Original Silver Lotus Carlton?

[matk]

Anyone else picked up on this car advertised on eBay. It's a Carlton but claimed to be silver from birth.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:X:RTQ:GB:1123

The current owner states that it was ordered in Silver by the "CEO of Lucas UK" from the factory, but it just looks dodgy to me. However I mailed the seller asking for the chassis no, thinking he'll ignore me, and to my surprise he replied with....

SCC000019M1163219 VIN

M50240 ENGINE

Chassis build plate in photo is 236G

I thought all the Carltons were Imperial Green. If it's true this looks like a rare beast. Anyone any ideas?

[Advantage]

That one does ring a bell. Apart from the prototype cars all the Carltons/Omegas were imperial as you say, but I do have a fading memory of this one slipping through the net. I think it might have been painted by the supplying dealer rather than the factory, but you'd have to check with the Autobahnstormers or James Waddington to be certain.

(I've just looked at James' site and it isn't mentioned there)

[superdavelotus]

Hi Mat,

It's genuine, I've seen this car a few years back. I wish I had the sapre cash to buy a Carlton!

Dave

[talon]

I wish they had brought those things to the States. I'd gladly have one

[matk]

Cheers Graham, I'd checked James' site too with no answer. Found a reference on a PH forum seeming to confirm painted silver post factory. Either way it looks like it's been neglected in the past, and the interior certainly looks a non standard colour.

[OwenGT3]

Hi,

I worked for the company that painted all the Lotus Carlton/Omega panels for production cars and I can't remember ever us painting a silver one. We used to have the panels delivered to us from Dove of Dereham who made them, we would paint them then they were shipped off to Lotus to be fitted to the cars. That's how I 'acquired' a set of Carlton bonnet louvres!

Owen.

Edited October 13, 2008 by OwenGT3

[Nick1102]

i have read all of the comments on this car with interest and in particular the divided opinion.

A customer of ours purchased this car a few years ago and we are currently in the process of restoring it. 

The question is should the car be resprayed in the silver or imperial green? 

Many comments would be gratefully appreciated.

Thank you 

 

 

 

 

[chipp]

If the vehicle was resprayed after the first owner took possession then anyone could do that and it would not be authentic.

If the vehicle was resprayed before first registration that would make it a bit more authentic but not much.

Supplied by the factory in silver then its a 'no brainer'.

 

 

chipp

 

[andydclements]

I guess a lot depends on what the V5/ vehicle history states, if it shows as 1 colour change then as Chip states, it's not authentic in silver. If the V5 shows it as silver with no colour changes in its history then having it silver seems authentic even if very unusual. If it has a recorded colour change, then the real purists will not like that even if it is reverted to green, but they're the sort of person who would quibble if a stainless bolt was used where a HTS one was original.

Personal taste, green looks really nice and instantly indicates it's a Lotus Carlton rather than a V6 Vauxhall Carlton, but for the ultimate sleeper car silver would be one that very few would think is going to be as fast as it is.

[j2 lot]

The ad is no longer available so I can't see the colour but I seem to remember there were some silver/ light blue cars that were a special edition for a supplier. I thought there were 2 or 3 ....  Sure someone will be able to confirm. 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

All production Lotus Carltons/Omegas were painted Imperial Green Metallic. The ex Lucas Director's car was repainted silver after delivery allegedly at his wife's insistence (she didn't like green). Personally I think it's worth more in factory spec. If any other owner had re-painted their LC/LO in another colour, it would be reduce its value, so the same applies here.

[Nick1102]

The history of the car is comprehensive and supports that it was actually supplied to its first owner in silver. 

[swindon_alan]

I know that this has been done before but I can't be stuffed to find the thread.

Which stock production saloon would you like Lotus to breathe on a la Lotus Cortinas, Lotus Sunbeams, Lotus Carltons? Vauxhall/Opel are probably out of the mix with their VXR range. It would be cool if there was a European manufacturing connection but please, not German.

Heh, perhaps an Aston Martin or a McLaren

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Have you or the owner purchased the Certificate of Provenance from Lotus yet? That confirms the original colour.

[silverfrost]

But it left the production line Black/green and then his wife did not like it so it was resprayed silver.  Will be intresting to see what what the COF says but i would imagine it will not say silver as it had already left the factory.   But how far did the respray go,  was it stripped back to a bare shell and resprayed?  As surely if you lift the seats,carpet, inside door panels, shut gaps should show the original colour.?   

[Stubox]

All the LCs left the factory in Imperial. However one was fully resprayed in silver at a dealers body shop as per Michaels comments above, appears to be well known within the LC world. 

[Ekku]

11 hours ago, swindon_alan said:

IWhich stock production saloon would you like Lotus to breathe on a la Lotus Cortinas, Lotus Sunbeams, Lotus Carltons? Vauxhall/Opel are probably out of the mix with their VXR range. It would be cool if there was a European manufacturing connection but please, not German.

The Germans do not need help in that sector, but Kia or Hyunday would benefit greatly, if Lotus would make their cars perfom better.

 

[LotusCarltonNo864G]

This car is the real deal, the car was ordered from Lotus for the wife of the MD of Lucas but unfortunately the wife didn't like the colour green (nutter) so he asked Lotus to respray the car in silver before purchasing, Lotus was mortified of this so when they sprayed it it was just the outside sprayed silver, all the door, boot shuts and engine bay was left in the original imperial green colour the chassis plate also shows the imperial green colour code 355, it is the only one that's in this colour, all the test cars that where also silver where pushed into big hole at Lotus and buried (apparently) 

On 21/08/2016 at 13:53, Nick1102 said:

i have read all of the comments on this car with interest and in particular the divided opinion.

A customer of ours purchased this car a few years ago and we are currently in the process of restoring it. 

The question is should the car be resprayed in the silver or imperial green? 

Many comments would be gratefully appreciated.

Thank you 

 

 

 

 

I think it should be back to the original colour of imperial green, that is what's on the chassis plate just my opinion 

[LotusCarltonNo864G]

On 21/08/2016 at 20:49, j2 lot said:

The ad is no longer available so I can't see the colour but I seem to remember there were some silver/ light blue cars that were a special edition for a supplier. I thought there were 2 or 3 ....  Sure someone will be able to confirm. 

The only silver LCs where the op ones for testing non of these made it in the road they where all scrapped and buried at Lotus (according to JW) the only silver LC is this one that was sprayed silver for the wife of MD of Lucas 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Mine (and other) posts already cleared this up a couple of years ago. I wonder if the restorer above since re-painted it imperial green metallic or silver?

[esprit22]

Should have been red.

[ramjet]

To quote Batman, 'Does it come in black?'

[Bobby12345]

On 13/10/2008 at 17:10, matk said:

Anyone else picked up on this car advertised on eBay. It's a Carlton but claimed to be silver from birth.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...E:X:RTQ:GB:1123

 

The current owner states that it was ordered in Silver by the "CEO of Lucas UK" from the factory, but it just looks dodgy to me. However I mailed the seller asking for the chassis no, thinking he'll ignore me, and to my surprise he replied with....

 

SCC000019M1163219 VIN

M50240 ENGINE

 

Chassis build plate in photo is 236G

 

I thought all the Carltons were Imperial Green. If it's true this looks like a rare beast. Anyone any ideas?

Worked for a director at Sandwell Garages, he had. A silver one for years had. A private plate on it but was full silver even in the area you don’t see. I can’t remember the history of it but thought it was the only one that made it out the factory not in imperial green 

[Mickey P]

On 14/09/2019 at 09:11, Bobby12345 said:

Worked for a director at Sandwell Garages, he had. A silver one for years had. A private plate on it but was full silver even in the area you don’t see. I can’t remember the history of it but thought it was the only one that made it out the factory not in imperial green 

Yes, Roy bought that car in 94/95 it was fairly new at the time a "J" registered car. It was silver including door jams and under the bonnet. He told me it was the only silver one produced.

 

[Jim1968]

Did the Lotus Carlton that got buried get dug up and I work for a company that had  four of them from there at the time this was one of the best Vauxhall breakers in the country this was many years ago when the cars came in they looked like they had been attacked by JCB

We put one on a jig and repaired the other three 3-weeks old is parts after we required what we needed for the one we repaired all I was told us these Lotus Collins come from lotus and was buried along with a lot more more in a big hole and they were there test models was this true?????