal spec model with LHD. My car has an Elan badge behind the left front fender-driver side with an S4, not SE badge behind the left rear fender. On the right hand side-passenger for me, I have a 63/65/68 world champion badge. Nothing behind the right rear fender.

Cheers, Mark
45/8396

[smo17003]

Hi- my car is a 69 S4 SE-invoiced in October 68-federal spec model with LHD. My car has an Elan badge behind the left front fender-driver side with an S4, not SE badge behind the left rear fender. On the right hand side-passenger for me, I have a 63/65/68 world champion badge. Nothing behind the right rear fender.

Cheers, Mark
45/8396

That's interesting, perhaps I need to recheck the GP history for 1968. Maybe the Constructors title was won before the final race on 3rd November.

[2tmike]

Mine reg Dec '68 and has S4 badge on O/S rear and constructors badge on N/S rear

[Lotusian]

I think the constructors’ championship was decided at the US GP on 6 October 1968.
After that race, Team Lotus had 53 points, Matra 45, and McLaren 43.
9 points were available for the winner of the last race in Mexico (only one car per manufacturer to count). However, if Matra won, they would have had to drop 1 point from an earlier race, as only the best five results from the last six races counted. If Lotus then failed to score, Matra could have equalled Lotus on points. Each team would have won the same number of races, but Lotus had more second places, so could not have been beaten.
Lotus therefore knew they were constructors’ champions on 6 October 1968.
As it happened, Graham Hill won the Mexico race for Lotus anyway, thus also deciding the
drivers’ championship.
Ian

[smo17003]

Thank you Ian, it was the points drop bit that I hadn't worked out. So that still leaves the pre October S4's - how were they badged?

Mike