I dunno what the "correct" color is but my brothers chromed one looks
great...much better than my black one.
>From: "Doug Ingram" <dougi@home.com>
>Reply-To: "Doug Ingram" <dougi@home.com>
>To: "Spridget List" <spridgets@autox.team.net>
>Subject: Gear Lever Surround Color on Sprite HAN7 and Midget GAN2
>Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 20:11:01 -0800
>
>This is long, and will be of interest to originality/correctness types, and
>hopefully to others who own HAN7 Sprites or GAN2 Midgets. It concerns the
>correct colour for the metal gear lever surround on those models.
>
>As far as I can tell, my project car (HAN7L/30003) is original. Not that it
>is in great shape (thus earning the designation "project"), but there is no
>evidence that it has been modified, and certainly it still wears its
>original coat of paint, except for rear end accident repair. All the
>interior is unquestionably original down to the smelly upholstery and
>rotten
>carpets. The known history of the car also suggests that it has not been
>tampered with, as was a daily driver, then abandoned, and then impounded
>for
>about 20 years before I acquired it. So what, you say?
>
>Well, both the concours standards and Original Sprite & Midget state that
>the gear lever surround should be painted body colour. My car is Old
>English
>White, with a red interior, both confirmed accurate by the heritage
>certificate. Thus, the gear lever surround should be OEW, but it's not -
>it's red. Red to match the interior, not the body. The HAN7 was the first
>model to have Vynide covered inner door frames - previous models showed
>painted metal, the same colour as the exterior. So it actually makes more
>sense that the gear lever surround match the rest of the interior, rather
>than being the lone interior component wearing exterior colour.
>
>Earlier this month, I wrote to Terry Horler about this, and recently got
>his
>reply. To paraphrase, he states it is very probable that the gear lever
>surround should match the interior. He says there were very few HAN7 and
>GAN2 versions for him to inspect in the research for OS&M. The GAN2
>examples
>that he looked at were both red on red, so nothing can be learned from
>them.
>The HAN7 he looked at (OEW with hazelnut trim, pictures in the book), with
>the hazelnut gear lever surround, may be correct after all, although at the
>time he believed it was not.
>
>Terry will try to find out more, through the Midget & Sprite Club (UK)
>newsletter. Can anyone add anything to this? Perhaps someone has an
>original
>HAN7 or GAN2, or remembers seeing one in the past, or has old
>photos..........
>
>I would appreciate any help. With sufficient evidence, I'll attempt to get
>the concours standards revised.
>
>Thanks for your interest,
>
>Doug Ingram
>Victoria BC
>1958 Sprite (AN5L/636)
>1963 Sprite Mk II project (HAN7L/30003)
>
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