What colour to paint my sprint?

[richard sprint]

Well I still have my original chassis, suspension, steering, engine - brakes still pretty good, but apart from being generally tired all round and head lamp range not so good the major problem is with the teeth! as mentioned elsewhere only original once....

Today - yellow ahead by a whisker 'but still plenty of time to change'

Richard

[Flatcap]

I wonder if any ultra purists also decline to update their homes, their wardrobes, their diets etc. 'Fill the parafin lamps, Ethel - I'll get the coal and we'll have a nice corned beef and suet dumpling dinner. By 'eck, me britches are in need of a ruddy good darning!'

_The Best Lotuses Have a Zetec Engine In Them ________________

So if we all follow this line of action - fitting UPVC windows in a 17th century cottage is Ok & the best way forward !

RE the Colour - keep to an original Lotus colour, that was a option at the time the car was produced. It`s obviously down to personal taste but Yellow is good for me.

[rgh0]

For me the only option is Gold leaf colours for a sprint but thats from a guy with a JPS blacvk and gold esprit a gold leaf S4 and a Renault F1 yellow plus 2 so you may spot the pattern in my preferences.

cheers
Rohan

[richgilb]

Flatcap, absoltuley not! I replaced my single glazed windows with hardwood double glazed. Looks just as good but is certainly not original. One can update tastefully and have much more freedom than being restricted to the past.

[Elanintheforest]

Sometimes, Rich, the old stuff is actually better than the new. My house was built in 1450, and is warm in winter and cool in summer...and it's been around for knocking on 600 years. The only mods are reversible (water, electricity and underfloor central heating), so come the revolution, we'll go back to sheep downstairs to keep warm, and the well. And I'm not about to tart it up to look like a modern Barrets home

As for original cars vs modified, well, for every 100 modified / tarted up old classic bangers out there, there's only 1 original car. But it's worth doing. The sound and smell of a Bugatti Type 37 in original form, compared to one with a faster, more efficient BMW diesel turbo upgrade.........well, it has just got to be worth the effort of keeping it all original.

Imagine all those steam engines in trains and lorries being upgraded to diesel as well...what a joyful thought. It's a pain in the butt having to fire up the boiler a few hours before you want to get going I'm sure, but some folks love to do it, and I quite like to see them running along as well.

As for the colour on that little Alfa, well, it suits the Alfa. It couldn't look any more ridiculous, so a baby blue metalic wash goes quite well. It will look horrendous on an Elan!!! But you pays your money......... I'm reminded of a chum who bought a new TVR Griff back in the 90s...in Aston Villa colours. The dealer tried to disuade him, the factory tried to disuade him, but he ordered it anyway. He thought it looked good, but nobody else did. When he came to trade it in, the best offer he got was bottom book less ?8000....the price of stripping off the paint and re-painting the car.

But your Elan would look different, and would certainly be in demand for Gay Pride parades up and down the land.

Mark

[richard sprint]

Mark

Ouch...

Richard

[memnon]

Richard,

I was torn between red over white, and yellow over white. I picked Red, but my evil twin brother would pick pistachio and I wouldn't be argue with him its your choice, I think they all look great, I even kind of like tawney, but I prefer other people to own it.

I'm not keen on blue Elan's or BRG Elans. I like the bright colours

Mark your lovely S1 is made all the more original by those of us who have made an S5. i don't mind in my case as I bought it as a write off with 2 halves of a shell and a new chassis. If I could afford an original S1/S2 as well I would love them and in all probability keep it as close to factory as I could. But I don't have enough for a 2nd elan !

[Elanintheforest]

My lovely S1 is in fact a very unlovely S2. Stored in the attic of a mansion house in East Anglia for 30 years, and missing many of the rare and, for me, desirable original bits and pieces, I bought it very much as a basket case restoration. The challenge, for me, was to find all the missing bits and then restore to completly original specification. That is far more of a challenge than compromising with aftermarket 'upgrades' or racing bits and pieces, which are all too common for the early cars.

It will be going back to its original Carmen Red as well!
Mark

[richgilb]

Looks like my butt ugly Alfa blue Zetec +2 will be in the 'other' car park at Donnington next year, then

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Looks like my butt ugly Alfa blue Zetec +2 will be in the 'other' car park at Donnington next year, then

I'll let you park next to me

"Blue is the colour of my true loves eyes" also Donovan

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Deleted

[Elanintheforest]

Now look what's happened, Rich, you've attracted John, who's obviously had an unrequited love affair with Donovan for a long time. That Baby Blue colour is working it's stuff already

As for the Lotus car park, if you haven?t done so already, lower the suspension to Plus 2 levels or you?ll be put in the 4x4 park.

Mark

[richgilb]

I'll get some of those big jackass wheels for it and drive over all the nonces in the 'proper' car park!

[garyeanderson]

My lovely S1 is in fact a very unlovely S2. Stored in the attic of a mansion house in East Anglia for 30 years, and missing many of the rare and, for me, desirable original bits and pieces, I bought it very much as a basket case restoration. The challenge, for me, was to find all the missing bits and then restore to completly original specification. That is far more of a challenge than compromising with aftermarket 'upgrades' or racing bits and pieces, which are all too common for the early cars.

It will be going back to its original Carmen Red as well!
Mark

I think this S2 was stored on a roof or on top of a box truck outside Nashua, N.H. for 30 years, do you think it will help the value if I keep the original paint? Should I repaint it cirrus white?

[richgilb]

Looks fantastic, make sure you only take it out on sunny days, though. We need to preserve things like that.