S1 Original Silver(s)

[ChrisJ.]

Apart from titanium, was there just one, or two other silver options for paint on S1s?

[Exige77]

My S1 is New Aluminium.

Ex77

[ChrisJ.]

Thanks.

So is it just:

New Alluminium
Titanium

and no other silvers?

[GR4]

I think the Sport 135 colour was different again and called Quicksilver

[Caterhamfan]

ChrisJ. said:

Thanks.

So is it just:

New Alluminium
Titanium

and no other silvers?

I have a colour chart from June 1996 which lists "Aluminium".

[ChrisJ.]

GR4 said:

I think the Sport 135 colour was different again and called Quicksilver

Thanks. I have seen 'Quicksilver' quoted for Sport 135 cars.

I'd just like to know if the colour of these two cars:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4105699.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1375796.htm

is the same as these two:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4243961.htm
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1998-LOTUS-ELISE-Elise-/...

I'm beginning to think it maybe just looks pale when the lighting is bright for the photos.

I'm looking to buy the nicest S1 I can find, by the way.

[ChrisJ.]

Caterhamfan said:

I have a colour chart from June 1996 which lists "Aluminium".

Thanks. So it should be 'Aluminium' not 'New Aluminium'?

I see 'Titanium' being referred to as 'Storm Titanium' on S1 adverts.

[ADM 135S]

My 135s in Quicksilver, has a blue "tint" to the silver.

[davidf4]

My elise is titanium (see the picture on my profile).
Aluminium is very light, where as titanium is a darker shade, going into gun metal.

The cars in the links above all look like aluminium to me, except maybe P665NEW which does look darker and more titaniumy in some pictures.
Titanium contrasts with the standard silver wheels more than aluminium. I think once you've got a gauge for that contrast it gives you a pretty good indicator of which colour you are looking at.

These two adverts show the S1 titanium colour pretty well:
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/topgear/cars_adve...
http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/topgear/cars_adve...

I prefer the titanium to the aluminium on the S1 myself. I think it makes the car look more solid and shows off the curves better. I'm probably just biased though.


And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Storm Titanium is actually an S2 colour and the S1 colour was just Titanium Metallic. I've never seen the two colours side by side to see if there is a difference though (although I suspect there is).

[ChrisJ.]

It's not the difference between Titanium and the other silvers that I'm trying to decipher. That's pretty obvious.

I'd convinced myself there was another silver besides Aluminium (apart from the unique Sport 135 colour).
I think it's just that Aluminium colour can look very pale in sunlight, making me think there was also a lighter shade.

And yes, nothing shows the shape off better than Titanium.

[TIPPER]

New Ally, when given a good deep clean, polish and wax looks just like shiney new Aluminium which, to my eyes, has a hint of white in it. New Ally is one of those colours that looks different dependant on the ambient light: it looks stunning under garage forecourt lights at night.

[Caterhamfan]

ChrisJ. said:

Caterhamfan said:

I have a colour chart from June 1996 which lists "Aluminium".

Thanks. So it should be 'Aluminium' not 'New Aluminium'?

I see 'Titanium' being referred to as 'Storm Titanium' on S1 adverts.

If I remember correctly, the launch colours included "Aluminium" and this colour was later superseded by "New Aluminium".

[ChrisJ.]

Caterhamfan said:

If I remember correctly, the launch colours included "Aluminium" and this colour was later superseded by "New Aluminium".

Ah, thanks.
So this early example:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/4243961.htm
is probably a different colour to this later car?:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1375796.htm

Thanks everyone, for the help.

[Esprit]

S1 was available in two silvers:

New Aluminium
Titanium.

The S135 came in Quicksilver.

It's entirely possible that some of the very very last of the S1s (like the S1 Exiges) were available in S2 colours and I've seen some Exige S1s come from the factory in the S2 colours "Arctic Silver" (replaced New Aluminium and is a bright silver), "Graphite Grey" (which is more of a gunmetal, darker than Titanium) and "Quartz" (Which is a halfway colour between New Aluminium and Titanium).

Of course, you could get your S1 in any colour of your choice if you ordered it so.

[DCor]

Esprit is right - the last batch of S1's did appear to go through the paint shop with S2 colours !!
Mine is October 2000 (so one of the last of the S1's) and is described as Ice Blue. It can range from silver to light blue depending upon light conditions. In my opinion I don't think it's too far off the 'Quicksilver'.
In general you pays your money and takes your choice!

[JACK6284]

I had a Titanium S1 and it looked very smart in that colour. However, a word of warning in that this colour is similar to the general road surface and the car can become invisible to others! Audi drivers mostly.