Calypso Red Paint Code

[basher]

Help,

My Calypso Red (i'm assuming- it can't be cranberry!) paint code doesn't seem to fit with any on the paint chart on WikiLEC it is A100U0473
That doesn't appear to fit with eith ICI or Du-Pont.
I got some basic A23 and it appears to be a completely different red to the rest of the car.
Have I got the wrong paint or has the original paint died off so badly it's hardly recognisable? There are a few shades on the car but thats red paint sun and age for you, I have checked on the hood cover panel, that is protected from the sun and that is closer to my new paint?

Any ideas please???

Cheers

[Coupeboy]

Hi - you'll probably find that A100U0473 is the part number of the label and is located roughly where the paint code should appear (mine is absent as well) and it isn't the paint code - good old Lotus. Sounds like your paint has faded quite badly. Mine is supposed to be Pacific blue but the hood cover is also darker than the rest of the car and the Lotus touch up stick doesn't match any panel. I ended up going to Halfrauds and matched it up with Nissan Intense blue!

[basher]

You can't believe them (Lotus) sometimes...
Anyway, I phoned them to check and mine is Calypso Red code A23 and the paint has died out. It should be a rich orangey red but it is darker and more maroony now. It doesn't look awful- thank God we're a way away from the milky pink that red can turn into, but I have made a repair so it needs to be painted.

So basically, I need a complete respray or some sort of amazing paint regenerator, somehow I don't think that T-Cut has the bollocks for this job.
Any recommendations?

[hatters]

Hi
I dont suppose its going to be of much use to you but I have a small pot of touch up calypso red which you can have free of charge its exactly the same colour as my Elan and I purchased three of these pots and two havent been opened but you are quite welcome to one if its any use to you
Roan

[basher]

Roan,

That's very decent of you thanks, but i think I'm looking at a complete respray or treating the existing paint to get it back to where it needs to be.

[Peter L]

Hi,
New to this, so apologise if this is in the wrong place, but I have recently purchased my 92 se turbo in black, the engine bay label does not have the colour code, can anyone tell me what black they were likely to have used on my car, or suggest where I can find out, so I can get a touch up made?

Cheers

Peter

[clemo]

HI PETER ,

and welcome to LEC ...
a wealth of information ..... and other stuff !.

if you look just below the top left lotus elan central big logo thing you will see home /wikilec /repairs


click on the wikiLEC and enter the all you need to know section .... along with even more you didn't need to know ... but once you know you will think hum how interesting .


all the best

clemo

[Peter L]

Thanks Clemo,

Plenty of interesting reading for the winter nights!

[lotusflasherman]

Thanks Clemo,

Plenty of interesting reading for the winter nights!

Yes, indeed - Service Manual Section BH Page 2 is what you need. Paragraph BH.1- Paint Codes.
.. and to answer your question - the early M100's had ICI paint but that did not include Black. When they changed to DuPont, Black was included, so for you it's straightforward as it will certainly be the DuPont product.
Paint Code: B02, Option Code: IACB , Colour: Black, Manufacturer's Ref No: DuPont AB47600, Lotus Part No: A100B6256V

hope that helps - though I've always thought 'black' is 'black' is 'black' .... white, on the other hand, comes in a thousand different shades of 'whites' ...

[Fredjohn]

Unless you have metallic black B13 in which case the Dupont code is ABN8113 Lotus A082B6313F

All in WikiLEC under Paint Codes to save you searching through the Service Manual.