The Date on the picture.

Peter Motte · Post by **Peter Motte** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:10 am

You've all probably seen this picture before which I found here:

http://formulauna.skynetblogs.be/archiv ... -2012.html

I have a problem with the caption.
It says the picture dates from 1965.
It also says it's Diana's WHITE Lotus.
But I don't think it's white.
It looks to me as if it's the powder blue one.
But the powder blue one was used during the production in the second half of 1966.
So, 1965 on the caption is wrong, or they just didn't have the white Lotus Elan used in the series during that Motor Show.
Can someone enlighten me?

darren · Post by **darren** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 1:22 pm

I think the caption could be wrong. The outfit she's wearing looks like one from season 5 but I can't place the story.

Peter Motte · Post by **Peter Motte** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 4:40 pm

This is something interesting:

http://www.nutleysports.co.uk/PHOTOGALLERY.htm

A bit down the page, you see a colour photograph of a LOTUS ELAN S3 COUPE, with the interesting remark:
Original Prototype, Earls Court Motor Show car & Press Demonstrator
Could that be the car in the picture at the Formula One! website?
Could the date be correct, but the car in that picture be a prototype?

No, sorry: it's a hardtop coupé, not a drophead coupé.
But the colour fits the photograph of the Earl's Court Motor Show.

I also found this remark:

The divine Emma Peel had a penchant for convertible Elans, the perfectly proportioned roadster launched in 1962. The black-and-white episodes featured an S2, with the famous powder blue S3 taking over in 1967

source

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

Peter Motte · Post by **Peter Motte** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 4:54 pm

This is also interesting:

"Au salon de Londres en 1964... Quel beau châssis !"

So, the mention 1964!

Then: the 1965 car could be a prototype used to make the 1967 series.
Notice, eg, that the 1965 car does not have a drophead fixed, but the wholes for it are present at the back of the cockpit.

Peter Motte · Post by **Peter Motte** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 5:06 pm

My idea is that "1965" is correct.
It is also correct that it was the same model as the car used in The Avengers.
But it is not correct that it is exaclty the same specimen used in The Avengers.
It's another specimen of the same model, but with a different colour.
That car has probably never seen a set of The Avengers.

Peter Motte · Post by **Peter Motte** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 5:11 pm

Here I have found some more pictures of the LNK 120C.
The colour fits the colour on the 1965 picture, but again it's a hardtop coupé, and not a drophead coupé.
According to the captions on the black&white photo's lower on that page, the LNK 120C would already have it's hardtop roof installed at the Earl's Court 1965 Motor Show.

Photo 1 - Lotus Sales Director Graham Arnold wetting the floor outside the London Hilton prior to the 1965 Earls Court Motorshow photo shoot of LNK 120C

So, this suggest that the year on the caption of the first picture I present here, is indeed wrong.

Peter Motte · Post by **Peter Motte** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 5:20 pm

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.
- 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!

why bother · Post by **why bother** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:26 pm

don't know details on car but her coat laying on back of car and jump suit look like Jean Varon designs, so that puts it as being taken while the Black and white season was being produced / shown.
John

Peter Motte · Post by **Peter Motte** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 6:03 pm

Thank you.
It fits nicely with the 1965 date.

darren · Post by **darren** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:17 am

why bother wrote:don't know details on car but her coat laying on back of car and jump suit look like Jean Varon designs, so that puts it as being taken while the Black and white season was being produced / shown.
John

Ah yes, I didn't spot that. It probably is 1965 then. I could have sworn I could picture her white outfit in a colour episode.