LOTUS nose badges - authenticity

[martinbrowning]

Hi folks!

Just a small question about Lotus round nose badges - thought about it because of the remarkable number of "after market/non authentic" badges which keep appearing on flea bay.
I seem to remember that Miles W once told me how to spot a real badge -
a. the T of Lotus has/has not got little vertical fins on the ends.
b. either the T or ACBC logo is slightly off centre on the real article.

Anybody enlighten me please?

Have a good Bank Hol

Martin B

[Higs]

Try this for more info:

http://classic-web.archive.org/web/20070814140853/www.mikecauser.com/lotus/parts/badges.html

Richard

[martinbrowning]

Many thanks Richard- glad to know that my memory hasn't quite given up yet........

Martin

[RichC]

so how soon after Jim Clark's death in '68 was the memorial badge introduced?
mine was built in july but had standard yellow/green badge .
the gearknob insert is black tho'....

[Frank Howard]

Martin,

On the genuine article, the vertical line shared by the "A" and the "B" should not line up with the "T".

[robertverhey]

Is there anything we should be looking for on the back to verify authenticity? Makers mark? Concave-ness? Type of metal? Affixing method for studs? Threaded or non-threaded?

[Elanintheforest]

'The knowledge' has moved on a little from Mikes definition.

The early badges can be divided up into a couple of types. Up to about 1966 they are much flatter than the later ones...but the front appears the same. The rear of the flatter badges is smooth, and the later ones have the 'writing' clearly visible in relief.

Some of the badges have 2 screw fixings, and some (around 1967 to 1970) just have straight pins with clips to hold them in.

The badges were painted up until mid 64 ish, and are quite a dark eggy yellow, which fades to a very light citrus yellow after years on a car in the sun.

I have seen a very early badge, from a Lotus 6, which had a single screw fixing on the back....it certainly looked original.

And with those pesky black badges, Graham Arnold insisted that they were his idea back in 1967 as he thought that the colour went better with some of the Lotus colours, and they were much cheaper to make. He ordered up a batch. He also said that Colin Chapman hated them, but a few found their way onto cars before Jim Clark's death.

And that's about it as far as I know!

Mark

[types26/36]

so how soon after Jim Clark's death in '68 was the memorial badge introduced?
mine was built in july but had standard yellow/green badge

Here is an article from the 1968 August edition of Autocar saying all production Elans would change the badge colour for the next 12 months presumably from August 68 ?
There is the story that Graham Arnold ordered them and it has nothing to to with Jim Clark which could be true, there are reports of the black badge appearing on a couple of cars before Jim Clark's accident but Colin Chapman may have then decided to use them to mark Jim Clarks death.
Either way I doubt we will ever know the truth.
The below quote is from the Esprit History website http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EHistor ... badge.html so it would seem a lot of us have something pretending to be Lotus!
I first thought it is referring just to Esprits but the use of "Any Lotus street car" would appear to mean all Lotus road cars!
QUOTE:
"Any Lotus street car that was manufactured after 1968,
that is not wearing a black nose badge is pretending to be something that it is not !"

[Elanintheforest]

That sounds about right, Brian. Graham used to say that they put the badges on the Lotus road cars after Jim Clarks death because they had them. He reckoned it was for 'a few months'. But you're absolutely right, we'll never know, and Graham was known to embellish stories if the facts didn't quite fit!

Mark

[Frank Howard]

Graham was known to embellish stories if the facts didn't quite fit!

Mark,

Are you saying the embellisher was embellishing stories about embellishers?

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Graham was known to embellish stories if the facts didn't quite fit!

Mark

I just love that, eloquence is a gift

[RichC]

Brian , that's a fascinating article to back up your story ... I know there is never a question too obscure to remain unanswered on this forum , well done that man .

[theelanman]

Id heard the 'Arnold' story too and believed it until a chat with Mike Kimberley.......they were Colins choice as a mark of respect.......
For me thats it.......