Original colour ?

[Team Lotus]

Hi Chris. As you can tell I don?t visit that often but I might be able to throw some light on your car. I worked at Lotus in the late 60?s and during the winter of 69 we had to convert a bunch of federal cars that had sat out on the test track for a few months unsold. They were in a pretty poor condition with water inside the cars up to the doors, so holes were drilled in the floor to drain the water, they were then converted to rhd kit cars. I?m fairly sure the chassis plate remained the same so would have fed numbers.
I remember it well, I was 16 years old and a group of us were put into one of the old hangers in the freezing cold. We were given black donkey jackets with LOTUS painted on the back, and we were promised that ACBC would come over personally and thank us for working in such poor conditions........we never saw him......?happy days?.

Best wishes
Richard Parramint.

[theelanman]

Early +2 cars had a flat bonnet and there was no sill strip.

mmmm.......Ive only ever had early cars....and in all instances the car has always had the bonnet buge and the sill strips.....

[alan.barker]

+1 for the sill strips on +2 Elans except i imagine the "Meteor".
As for the bonnet Bulge i had a 1968 +2 no bonnet bulge with webers and a 1970 +2S with bonnet bulge with webers.
Alan

[theelanman]

Ive had a 67 and 69 with webers and bulge....and sill strips
I still have a 68 with bulge and sill strips.......

[trw99]

Early +2s did not all have a bulge or the strips. The strips appeared fairly soon after the press cars initial tests. The bulge appears to have been kept off the press cars for, I assume, aesthetic reasons!

Some period photos:

Tim

[SGO 2F]

Original Colour of 050-1097?

I ran across this tread the other day and after some research, I think I?ve got some answers for you. For reference, I own a 1967 Elan +2 (050/0164) and a 1972 Elan +2S/130 (72010239N).

As to the original colour of your +2, I would suggest you look under the carpeting, as I did with my early, early +2. The entire floor areas were of a light blue, which I took to be primer since the exterior colour was white. Although, I knew it had been repainted by the PO, earlier photos showed it be a similarly white. Several years ago I was contacted by a son of the original owner of my 1967 Elan +2, kindly provided me with a copy of the original purchase invoice. That item indicated that the car had been sold as a ?component form? (kit) vehicle and that it had been first painted in French Blue, which matched the colour under the carpets.

As to whether your +2 is an ?S? model is answered fairly quickly via the DLVA search. Your registration LNF 169G was first registered in November 1968, it has a year of manufacture of 1968 and is shown to be coloured RED. The colour indication is for the current or most recent report. My 1967 +2 (SGO2F) is shown as being white, although originally it was French Blue. I have at least 4 references that state that the +2S was not introduced until March 1968. Finally, your non-standard Lotus dash/facia has 4 small gauges, typical of the non-+2S model. The +2Ss have 6 small gauges, which I think would have been included if they had been there in the original facia.

Finally, as to whether your +2 sold as a kit, I have never found a way to know that answer from the materials that I have seen. I would suggest that be in contact with Andy Graham at Lotus, who may have that information about your +2.

Richard

1967 Elan +2 (050/0164)
1972 Elan +2S/130 (72010239N)

[davidj]

Richard, it is interesting to hear from someone who worked on these cars, as I have one too. Serial number 2192, and the engine number is the federal designation.
The most obvious clues was the boot release was on the (now) passenger side and "safety lights" fitted . UK cars got them much later. Just think, you could have worked on my car! Regarding the car in the discussion which I guess was in the same batch, the gray looks the like the primer (same colour on my car) the dashboard is a DIY item and the seats are the original federal spec.
Cheers, David


[quo wete="Team Lotus"]Hi Chris. As you can tell I don?t visit that often but I might be able to throw some light on your car. I worked at Lotus in the late 60?s and during the winter of 69 we had to convert a bunch of federal cars that had sat out on the test track for a few months unsold. They were in a pretty poor condition with water inside the cars up to the doors, so holes were drilled in the floor to drain the water, they were then converted to rhd kit cars. I?m fairly sure the chassis plate remained the same so would have fed numbers.
I remember it well, I was 16 years old and a group of us were put into one of the old hangers in the freezing cold. We were given black donkey jackets with LOTUS painted on the back, and we were promised that ACBC would come over personally and thank us for working in such poor conditions........we never saw him......?happy days?.

Best wishes
Richard Parramint.[/quote]