Colour question

[stuartgb100]

My newly-acquired 71 Sprint is blue over white (as per original details), but bumpers and steel knock-ons are gold.

The rims will soon be changed for Minilites (I hope), but what should the bumpers be?

Regards.

[types26/36]

If it is a "Sprint" the bumpers should be gold and the steel wheels black.
Brian

[lotusdelta]

i concur with the previous post...gold bumpers and black rims......im aware of only a few two tone sprint color schemes...........................................
yellow and white (my color 72')
red and white
pistatio green and white..........

blue and white ive never seen

[types26/36]

i concur with the previous post...gold bumpers and black rims... blue and white ive never seen

Although I posted the wheels should be black (see my previous post) I've just been looking at a Sprint brochure on the lotuselan.net site and it has silver wheels! http://www.lotuselan.net/publish/elan_s ... hure.shtml
I've also never seen a blue over white Sprint .....not to say they never did one.
Maybe "cliveyboy" can clear things up as I believe he has an extensive collection of Lotus brochures, these should say what the colour options were........are you out there Clive?
Brian

[sk178ta]

They did do the Lagoon Blue over white on the Elan Sprint but people with good taste opted for the single colour Lagoon Blue. Yes, actually, I did...in `71 and `73.
Where are they now? CRA ---L and HYL---K, my memory`s not what it used t............
Jim

[Elanintheforest]

I've seen one! And I have a photo of it, in Castle Coombe about 1988. Registration KWX 771K. A convertible with, strangely, gold minilites. And it looks georgeous! It's quite a light (French) blue over white. And next to it is a Bronze over white convertible, and near that a bronze over white coupe.
Just found another picture of metalic blue over white convertible (VEN619L) and another metalic blue over white (KWY343J)...sitting with a bermuda yellow over white and a Regency red over white.
I'll have to get some of these scanned it and loaded up to the site...otherwise in years to come everyone will thing Elans only came in Red or Yellow!

[elancoupe]

Ron Hickman's Sprint is blue over white.

[types26/36]

I seem to recall that I read Ron Hickmans Elan had been upgraded to Sprint spec, anyone know?
Brian

[cliveyboy]

From what I can find out Sprints had gold bumpers and black wheels as the main production run.
Brian says he saw silver wheels on a sprint in the brochure. I am guessing that as lotus would have produced the brochure before the Sprints release they probably used existing silver wheels off the other elans and then changed the colour.
Sprint colours over white that I have seen are:-
Red, yellow, pistachio green, brown, blue, Colorado orange.

Chapman as you know let you have your sprint all one colour for extra cost. Being the business man that he was you could have any colour scheme you wanted if you were prepared to pay.
According to a great article in this quarters Club lotus magazine written by Sue Miller on Elan body work and paint. Camay the soap people bought some bright pink ones for a promotion.
Clive

(Mmmm a nice pink Zetec Elan)

[trw99]

The earliest Sprints, including those used in publicity shots and as press demonstartors, were upgraded S4s. That is why they also sported bonnet bulges, originaly made to clear the S4 Strombergs. When the Sprint production run started at the factory in February 1971 the normal specification was standardised.

Thus colour schemes were Gold Lacquer (Pinchin-Johnson ref 6170A3130) front and rear bumpers, Black wheels with chrome rimbellishers and either single colour or colour over white with the gold Elan Sprint decals.

Although as has been mentioned, Lotus would spray a car any colour the owner fancied, the standard colours on the Sprint were:

Burnt Sand (6170X4570)
Carival Red (6170X5350)
Circus White (6170X0540)
Colorado Orange (6170Z5980) discontinued in Oct 72
Lagoon Blue Metallic (6170A1130)
Lotus Yellow (6170X3940)
Pistachio Green (6170W2230)
Regency Red (6170Y5960)

From 1962 to 1974 Lotus tried a series of new and experimental paint finishes; complete cars were painted in batches by outside contractors and some cars were sold to dealers in primer, which allowed dealers to offer custom colours.

Additionaly, Sprints had the ignition switch integrated into the steering column (though I believe some of the later S4s also had them) and the steering wheel centre boss became larger, flatter and incorporated a smaller Lotus emblem. At some stage in, I believe, early/mid 1972 Weber carbs were replaced by Dellortos, though I have never seen a definative date for their introduction. Those cars with engine suffix's EN (Dellorto) also had red cam covers.

HTH

[types26/36]

I believe, late 1971 Weber carbs were replaced by Dellortos, though I have never seen a definative date for their introduction. Those cars with engine suffix's EN (Dellorto) also had red cam covers.HTH

HTH
My Sprint October 72 has the Dellortos, the engine is original and the prefix number is "N" as all the domestic Sprints I have seen, I ve never seen an"E" on a Sprint engine. The B.V cam cover is also original and is Black.
What reference are you useing for the "E" and the cam cover colour?
The workshop manual quotes code "E" as being for a domestic S/E Coupe
and to the best of my knowledge S/E engines had a red cam cover, if you are useing the Wilkins book I find that some parts a bit confusing.
My comments relate to the domestic cars and not export/federal cars.
Regards Brian
Brian.

[trw99]

Brian

Hmmm! Graham Arnold quotes the Dellorto BV engine suffix EN with red cover and N head casting in both his Buyers Guide and Elan Super profile. He quotes the Weber BV suffix N with black cover and N head casting also.

I have to say that I have seen very few Dellorto Sprints with the red cover, though a few Europas. Perhaps they tend to be later cars and may have been simply a batch that got painted up in red. Having said that, all previous cam cover colours appear to have had some significance to the engine and it's application. Of course, the Federal BV engines had red covers and this may be a mix up on the production line. Another Lotus factory puzzler.

Here is a link to a picture of a red cover on an August 1972 Dellorto Sprint in original condition:
http://www.euronet.nl/users/jefgeny/elansprint.html

On the subject of Ron Hickman's Elan, there is a photograph of him sitting in his Lagoon Blue over white Sprint, alongside the 10 millionth B&D Workmate. Here is a link to it, from a GT40 forum, with some interesting stories:
http://www.gt40s.com/ubbthreads/showfla ... n/0/page/0

Tim

HTH (Hope This Helps!)

[types26/36]

Tim,
Thats interesting, anomalies abound. The sprint in the link is said to be a August 72 one of the last ten made, chassis no.05720711E
My sprint FHC exactly same colour/spec on original chassis and chass no.
72 10 0567E and as the numbers denote is an Oct 72....two months later
I cannot quite understand the other Sprints numbering unless he has mixed them up?
Recently on ebay a Sprint was sold said to be one of the last few fitted with the five speed box, a Letter from LOTUS was distplayed to confirm this, the chassis no. was 72 07 0741G making it a July 72.
I recently sold my Europa special (J.P.S.) this was also original and had Delloto's with a black BV cam cover but the engine was a "P" prefix. I believe it was only the TC Europa's that had the red cover (excluding exports) and the TCS (big valve) that the had the black cover.
Regards Brian

[trw99]

Brian

Anomalies, anomalies! I know it is some what off topic, but final chassis numbers are perplexing. I have the following information to hand:

7210 0086H Owned by a lister in Germany (factory 5 speed, must be one of the first of the five or so supplied by Lotus)

7210 0567E Your UK FHC for reference

7301 0092H Owned by a lister in Germany (factory 5 speed)

7302 0899 Final DHC according to Arnold and Glasses Guide

7302 0665 Final FHC according to Arnold and Glasses Guide

7303 0097H Owned by a lister in Sweden

7303 0099H Owned by a Swedish Lotus Car Club member

So, anyone out there also have a March 1973 build date for your Sprint?

Tim

[M100]

Recently on ebay a Sprint was sold said to be one of the last few fitted with the five speed box, a Letter from LOTUS was distplayed to confirm this, the chassis no. was 72 07 0741G making it a July 72.

Well stone the crows!

Mine is 7207 0742G just one away!

First registered September 72 on Dellorto's with a Black cam cover "N" on the head and prefixing the engine number.

Have you got a copy of the Ebay listing or the item number to hand of 0741G?