Lotus Elite

The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.

1957

Infobox Automobile


boxcolor = darkgreen
name = Lotus Elite
manufacturer = Lotus Cars
production = 1957-1963
class = Sports car
body_style = 2-door coupé
engine = 1.2 L Coventry Climax Straight-4
transmission = 4-speed manual
length = Auto mm|3759
width = Auto mm|1506
height = Auto mm|1181
wheelbase = Auto mm|2242
weight = kg to lb|503.5|abbr=yes
predecessor =
successor = Lotus Elan
aka =
related =
similar =The first Elite or "Lotus Type 14" was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1957 to 1963.

Making its debut at the 1957 London Motor Car Show, Earls Court, the 14 spent a year in development, aided by "carefully selected racing customers", [Setright, L. J. K., "Lotus: The Golden Mean", in Northey, Tom, ed. "World of Automobiles" (London: Orbis, 1974), Volume 11, p.1227.] before going on sale.

The Elite's most distinctive feature was its highly innovative fiberglass monocoque construction, in which a stressed-skin unibody replaced the previously separate chassis and body components. Unlike the contemporaneous Chevrolet Corvette, which used fiberglass for only exterior bodywork, the Elite also used this glass-reinforced plastic material for the entire load-bearing structure of the car, though the front of the monocoque incorporated a steel subframe supporting the engine and front suspension, and there was a hoop at the windscreen for mounting door hinges and jacking the car up. [Setright, p.1226.] This body construction caused numerous early problems, until manufacture was handed over to Bristol Aeroplane Company. [Setright, p.1227.]

The resultant body was both lighter, stiffer, and provided better driver protection in the event of a crash. The weight savings allowed the Elite to achieve sports car performance from a 75 hp (55 kW) 1216 cc Coventry Climax all-aluminium Straight-4 engine. Climax-powered Elites won their class six times at the 24 hour Le Mans race as well as two "Index of Thermal Efficiency" wins. The Elite was the first Lotus produced car to race in Australia and the original car to be raced in Australia is currently in boxes under re-furbishment.

The car had independent suspension all round with transverse wishbones at the front and Chapman struts at the rear. (The latter consisted of coil springs and trailing radius arms.) Girling disc brakes, without servo assistance, of Auto in|9.5|0 diameter were used, inboard at the rear.

Advanced aerodynamics also made a contribution, giving the car a very low drag coefficient of 0.29 — quite low even for modern cars. This accomplishment is all the more remarkable considering the engineers did not enjoy the benefits of computer-aided design and wind tunnel testing. The original Elite drawings were by Peter Kirwan-Taylor. Frank Costin (brother of Mike, one of the co-founders of Cosworth), at that time Chief Aerodynamic Engineer for the de Havilland Aircraft Company, contributed to the final design.

Like her siblings, the 14 was run in numerous formulae, with particular success at Le Mans and the Nürburgring, and high (or higher) performance variants were produced, featuring ZF gearboxes in place of the "cheap and nasty MG" standard ones, [Setright, p.1227.] as well as a Super 95 spec, with more power. [Setright, p.1227.]

Among its few faults was a resonant vibration at 4000 rpm (where few drivers remained, on either street or track) [It was cured by substituting a diaphragm clutch spring. Setright, p.1227.] and poor quality control, handicapped by overly low price (thus losing money on every copy) and, " [p] erhaps the greatest mistake of all", offering it as a kit, exactly the opposite of the ideal for a quality manufacturer. [Setright, p.1227.]

When production ended in 1963, 1030 had been built. [Ortenburger, Dennis "The Original Lotus Elite, Racing Car for the Road" Newport Press, 1977 p.135.]

A road car tested by The Motor magazine in 1960 had a top speed of convert|111.8|mph|km/h|abbr=on and could accelerate from 0-convert|60|mph|km/h|abbr=on in 11.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of convert|40.5|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus was recorded. The test car cost £1966 including taxes. cite journal | authorlink = Unsigned |title = The Lotus Elite| journal =The Motor| volume = | pages = | date = May 11, 1960]

1974

Infobox Automobile


boxcolor = darkgreen
name = Lotus Elite Types 75 and 83
manufacturer = Lotus Cars
production = 1974-1982
2535 made
class = Sports car
body_style = 2-door coupé
engine = 2.0 Litre I4
2.2 litre I4 (from 1980)
transmission = 5-speed manual
4 speed automatic
length = 176 inches (4470 mm)
wheelbase = 98 inches (2490 mm)
width =
height =
weight =
predecessor =
successor =
related = Lotus Eclat
similar =From 1974 to 1982, Lotus produced the considerably larger "Type 75" and later the "Type 83" 4-seat "Elite II".

Lotus' first saloon car was front engined with rear wheel drive. Like all production Lotuses since the Elan, the Elite II used fiberglass for the hatchback bodyshell, mounted on a steel backbone chassis evolved from the Elan and Europa. It had 4-wheel independent suspension using coil springs. Power steering and air conditioning were optional from 1974. The Elite II was the basis for the Eclat, and the later Excel four-seaters.

The Elite II was Lotus' first car to use the "907" aluminium-block 4-valve, DOHC, four cylinder, 2.0 L engine. (The 907 engine had previously been used in Jensen-Healeys.) The 907 engine ultimately became the foundation for the Lotus Esprit powerplants, both naturally-aspirated and turbocharged. Elite IIs were available with a 5-speed gearbox standard; from January 1976 an automatic transmission was optional.

Regarding performance, the Elite and Elite II (and the related Éclat) are notable in that the stock curb weight is not much over Auto lb|2000|0. Once the motors reach their power band, both acceleration and handling are impressive.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.stuart.strickland.net/elite/ Lotus Elite Type 14]
* [http://www.lotusexcel.co.uk/ Lotus Excel - Elite - Eclat Owner's forum. Huge archive of information]
* [http://www.lotusexcel.net/ Lotus Excel Owner's forum - Elites & Eclats welcome]
*imcdb vehicle|make=Lotus|model=Elite|Lotus Elite