Lotus Cars And The Black Badge

[Tango190]

Dave Ladders and myself were talking about the Black Badge Lotus cars and neither of us knew why they appeared.

 

This is a copy from the Lotus 4Seater Forum - true or false ?

 

<COPYPOST FOLLOWS>

 

As far as I know there are no contemporary factory records of the badges

fitted, but there is photographic record in the form of the road-tests

published by the magazines at the time. Luckily for researchers they

have been collected and republished by Brooklands Books, although the

pictures may not be as sharp as in the original publications. The

magazines were weekly or monthly, so the photos may have been taken

anything from 2-3 weeks to 2 months before the print date.

 

By the period of interest Lotus had given up their old practice of

re-using registration numbers on different cars, and thanks to the UK's

date-related numbers it is easy to follow the individual cars supplied

to the magazines and see that they were replaced frequently, none being

used for more than a year. For every car that appears in more than one

test it always had the same colour badge, probably indicating that they

represented the production standard at the time, and that Lotus did not

bother to change the badge even if production had switched.

 

Cars supplied by the importers in the USA and Australia are much harder

to follow, and may well have been modified by the importer, or even have

been lying in stock for some time, so they have been ignored unless the

test was performed in the UK.

 

 

 

Of 159 road tests from 1963 to 1983 the colour of the badge is

discernible in 126, of which 59 are black and 67 yellow.

 

From 1962 to 1967 all the badges are yellow.

 

The first black badge appears in April 1968, on a car in non-production

black paint, which also sported chrome bumpers -- the only ones ever

fitted to an Elan. So the presumption is that the badge was specially

made for this one-off car.

 

The next appearance of a black badge is on a Europa S2 in September

1968. The car appears to be a standard production one. The badges then

continue to be black on UK cars, with just one exception, until April

1970

 

Yellow reappears in April 1971 and stays consistent until March 1974.

 

Then from May 1974 until January 1983 (the last test in this survey),

black is always used.

 

 

Matching these occurrences to significant events, the first production

black badges appeared shortly after the deaths of Jim Clark and Mike

Spence. The second run of black badges started during the JPS era at

Team Lotus, but does not seem to have any other connections.

 

 

So, to answer the original question, all Elites should have black

badges.

[Martin R]

I dont know that much about it but i always thought it was to do with the death of Jim Clarke.

[Tango190]

I dont know that much about it but i always thought it was to do with the death of Jim Clarke.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Martin et al,

 

I always thought it was when Jim copped it, but you never get an answer you could believe.

 

Chapman cutting costs on HIS badge, I doubt it, surely Lotus were not that broke they couldn't afford a dual colour enamel badge.

 

Check the Elise badges, they moved from a proper badge to crap plastic fading affair.

[Martin R]

Im sticking with my romantic version of the story

[Tango190]

Im sticking with my romantic version of the story 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Martin, I'm as confused as I have always been, just not in a gay S2 Elise way !

[Steve J]

 

You don't make friends on here Bob.

 

 

 

Any more of that nonsense and the Kim will be putting a black badge on the Elite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tango190]

Mention S2's are Gay and its like saying "Steve please post next"

 

Anyway, thats how this started Steve, it has got a Black Badge.

[MikeC]

Of course it's true. I know 'cos I wrote it!

 

There's more about Lotus badges here

 

Mike

[Tango190]

Of course it's true.  I know 'cos I wrote it!

 

There's more about Lotus badges here

 

Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Blimey Mike, didn't think I'd see you on here

 

Caught me posting your info, oops -

[MikeC]

You can run -- but you can't hide.....

 

 

 

Mike

[Tango190]

You can run -- but you can't hide.....

 

 

 

Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well at my size hiding is a prob, but when it comes to "run" I ain't too shabby - unless I get lost eh SteveJ

 

Check your email Mike, fancy a laugh at the Elise/Exige boys expense on 22nd May ?

 

With regard to the CROSSPOST - your info was the best piece of info I could have passed on to Dave.

[MikeC]

All these fscking board thingies work differently -- what's wrong with RFC 822 email I want to know!

 

Anyway, as far as I can tell, few Elsie drivers can distinguish another Lotus from a Porker 4x4, so on the Sunday suggested I will be on my bike! Said bike was designed & built by an ex-Lotus stress engineer, and has his name writ large on the side. So I'll be doing my Lotus bit -- and listening to the commentary on the Monaco GP on the teeny-weeny radio at the same time :-))

 

Mike

[Tango190]

All these fscking board thingies work differently -- what's wrong with RFC 822 email I want to know!

 

Anyway, as far as I can tell, few Elsie drivers can distinguish another Lotus from a Porker 4x4, so on the Sunday suggested I will be on my bike!  Said bike was designed & built by an ex-Lotus stress engineer, and has his name writ large on the side.  So I'll be doing my Lotus bit -- and listening to the commentary on the Monaco GP on the teeny-weeny radio at the same time :-))

 

Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No worries Mike, how about Castle Coombe on the 28th May - we'll be there - somehow !

[Tango190]

Thought I'd just add another post to this old thread as I have found out some more information from Mike Causers (Mike C)

 

Ignoring the Elise and Exiges for a mo ....

 

There were in fact TWO types of Black Badge Cars not just the one I thought there was.

 

The 1st Black Badge Lotus cars did come as a memorial to Jim Clark ....

 

Now the interesting bit for me and my old Excel ...

 

Colin Chapman died in December 1982 and a slightly different Black Badge was used for approx 1 year ....

 

Black with a Gold ring around the outside, not silver like the earlier badges.

 

However, it turns out that the Black and Gold badge HAD been used before ... on the JPS Esprits to commemorate Mario Andretiti's World Championship win .... The LAST championship Chapman would see before his fatal heart attack.

 

So, the badge on the old Excel is a memorial to Colin Chapman and celebration of the Last time Lotus won an F1 world championship during his reign.

 

Chapman saw his last F1 victory at the Austrian race in 1982, which Elio De Angelis won.

 

The old Excel is truly a Chapman car, being the last model made under his control and carrying a tribute to him by way of the Black and Gold badge.

 

Many thanks to Mike Causer for the information

 

I feel "strange" about the Black Badge now, even more so than the previous knowledge as a Jim Clark memorial badge ....

 

After all, this is a memorial to the old man and the creator of all things Lotus ...

 

God bless

[Jonathan E]

I knew they had been used as a tribute to Clark and Chapman. This was due to having read Mike C web page a long time ago. I, like many others have replaced my green yellow badges with black ones, if I'm honest it is because I prefer the black badges and they look better on my car which is probably not the best reason. I used to watch the JPS Lotus racing in F1 when I was a kid so the black badges(although not with Gold) always remind me of Lotus racing and winning.....happy days.

Regards

Jon