The Lotus Grand Tourers

Looking at getting the interior sorted using these

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2052446625

Have used them before

So will be purchasing the dash the rear quarters and the tunnels plus door card leather in black with red stitching. At the same time will be doing the carpet as well, the quandary is black carpet with red piping or red carpet with black piping??

Does anyone have any advise/guidance on companies to supply carpets

Be really interested to find out your opinion on these Jerry - I've looked at them before and wondered about the quality.

Pete

Pete Boole wrote:Be really interested to find out your opinion on these Jerry - I've looked at them before and wondered about the quality.

Pete

I have used them before on the Elise as was really pleased. So going to bite the bullet. They have promised me they will cut out from the same piece of leather.

Not a problem for you given the age of your car, but not great that they advertise it as for 1983 onwards, which was a completely different dash.

AndyC wrote:Not a problem for you given the age of your car, but not great that they advertise it as for 1983 onwards, which was a completely different dash.

They do earlier dash as well as far as I recall. I’m sure they would expect someone who was looking to buy to discuss with them first.

No personal experience but some have changed their carpets - Tanz for example did a super job with Coverdale carpets:

web link https://www.carcarpets.co.uk/lotus-excel-303-c.asp

alanmoss wrote:No personal experience but some have changed their carpets - Tanz for example did a super job with Coverdale carpets:

web link https://www.carcarpets.co.uk/lotus-excel-303-c.asp

Yep saw that Alan but was short of bits if I recall correctly

If you intend to cover all the interior in back leather, and also replace the carpets in black in your pacific blue excel
then why use red stitching and piping and not the blue they do ? That would match the exterior and look good.
Ian.

Gold and blue. Go Gold

RED BARON wrote:If you intend to cover all the interior in back leather, and also replace the carpets in black in your pacific blue excel
then why use red stitching and piping and not the blue they do ? That would match the exterior and look good.
Ian.

Because the SE comes with red stitching on the steering wheel and the gear knob is black and red.

Hawaiis0 wrote:Gold and blue. Go Gold

Like the idea but with my muddy boots and Angus’s ability to organise our meets in the rain it would be a mess in no time.

I'd suggest the best answer to your dilemma (not enough options given for it to be a quandary...) is the black with red piping, although you could try some red carpet mats (original mats on my car are dark red to match the paintwork).

I also fitted a Coverdale carpet set, and it's true that it doesn't include enough pieces to cover the same areas as original. Plus there were two sets of front mats, for which I still haven't worked out a reason. My solution was going to be to cut up the rear shelf carpet to use in the footwell, and fit a black piece of carpet at the back instead, which will make it easier to see out of the rear screen than the light tan carpet does.

kkv444v wrote:I'd suggest the best answer to your dilemma (not enough options given for it to be a quandary...) is the black with red piping, although you could try some red carpet mats (original mats on my car are dark red to match the paintwork).

I also fitted a Coverdale carpet set, and it's true that it doesn't include enough pieces to cover the same areas as original. Plus there were two sets of front mats, for which I still haven't worked out a reason. My solution was going to be to cut up the rear shelf carpet to use in the footwell, and fit a black piece of carpet at the back instead, which will make it easier to see out of the rear screen than the light tan carpet does.

I still think it is a quandary “ a difficult situation; a practical dilemma.”

Never will I have any mats in the front of my Excel but I have decided to order black with red piping and hope it looks good rather than claustrophobic. Not going through Coverdale so will update on the retailer and quality once it arrives.

http://www.classicmotorcarpets.co.uk/

Maybe you could get this matter downgraded to an "issue" Jerry? You'd still have the option of escalating to something like a "predicament" later on if needs must.

I looked into getting a new carpet set for my Excel last winter and after getting some samples had settled on Coverdale's Blenheim range. I thought the 100% polyprop might be more durable than a wool mix. I had a look Phil T's carpets in his Excel and thought they looked good. I've still to get around to actually placing an order though.

If you are looking for opinions on colour for what it's worth I'm not too sure about red carpets. I remember some sporty cars in the 1980s had them and although I thought they looked fine then in a red braces kind of way they appear a tad gauche to me these days. OK, so I'm a boring sod but I'd be looking at black or maybe dark blue carpets.

Id go black leather but silver grey carpet to lighten things up a bit. it would add a bit of contrast and wouldnt show the dirt as much as black does.