2001 Lotus Touch Up Paint (2 OEM Colors)

The 2001 Lotus Vibe

Welcome to 2001, the year we realized the Y2K bug wasn't going to end the world, but the clear coat on your Elise S2 might. This was the dawn of the "new" Lotus era-the Esprit V8 was entering its final, glorious act, and the Elise was finally showing the world that you didn't need a heavy engine to go fast. While the rest of the automotive world was obsessing over "Techno Silver" and boring greys to match their new flip phones, the only color that truly mattered for a Lotus was British Racing Green. It was the color of heritage, wrapped around a futuristic composite body that was designed to be driven hard and parked rarely.

Paint Health Check

We are firmly in the "Peeling Era" now. By 2001, Lotus was using a basecoat/clearcoat system that looked a mile deep when it left the factory, but those early 2000s clear coats haven't always aged gracefully. On a composite or fiberglass body like the Elise or Esprit, heat expansion and UV exposure are the enemies. The real threat here is delamination-where the clear coat decides it's had enough of the basecoat and starts lifting off in sheets. If you see what looks like a white, cloudy bubble or a "sunburn" on your front clam, your clear is failing, and it won't stop until it's finished the job.

Restoration Tip

In this era of paint, a tiny stone chip is more than just an eyesore; it's an invitation for disaster. On these 2001 models, you need to seal chips immediately before the clear coat starts to lift at the edges. If you let air and moisture get under that clear, the bond is toast. My advice? Don't wait for the weekend. Dab some touch-up paint into the chip as soon as you see it to "lock" the clear coat edge down. It's the difference between a five-minute fix and a five-thousand-dollar trip to the spray booth for a full clam respray.