My search for a classic car has ended. I bought a nice 130/5 which is in nice condition, if not mint. I had a cooling problem during the 500 kilometer trip home, else everything seems to work fine.
The paint work is beutiful but fading, and I may repaint next year. The original colour is described as light green by the reseller back in ?74, but the car was repainted many years ago. I like the colour very much, it is a very typical seventies colour. Does anyone know if this is an original colour? I haven’t found it any other Elan on the Internet…
How do you find out about the original paintwork? And how do you know if it was a silver roof originally?
If you locate the VIN plate inside the engine compartment you will find that, in addition to the year and month of manufacture, unit number and engine number, will be the original paint code. It begins with L. To find out what it means, go to this link:
As I understand it, you will not be able to find out if your car originally had the silver metal flake roof colouring, other than by rubbing down a section to the gel coat. This is because it was an optional extra, although one I gather most owners opted for and also because the factory kept no records that would help in this respect.
That looks like Laurel Green, an original colour and quite rare…and looks fab. Most of the very late cars were one colour…the disco gliterball era finished in mid 1973
This is what the colour looks like in strong light when just painted…and the other picture shows Laurel Green with a silver roof. Your’s looks a lot better in one colour, I think.
More pictures please!
Mark
My 1972 +2S130/5 is another typical 1970s colour (www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12899) but has a few chips in the paint around the door opening showing the original silver metalflake roof. Have a look under the door seals, window seals, etc and you might see what’s underneath, unless the respray was a thorough ‘remove-all-body-fittings’ job…
I think someone must have had the wheels stripped - I’ve not heard of unpainted wheels being available originally.
Perhaps it is a weight reduction feature (‘add lightness’)
Matthew,
I bought alloys for my +2 (to replace the original steel wheels) in about 1980. At that time, they were available in either black and silver or all silver.
regards
Mike
Another place to see the silver metal flake gelcoat is on the fiberglas “shelf” that supports the dash pad–if you have any reason to take that off, it may be on there since done in mold and all–it was on mine. Also, have never read silver roof was “optional” but that silver in-mold roof was the marker of a 130–is this just lore or written somewhere. Additionally, only silver cars as original were I believe all of the silver metal flake color, not painted as silver–any sources to the contrary? Only listed silverish color is the gunmetal L27 which is not bright like the silver metal flake. Gordon Sauer
Not just Europas in pics… there is actually a picture of a Plus 2 in L22 Bitter Green. With a couple of mfgrs paint codes.
It seems the PPG links no longer work (they did a few months ago). But, back then, I did validate the numbers were true… I got a paint sample of PPG 83526 and it did match my Yellow Lotus.
P-O H?kansson maintains a Plus 2 Register at hemsidor.torget.se/users/p/plus2/ and he used to have a rich series of photos of his +2 rebuild… and his car was Bitter Green. You might want to check with him.
Matthew,
It was a long time ago but I think I bought them from Chris Neils. They may have been a ‘similar wheel’, they look the part but I don’t know how you can be sure whether they are original Lotus or not.
If I remember corretly, the wheels had not been available for a while and when they then became available from CN and Paul Matty. I bought them because my steel (chrome rim) wheels were a bit tatty, wish I’d kept them because I always preferred the look even though the alloys are lighter and truer.
What’s the chassis number? Lotus list some of the original colours I have the list that was posted on this site a while ago, I would be happy to look it up and tell you whats on the list.
Wow! Thanks for the link, Jason. Interesting stuff
But I’m not sure about a company selling USED brake discs, rotoflex couplings, and wheel bearings… Running a Lotus must be tough in the US…
It makes eBay look great