These AMBER plastic L549 Lucas lenses are in excellent original condition, although there are the usual tiny hairline cracks in the plastic. The cracks are all but invisible, and do not affect the durability of the lens. They are
correctly marked LUCAS L549 and MADE IN ENGLAND. They were used on MGA 1500 and 1600, Bugeye Sprite, Morris Minor, Morgan,
Triumph TR 2 and TR3, Jaguar XK140, XK150, Mark I, Mark VII, Mark VIII,
Mark IX, and even D-types and XKSS, plus a host of other British cars in
the fifties and sixties.
For those in the know, Lucas made the very popular L549 lens, which was
normally red, in amber for about three years during the mid-1950s, about
1955 through 1957, as far as we can tell. These amber lenses were
fitted to MGAs, Jaguar XK140 and Mark VII/VIII, Triumph TR3 and probably
others, but only on a few cars. Why? We aren't sure but what we do know
is that some cars sold in the US came with amber lenses, and some in
Europe as well. Our own XK140 has them, and we know of a handful of
other cars which were documented by the original owners to have been
shipped with amber L549 tail lenses. Some argue that amber 549 lenses
are simply red lenses that have faded in the sun. While it's true that
the red lenses can go amberish with age, the true amber L549 lens can be
identified by its CLEAR reflector (the reflectors on all L549 lenses
are a separate, glued-in part), whereas the more common red lenses came
with red reflectors. This pair has clear reflectors.
We have written a a blog about these lenses on our website, jollyrogersmotors.
Complete new lamp assemblies are also available; see Related Products below. We have an ever-changing stock of original lamps and lenses; please contact us for availability. We also sell most lamp components individually; again, contact us.