Black Elan +2

[elclem1]

Hello evryone,

I have just spent the past hour reading through this site and have found it fascinating and a great starting point for someone like myself who has recently bought a 1970 +2. I am intrigued though with the colour of my car that I have bought. The chap I bought it from said that when he bought it from the previous owner 20 years a go he was told that it was one of 50 in sold in black in rememberance of the death of Jim Clark. Can anyone shed any light on this story? I intend to carry out a full restoration shortly and would like to restore the car to the original spec. That inculdes the correct colour. Cheers in anticipation Clem

[Elanintheforest]

Hi Clem and welcome.

I've never heard of a run of black Plus 2 cars to commemorate Jim Clark's death...that was April 1968, a couple of years before your car was made. Painting them in black with a few gold stripes was a very popular thing to do in the 1970s, and of course, there was a JPS Plus 2 in 1973, with about 100 of those made.

You will soon see what the original colour was when you start to remove the paint. It may well have been black, but don't be upset if it's something else . Have fun.

Mark

[mikealdren]

Clem,

There was a website with the original colours of many of the +2s (sorry can't remember the address but you'll should it if you search the forum). Alternatively, if you can let me have the chassis no, I can look it up on the copy I made.

I have only found one black car listed.

regards
Mike

[peterako]

Hi Guys,

Could be Trevor Sparrow's excellent website you're looking for:

http://www.geocities.com/trevorsparrow/ ... npages.htm

Colours on the following page:

http://www.geocities.com/trevorsparrow/ ... olours.htm

And teh following talks about the model timeline, including the black and gold JPS models:

http://www.geocities.com/trevorsparrow/ ... elhist.htm

If anyone has Trevor's email address I'd love to have it, if just to thank him for his website, which was an invaluable resourse for me before I finally bit the bullet and bought my +2!

Best of luck,
Peter

[davidj]

My 1970 +2 was black once. And blue/silver. And red a couple of times.......

David

[seaandmoor]

Welcome Clem and congrats on an inspired choice of model.

As the man says JPS black/gold was a later colour - mines been several colours although black hasn't been one of them!

I wouldn't worry, these cars change colour like chameleons ! !

[seaandmoor]

Welcome Clem and congrats on an inspired choice of model.

As the man says JPS black/gold was a later colour - mines been several colours although black hasn't been one of them!

I wouldn't worry, these cars change colour like chameleons ! !

[seaandmoor]

Welcome Clem and congrats on an inspired choice of model.

As the man says JPS black/gold was a later colour - mines been several colours although black hasn't been one of them!

I wouldn't worry, these cars change colour like chameleons ! !

[Stuart+2]

Hello Clem - hope you're enjoying your +2.

My car rolled out of the factory on 25th September, 1968 (C/N 50/1035).

It was originally black (now resprayed red with a black vinyl roof and lift-out sunroof section but the original gelcote tells the tale) and the register mentioned elsewhere has a chassis 2 away from mine also listed as black.

The timing would be right but all I'd heard about in relation to Jim Clark's death was cars with black badges.

[theelanman]

ah..the urban myth resurfaces....
the black badge thing was a myth Im afraid.....
as confirmed by several people from lotus at the time....
especially the guy who signed the order form.....mr graham arnold...sadly no longer with us but did confirm at donnington several times that it was a cost cutting excercise......its cheaper in one colour than two...