Federal Interior Colours for 1991 and 1992

[andrewp]

I am speculating this . . . .
1) All 1991 Federal cars had the black/raven leather interior.
2) All 1992 Federal cars had a contrasting stripe of leather (red or yellow) on the seats and door cards. Otherwise the interior is black/raven leather.

Is this assumption correct?

[TorqueHorse]

Hmmm, the official line I've always seen is that FED cars are only model year 1991 cars, and that they all came over before the end of that year.
So I don't think there are any 1992 FED spec cars...
But, I have a sales literature piece from early 1991 (Lotus Cars, USA, Inc.) that has the options listed.
It says all cars have the same interior of "...deep gray leather upholstery...[with] color-striped seats by special order."

[dapinky]

First, my disclaimer........ I have never seen the sales literature for the Federal cars, so can neither confirm nor contradict anything quoted from it.

However, in the UK / EU / ROW cars (ie, anything other than Fed) I know that the early cars (according to literature I have seen) came with the half-leather, half cloth seats as standard, with the striped full leather as an option... which was nearly always taken up on the SE, and (according to some sources) was really a 'special order' on the NA as they were assembled with the cloth ones.

The Later SE/NA cars had the same 'basic' cloth seats, but with the Raven / Perforated leather as the option, not the stripe.

Now, I cannot find any reference to when the striped option became the raven option, but both my 1990 & (January) 1991 cars had the red stripe....... but my 1992 car has the perforated leather.

So, it would be fair to assume that it changed in 1991, and thus the Fed cars should all have the perforated version..... maybe it was the production of the Fed car which drove the change-over in the UK, I don't know.

Then we have the S2 cars which have a slightly different seat structure (metal base, not rubber diaphragm), and a whole host of seat covering options, usually single-colour but with or without contrasting piping.... the half-cloth still remained as the no-cost basic fitment all the way through production.

Of course, Lotus, being what they are (were?) would accommodate all manner of 'Special Orders', and the trimming department could do virtually whatever your chequebook could afford.

[andrewp]

The white 1991, I once owned, had a raven leather interior. The silver one (listed in Canada as 1992 model) has the same raven leather, but also a yellow stripe.

Are there Federal 1991 Elan cars with the stripe (as stock)?

[steve matthews]

Are there Federal 1991 Elan cars with the stripe (as stock)?

Interesting, Ive got the Raven Leather with Red and Gray stripe in seat and door card. 1991 Fed.