I'll try to take close up pics tomorrow..

 

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That looks good! Who did the work and is it painted or powder coated?

 

I think its painted but I do not know who did the job.. I bought the car used and it was done by the previous owner in California. He had a few other parts painted black like the grills inside the side vents the front lower lip and the grill and bottom part of the rear bumper. It is a really nice job and afar for a few rock chips (front blades) it looks like if it had been done at the factory.

 

Hi guys,
Newbie on the forum and with a V8 Vantage.
I have a 2007 model and wanted to know if the front 6 slates grille changed materially the appearance of the car ? Any thoughts ?

 

any pictures?

 

Sorry to revive this old thread guys, but since I haven't gotten my car yet(it is still in the rig en route to my house from Florida), I don't know if the front grill is metal or plastic. Is it in fact metal? If so, I will be powdercoating it gloss black and glad to post pictures when done. I was under the impression that the grill was made of abs plastic and chromed.....

 

The horizontal slats are metal. The vertical support bars are plastic. Some models have a clear coat over the metal. Some slats are made of a solid extrusion of metal, others are folded over to increase thickness.

 

Ok KF! I remember you from the Lotus Forums! I have an Esprit also. Anyway, can the plastic parts be removed from the metal slats? Or are they riveted together?

 

Greetings. It's hard for me to hide on the Internet it seems.

The slats are press-fit into the support brackets. You may be able to pull them off. Others have claimed to have pulled theirs while the grille was still installed to their car. I'm afraid of trying this for risk of breaking one of the brackets. Congrats on the new car.

 

Thanks! I am very excited about the Vantage! Have been looking to get one for a few years now!
So I should be able to remove the metal slats from the vertical supports once I remove the entire assembly from the car, correct? Just clarifying that I can get the slats free to have them coated. I could paint them, but even automotive paint and clear coat might chip easily on such narrow slats. Powdercoating is much more durable.

 

I installed the "six slates" grill on my 2007 Vantage and it updated the look very nicely (along with the V8VS wheels)... It was a relatively easy install. I purchased the "grill" from an owner of a V12 vantage who wanted a blacked-out grill instead of the polished aluminum grill. The photo to the left is with the old grill BTW.