Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: My S1 on Sunday,January 29, 2023, 12:39:41 PM
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Historical question regarding the S1 steering wheel horn button. I have always heard that the black horn button came about after Jim Clark's death in 1968. Looking through some old Europa magazine articles from December '66 and through '67 I seem to see black horn buttons. Which is the correct 1967 S1 horn button? Does anyone have the low down on this question?
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I can’t help you with the horn button but some have suggested the same reason for the that the black roundel design (to memorialize Jim Clark). I have read that that is mistaken but in a quick search, I haven’t found a good discussion of it.
I don’t really keep very close track of this sort of thing but my TCS came with the green and yellow roundel and I believe I’ve seen black roundels on an Esprit. The steering wheel hub on my car has a black emblem as do Elans. As most of us know, my memory deserves a pretty short leash, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a steering wheel with anything other than a black hub or horn button.
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My 1967 S1 chassis 46/0571 has always had a black horn button. The car was invoiced March 5, 1968 before Clark's death.
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46/0601 also had a black horn button.
I also had/have a black nose badge. The arguments over whether the black badges were memorial or not can get pretty heated. All I can say is that they were using them before Jim died. Take that however you will.
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I also had/have a black nose badge. The arguments over whether the black badges were memorial or not can get pretty heated. All I can say is that they were using them before Jim died. Take that however you will.
Yep, allegedly the first ones were ordered by Graham Arnold as he was getting a black S3 FHC Elan as company car and wanted the badge to match. They were cheaper than the green/yellow ones and so Chapman ordered a batch for sales cars - at least that's what Graham said on several occasions. There are road tests of black badge Elans pre-Jim Clark's death so I reckon that pretty much nails it.
As for horn buttons, I've seen green/yellow on a Mk1 Lotus Cortina and I think on an early 50/60's Elite. It wouldn't surprise me if the S1/S2 Elans had coloured badges but my S3 has always had a black/silver one so I'd expect the Europa of the period had the same ?
Brian
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Interesting history lessons. Thank you. I'll stick with the black.
Would one of you gents who has an original S1 wheel please send me a close up picture of your hub? Mine is missing the perimeter screws. I would assume that they were socket screws. I would have thought flat heads but the holes are not countersunk. Button heads perhaps? Many Thanks.
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Originals are rivets as you show in the photo. You can drill them out, tap the holes and fit screws.
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So, I'm, looking at rusty rivets that have popped the paint off the heads?
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Corroded a bit for sure. Don’t know if they were painted originally. Here’s one of mine:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Lotus-Europa/i-MfcQb6M/0/D/i-MfcQb6M-D.jpg)
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You are right of course. I'll clean mine up and detail paint. I'll bet it was black oxide originally. Thank you.