Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

[quote="vernon.taylor"]Here's a green one:

[attachment=0]DSCF1321.JPG[/attachment]
... a late S130/5 (cloth seat inserts)- I think the owner said the paint was original.

@+

Vernon[/quote]

So which colour is this green, if it's a Lotus original?

Tim

David LB wrote: I was a Lotus dealer back then

I suspect that most of us were unaware of that David, you must have some great stories to tell. Why don't you start a thread ?

Sorry OP

Leslie

Well they were interesting days thats for sure. I was a dealer I think (it was along time ago) from 1970 till about 1985 when David Wickens of British Car Auctions was involved. not being very computor literate I don't know how to start a thread so if anyone can advise I will give it a go. David

Nice one David.

Its simple. Log in, go to the GENERAL LOTUS DISCUSSIONS forum and look at the top of the page. There is a box that states 'START NEW TOPIC'. Click on that, think up a racy heading and away you go.

Looking forward to it. I don't think we have ever had or have a Lotus Dealer from back in the day on the site.

Sorry OP, again.

Leslie

I have a very late 1973 +2 in restoration and that is being painted in its original Bitter Green colour, again only quoted as Green in the Lotus archive. It's a very 70's colour and is similar to the castrol green of the oil company.
I'll post a pic in 2 wks when it returns from the paint shop.

Somewhat latter than promised! But progressing well now!

Yes! I'm looking forward to this, Wrighty!

Randy

I used to have a plus 2 s 130 in the lighter shade of green shown here , reg no EDN958K does any one on this site still own her ?, I think a subsequent owner changed the colour though. Shame because it looked great

I used this color. Not 1973. I thought it would have looked different. The color has grown on me.

Bob

Bob, on my monitor, your car's colour looks very BRG to me. Was this the intent, or more like the so-called Bitter Green?

Would you mind telling us how you chose the paint system and what it was, back in 2008?

Thanks,

Randy

Was there ever a BRG type colour used by Lotus on the +2?

John

Very good questions.

The paint is a single stage. I believe it was Sikkens. I wanted a BRG and I picked out what I though would be correct. At the time I was disappointed as I felt it was not the same as what I had selected from the color chart. It was probably a paint code mix up and i got a green car not the green I intended.

From the Robinshaw / Ross book on the Elan + +2 I selected the colors available on a 1969 +2.. BRG 6170 Y 2790 was the reference number. There was some confusion as to whether or not it was used on the +2. It may be an Elan and Europa color only. That may have been the color I was looking for but as my memory has faded I am uncertain.

Most likely I used a standard paint color chart and selected what I believed to be a proper BRG. Which is not what I got! My wife calls the car the frog.

My advice is before committing to paint have a test panel painted. Look at it in bright light and know what you are getting.

After all these years it now appears the car has finally been properly sorted. I look forward to driving the Frog and enjoying it.
Bob

Thanks for the extra info, Bob.

According to the Plus 2 website, BRG was offered all the way through to end of 1970 . . .
http://lotuselan-plus2.be/trevorsparrow ... n_main.htm

Certainly, the 1967, 1969 and 1970 Lotus colour charts pix I have include BRG . . .







May you have many good times in the car this season, Bob!!

Randy

There's BRG and there's BRG!

Officially the Lotus BRG is: Lotus Paint Code LO1; Pinchin Johnson ref PJ 6170Y2790 - Lotus Part No A036B6315V; ICI ref ICI P0302854 ? Lotus Part No BF4758; Nexa Autocolour Code 2854; PPG Code LOT0050; Glasurit Code L01. Used by Lotus Oct 62 - Oct 70. This was a Jaguar colour. Jaguar used three variants of BRG throughout the 1960s, Spruce Green is the correct one. Apparently!

Just to confuse, there are reports that Lotus listed a Spruce Green from early 70 to Jan 73, Conifer Green, a Triumph colour and on early 26s, Jaguar Racing Green.

In addition to the colour charts shown above by Randy, the only other one I am aware of issued by the factory was the 1971 'cut-out' version, attached. Any one have any others?

When it comes to re-spraying an Elan or +2, these days you have to make your own choice, since it is very tricky to replicate a true factory colour. If you ever come across a truly original Elan with it's original paint, then the underside of the boot/trunk area is probably the best place to get a colour scan reference, or from under a door seal, where the original colour has been hidden away. Anyway, as is well known now, Lotus would paint your car any colour you wished!

Tim

Yes, I have a jpeg of that 1971 cut-out colour brocher, too. Thanks, Tim, for the details on reference numbers for the various paint suppliers.

But then you say that it's very tricky these days to replicate a true factory colour. Why is that? I have not taken any reference numbers to paint suppliers yet, but is this difficult because the numbers are now "dead", with no paint formulas available in today's paint systems for these old numbers?

Randy

Is it so difficult to respray an Elan?
I'm in contact with a Sikkens dealer and they can't find the paint references. I don't know which color use.
I have 4 possibilities:
- Green original color (very difficult to find reference)
- Glacier blue
- Lotus yellow
- Cirrus white

More difficult is to find the reference of the metal flake roof. So I have decide to paint the car in only one colour. But where can I find a Sikkens reference?