S1 factory colors?

[Moxie]

Not sure if this is the same gold, but I found this the other day...

There are more photos at http://www.carpictures.com/Lotus/Esprit-Turbo-Limited-Edition-1983-06J9M472921960

[gvy]

I had find this one also, but because I suspect it is not the original A04 gold,I did ask for pictures of an original A04 color.

Nice car though.

Geert

[Moxie]

I would like to find some pictures of an original gold S2 esprit, because I consider spraying it back to its original colour.

Can someone post pictures of a gold one?

Geert,

I just realized there's a nice photo of a gold S2 on page 67 of Lotus Esprit: Mid-Engined S1, S2, S3 & Turbo, by Jeremy Walton. Sorry for the crappy cell photo...

[Tony K]

Here's a link to the aforementioned gold S2 that went from AZ to CA to (I think ) Germany:

http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/index.php/garage/vehicle/237-lotus-esprit-s2-1978-1981/page__tab__images

Click on the photo in the link and it pulls up a larger version.

[LOTUSMAN33]

Looking at all these pics of gold S2's has made me realise breaking my gold S2 was a big mistake, should have stored and restored her in the future...... Silly Boy!

Doesn't that Silver S1 look stunning though as does that gold Turbo with black stripes, like JPS in reverse!

[Loose Cannon]

Well we did try and persuade you......and it hurts even more now you say it was a gold one. The tide will one day turn for the S2, which IMHO looks every bit as good as an S1, possibly better when the black sills are applied, which should be the law

[mtooze]

Apologies for resurecting this old old thread, but I was polishing on my car this weekend trying to bring the paint back and doining some minor fiberglass repair to some stripped screw holes, when it bacame evident that I might have a gel coat car. My serial number is 77020151H.

I see in the previous posts that serial numbers to 7703 were gel coat (recall this is a '77 federal S1). I was grinding on the rear valance to prep for the screw repair and there is at least a 1/16" of "paint"...well there is no way its paint and according to my serial number is it gel coated?

It was behaving slightly weird while i was compounding/polishing too, getting very soft but no much "paint" was coming off. I think gel coat for sure...am i correct?

Second, and I have no idea here, possible to get a gel coat to a slick/glass like surface? How thick is it on Esprits? Can I wet sand? (I have a fair amount of body work experience with single and base/top coat urethanes). Attached is a pic of my work so far (apologies for the crap iphone pic), but its looks pretty shiny still:

Wheels were taken off last night to be sent of for polishing.

Marcus

[77 esprit]

Marcus,

My car appears to be very similar to yours. Have your front and rear bonnets faded while the main top and bottom body halves maintained their color? You can almost feel and see the fiberglass grain in the bonnets. The rest of the body is silky smooth with deep color. My guess is the main body of my car is gel coat as well. I've learned not to trust the build logs at Lotus during the seventies. Here is my car at LOG last year.

Lyn

[giorgio67]

HI,

just found this old topic, so I put some pics of my car.

It is still original painted in Gold, paint code A04, sadly this colour is not in my taste so I would repaint the car in another original colour.

Here the pics.

Ciao

Giorgio

[mtooze]

Kinda. I found that all my "upward" facing panels were oxidised...hood, rear hatch, roof, and the sides and lower parts were v deep orange. I took off my rear valance (exhaust cover?) to make a few repairs and its obvious its gel coat (its cracked where exhaust hit it) because there i no way paint for would crack and hang on in the same manner. On the rear valance Ill have no choice but to paint over top to cover the repairs...

The upper panels seemed to respond pretty well to compounding, but I dont want to go nuts when I have no knowledge of the depth of the gel coat or its response to wet sanding/compunding/polishing. Kinda like working on someone elses clear coat but they didnt tell you how many coats they sprayed on! (in my experience, usually one coat less than what i needed as I burned thru to the base LOL). Any boats guys on the board with gel coat restoration experience?

Marcus

Sorry....this was in repsonse to Lyns post, but Georgio beat me!

[Moxie]

It is still original painted in Gold, paint code A04, sadly this colour is not in my taste so I would repaint the car in another original colour.

Ahhh! Please don't! I think it looks amazing!

[giorgio67]

Hi Matt,

the paint in the photos seems in very good conditions but it's not true.

The paint is gone, spot repairs all over, gel coat cracks and faded.

Sorry, definitely not my colour.....

Ciao

Giorgio

[Moxie]

That's too bad. What color will you re-paint it?

Just my 2 cents, but how about sticking with the metallic theme and going silver? Every silver S2 I've seen looks amazing. But what were the S2.2 original colors anyway? Same palette as S2s?

[giorgio67]

I'm thinking about that.

I was looking to see which colours were available at the time, I don't know if they are the same as the S2 model, anyway the choice is between 3 colour:

yellow

colorado orange (if originl)

blu

silver could be interesting maybe...

I'd like to know the members thoughts about that, so please post your opinion here.

Ciao

Giorgio

[Moxie]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Colorado Orange is original for an S2, but that's my preference!...

If you want to stick with original S2 colors, I vote for silver like Shah's: http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/index.php/topic/4241-ill-show-you-mine-now-you-show-me-yours/page__view__findpost__p__44842

Looks amazing. And yours would look even better since you have Euro bumpers.

[Nelly]

I am almost certain orange was not an S2 colour.

My S2 was originally silver when it left the factory, I have to say I don't think it looks that great but out of your list Georgio yellow would be my choice. There is a yellow S2 on ebay at the moment which has its original paintwork.

That said my S2 was yellow when I got it and is now white. I have two people just today say to me how right an Esprit looks in white. Each to their own at the end of the day though!

[Moxie]

I don't see one on the wiki, but is there an S2.2 registry somewhere that you could compare to what others have?

[GavinT]

Colorado Orange...mmmm yummy.

I will need to get up close and personal with you car Matt when it's all back together.

Marcus, my car is 165H and is gel coat. So I would say it's more than likely yours is as well.

Edited March 30, 2011 by GavinT

[Shark Sandwich]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Colorado Orange is original for an S2, but that's my preference!...

If you want to stick with original S2 colors, I vote for silver like Shah's: http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/index.php/topic/4241-ill-show-you-mine-now-you-show-me-yours/page__view__findpost__p__44842

Looks amazing. And yours would look even better since you have Euro bumpers.

This picture is just deee-licious. I don't know what else to say about it.... referencing Matt's car (Moxie) in post # 40 above. I shall thieve it upon my next trip to Toledo.

Art

Edited April 15, 2011 by Shark Sandwich

[Tony K]

Marcus --

Yes, your car is a gel coat car. You have plenty of depth to polish away. It will be harder to polish, though. Still, use normal compounds like you would for urethane; will take longer, but is safer. Some of the Meguiars marine polishes will dissolve it and could make it permanently swirly. Keep that original finish -- for collectibility, and due to the fact that it is nearly impervious to road rash. I know of no more durable factory finish that was ever placed on a car, other than maybe stainless steel on a DeLorean!

No, it won't polish to quite the luster of a modern BC/CC, but if it did, it wouldn't be Esprit S1 . . .

If you have a couple of gel coat cracks, live with them. It is a false economy to go through all the work of properly repairing gel coat cracks to end up with a non-original finish that will age, chip, and shrink like any other paint, and last nowhere near as long as the gel coat will continue to last.

Cheers,

Tony

Edited April 17, 2011 by Tony K

[7veloce]

Tony K, I just purchased a 1977 Lagoon Blue (L12) S1 with 43,887 miles. The paint is original but oxidized. I would like to clean it up and bring back the shine. A friend suggests Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze for single-stage paint like L12 for best results. It looks like you may have a S1 with the same color. Any suggestion on what to use ?

[rajesprit]

My S1 is a 7705 and it is L15 Black its a J market = Resto of the World (in this case Switzerland) as far as i have read here i have a gelcoat (maybe yellow) and then a spray black colour, it does make sense because i have looked properly under the car and in other areas and i can see a pale yellow, not the yellow i see in other Esprits.