The Date on the picture.

[Peter Motte]

There is also a flag on the back of the car, but I can't make out if it's the British flag (which I expect), or the American one (which they might have choosen to get the car sold in the US, but I doubt it).

[Ian Wegg]

Could it be possible to see the tiny differences between the S2 and S3?

That's a difficult exercise! The current (July 2012) edition of Classic and Sports Car magazine has a major feature on the car "Lotus Elan at 50".

Quote: "... there was a randomness to every car that left the factory, parts that were in surfeit crossing over from one series to the next."

[Peter Motte]

Hmm, Lotus, I guess....
It has never been a big manufacturer, and sometimes it shows.

[dissolute]

She's wearing clothes from Series 4 anyway - the "Chemin" coat from "The Thirteenth Hole" and that lace catsuit from the beach publicity photo shoot, shot around the time of "Castle De'ath".

Definitely 1965, and her Lotus in Series 4 probably wasn't white anyway, it always looks a bit too dark to be white.
Are there any colour photos of it anywhere?

[Peter Motte]

There are some b/w photo's about her Lotus, which clearly show a white Lotus.
See The Avengers Forever
By the way: the Lotus used at the Motor Show was afterwards used extensively as a demo car by Lotus' agent.
I can't imagine the car was used at the same time in the series too.

[mousemeat]

And than there is this:

Removable hard top on the Lotus Elan S2, coupled with other, more subtle changes, give it an Elite - like appearance. Shown at the 1964 London Auto Show Earls Court

Source

And the picture:



So, it looks like this:

- 1965 IS correct
- It is a car with a removable hard top.


wonderful car.....priceless...
- The car on which Diane Rigg is sitting, is indeed the LNK 120C, but with it removable hard top ... removed.

That means:
- It is NOT the car used for the production of The Avengers.

The people making the caption have drawn conclusions from a simple remarkt stating that it is the car used in The Avengers, but it is not actually the same specimen.

A mistake on the caption which we would never have noticed if both cars had had the same colour!

[Timeless A-Peel]

I've been reading TV Cars by Giles Chapman, and under the Avengers entry, it claims that the Lotus used in season 5 was given to Diana when she left the show, and she sold it immediately afterward. Eventually it ended up in that car museum. I've never heard this particular piece of trivia before, and was quite surprised by the idea that they'd hand over a whole car to one of the stars. Wardrobe items are one thing, but a car? Has anyone else heard this, or know if it's true?

[Dandy Forsdyke]

That's a new one on me too.

[Timeless A-Peel]

That's a new one on me too.

If it's true, they must have done it after she came back for Forget-Me-Not--otherwise she would have sold it long before it filmed. The book lists Brian Clemens as a source, so perhaps he's the one who said it. I've never heard him mention it elsewhere, though.

[Frankymole]

That's a new one on me too.

If it's true, they must have done it after she came back for Forget-Me-Not--otherwise she would have sold it long before it filmed. The book lists Brian Clemens as a source, so perhaps he's the one who said it. I've never heard him mention it elsewhere, though.

Maybe it was part-payment or even a gift to thank her for returning, she didn't need to, after all. We can almost regard "The Forget-Me-Knot" as a gift to the fans from Diana Rigg.