Should my car have a silver roof?

[M.J.S]

I have just posted a thread regarding a dropped passenger door, which is linked to this topic, because I don't want to repaint the roof whilst it's still catching and chipping the paint.

My Elan +2 130 / 5speed, a November 1972 car, has had a good repaint in the past in its original LO7 Lotus Yellow all over. It does not have a metalflake roof, but the car has a full length 1970's webasto.

My question is did all 130/5 plus 2's have a metalflake roof or was it an option?

Could it be having a sunroof a metalflake roof was never ordered by the first owner?

Or has a PO tried to save cash on the restoration by not bothering to put a silver roof back on?

I did a Google search for images of late +2's and some seem to be one colour all over, some two tone, but they too may have been painted.

Thanks everyone,

Mark.

[peterako]

deleted as I seem to have posted twice....

[peterako]

Hi Mark,

I'm willing to bow to superior knowledge on this matter....

My understanding is that the S model Elans (+0s as well as +2s?) had either silver of gold flaked roofs.

Colour of flaked roof probably chosen as best match for the rest of teh car.

My +2S has a Gold Flaked roof with Tawny (or maybe more correctly Mud) brown body.

In the 1970s -80s people often had their cars resprayed in a uniform colour all round. Probably due to fashion...and possibly due to the complications of creating the correct flake....

Hope this helps.....hope I'm not too wrong

Peter

[Foxie]

Hi Mark,

I'm willing to bow to superior knowledge on this matter....

My understanding is that the S model Elans (+0s as well as +2s?) had either silver of gold flaked roofs.

Peter

Hi Peter,

My 1970 +2S never had a metalflake roof. As you know, it now has a cream leatherette clad roof.

Wish us luck, we're off to Kristiansund, Norway, via UK, Denmark and Sweden this weekend. In the Plus 2S, of course

Sean

[Craig Elliott]

As I understand it all of the later +2S 130 cars had a metalflake roof (normally in silver but gold if one of the JPS cars) as standard but buyers could opt to have the car in one colour. This meant that the metalflake roof was sprayed over by the factory (the metal flake was applied as part of the moulding process).

So I guess your car could have been completely yellow from the outset.

C

[PWTrusty]

Remember this is Lotus so change during production is the norm. My and all the +2/s I have seen had orginally the metal flake embebded in the resin in the top. Frankly it was a course and rather garish metalflake that prompted at least one agent (Lotus East US) to repaint a few of the late 72 all body color before selling .
As for the sun roof, I found no evidence in the period sales materials that a sun roof was factory ( bespoken?) option. But I did install a popout sun roof in my S2 Europa.
Phil in Tn

[Elanintheforest]

I've had two late Plus 2s (Dec. 73) and neither of them ever had silver roofs. My understanding is that they became less popular by late '72, and were slowly phased out as a standard offering. As mentioned above, a car could be ordered from the factory all one colour, or even painted by the dealer.

Towards the end of the JPS run, some cars were sold all black with their glittery gold roofs and sills over-painted black.

Mark

[Gordon Sauer]

No reference I have ever seen has indicated that any big valve (130) cars were without a silver or gold roof, done in the mold as noted (clear gel coat containing silver flakes). Some people are indicating their +2S's are without a silver roof but it was the singular, designating factor of those cars that were 130's, with the Big Valve motor. The +2S and +2S130 did share other things like foglights but not metalfake roofs. Gordon Sauer

[peterako]

Hi Peter,

My 1970 +2S never had a metalflake roof. As you know, it now has a cream leatherette clad roof.

Wish us luck, we're off to Kristiansund, Norway, via UK, Denmark and Sweden this weekend. In the Plus 2S, of course

Sean

Hi Sean,

How ARE you???

Was in that party of Norway over ten years ago.....during mid-winter.

Headed south to Mandal first (out of curiosity) then back to Arendal. Scenery was outstandingly beautiful. The people unbelievably friendly....prices a bit steep....but that was before we Irish met the 'Celtic Tiger' so it may actually seem cheap now!

Foxie doesn't need any luck, she's a +2!

BUT....make sure you have the maps loaded this time!

And good luck with the weather

Sug och svalje, snart ar det helg

Lyka till,
Peter

[Foxie]

Hi Peter,

We are good.

Yes, the maps are loaded and checked, but a last minute starter motor failure means a delayed departure.

Since your Norwegian is so good, you might be interested to read what the Norwegian Sports car club is saying about us !
http://nsk2.sesamdata.no/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1966

Med venlig hilsen

Sean

[Uboat]

This is very interesting for me, as I am about to respray my laurel green +2 with original colour. I can clearly see the flakes of silver underneath the green on the roof. But judging from your discussion, this tells nothing about the colour when leaving factory. How do I know for sure? (My car is a late +2 130/5, from april 1974)
/Ulf

[Robbie693]

It's my understanding from various books that, with the introduction of the 130 model, all plus 2 had a silver roof. The idea was from the silver roofed Elites (can't remember the version).

Lotus played around with the silver scheme on a few development models - the first design was with the roof silver but the rear pillars body colour, before going with the all silver roof.

For the last few months of production the silver was deleted and the cars were all one colour. Don't know if they were painted over silver however..

I've never seen any options lists that offer an alternative paint scheme to standard, not to say requests weren't entertained by the factory. Or dealers.

[Elanintheforest]

Hi Robbie
My late cars certainly weren't painted silver under the single colour...they came out of the factory all black / all yellow.

Not all 130 Elans had a silver roof...my JPS is Gold

Mark

[Robbie693]

Hi Mark

Not all 130 Elans had a silver roof...my JPS is Gold

Indeed - good point!

My last Plus 2 was manufactured in October '73 and came from the factory in all Sable, although it was white when I got it..

Is the Gold flake finish as 'flakey' as the silver? The ones I have seen have been fairley flat but I guess they could have been re-finished.

[Elanintheforest]

I'm pretty convinced that mine is original, and yes, it has quite chunky bits of flake. Many of the re-finished silver and gold roofs I've seen look to be just metallic silver or metallic gold...no flakes at all.

Then there's Niall's car, the the most glittery roof of them all?.fabulous. You can't miss it at Donnington, Castle Coombe or Stoneleigh, it radiates a kind of aurora. For some reason it makes me think of Steve Hillage at Glastonbury, 1979.

Got to go and lie down now....

Mark