disguised the rover tail light lenses

[teigan]

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/i_teiga
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/i_teiga

people have done this before but with pinstripe tape, and it looked slipshod up close.

i fabricated some acrylic wavy profile lenses that fit snug into the existing slots. haven't glued them in yet, because i can't decide whether it is an improvement. there isn't much can be done with the ugly stock parts. the additions don't block any light emission as you can tell from the 2nd photo.

[ErnestM]

Honestly, and no harm intended to your effort, but I believe they look better without. Just MHO

ErnestM

[teigan]

despite the effort, it still doesn't fail to be ugly, which is why i asked your opinion.
i can't look at those taillights without remembering the same ones were on british police cars for over a decade. how uncool is that? the only way lotus could have made it worse is if they scavenged them off a toyota.

[lotustt]

Oh my word!

[GKP]

British police cars of that era are very cool (Sweeny - shut it!), these are not.

[anonymous-user]

teigan said:

the only way lotus could have made it worse is if they scavenged them off a toyota.

One man's opinion, as they say.

My rough rule of thumb remains that the more Toyota parts there are in any Lotus, the better the car.

Personally I always liked the Rover lights on Lotuses. It was neat the way they fitted the same lamps "right way up" on the Esprit and "upside down" on the Excel. Lots of Toyota bits in the Excel! Toyota tail lamps (amongst other things) on the Stevens Esprit - they polished the lettering off for Federal cars but not the Euro ones.

One or two Toyota bits in the Elise/Exige too. 111R is one of the best cars I've ever driven.

[toyroom]

Just be glad they didn't keep the Bertone X1/9 rear lights from the Esprit S1....I had an X 1/9 for many years and spent most of the time emptying water out of them as the were externally glazed. Life with the lights say the use of hundreds of tins of ignition sealant rying to keep the water out!

[kylie]

I think they look ok, but I wouldn't glue them in permantly. Its only because if you end up selling it and the next person wants to bring the lights back to original they can't and have to source new tail lights. But hey its your car and I guess you have made your mind up anyway?

[teigan]

they are currently wedged in without glue, and they don't seem to be falling out. if i do ever glue them, i'll use an optically clear double sided adhesive film. it'll be difficult to peel off, but it can be done without damage.