The Lotus Elite name has been used for two production vehicles and one concept vehicle developed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer Lotus Cars. The first generation Elite Type 14 was produced from 1957 until 1963 and the second generation model (Type 75 and later Type 83) from 1974 until 1982. The Elite name was also applied to a concept vehicle unveiled in 2010.
Type 14 (1957–1963)
The first generation of the Elite or Lotus Type 14 was a lightweight two-seater coupé produced from 1957 until 1963.
The car debuted at the 1957 London Motor Car Show, Earls Court, bearing chassis number 1006. The Elite had spent a year in development, aided by "carefully selected racing customers" before going on sale.[5]
The Elite's most distinctive feature was its highly innovative fibreglass monocoque construction, in which a stressed-skin glass reinforced plastic unibody replaced the previously separate chassis and body components. Unlike the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette, which used fibreglass for only exterior bodywork, the Elite used glass-reinforced plastic for the entire load-bearing structure of the car. A steel subframe for supporting the engine and front suspension was bonded into the front of the monocoque, as was a square-section windscreen-hoop that provided mounting points for door hinges, a jacking point for lifting the car and roll-over protection components.[6] The first 250[7] or 280[4] body shells were made by Maximar Mouldings at Pulborough, Sussex. This body/chassis structure caused numerous early problems, until manufacture was handed over to Bristol Aeroplane Company.[5]
The resultant body was lighter, stiffer, and provided better driver protection in the event of a crash. Still, a full understanding of the engineering qualities of fibreglass-reinforced plastic was several years off, and the attachment points for the rear suspension arms were regularly observed to pull out of the fibreglass structure. The weight savings allowed the Elite to achieve racecar-like performance from a 75 hp, 1216 cc Coventry Climax FWE all-aluminium straight-four engine while returning a fuel consumption of 35 mpgimp.[1] All production Elites were powered by the FWE engine, except for one that acted as a testbed for the newly developed Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine. The FWE engine was derived from a lightweight (FW = Feather Weight) one-man-trolleyed water pump engine used for firefighting.[8]
The car had independent suspension all round with transverse wishbones at the front and Chapman struts at the rear. The rear struts were so tall, that they poked up in the cabin and the tops could be seen through the rear window from a car behind.[1] The Series 2 cars, the first 31 with Maximar and the rest with Bristol-built bodies,[4] had triangulated trailing radius arms for improved toe-in control. Girling disc brakes, usually without servo assistance, of 9.5 in diameter were used, inboard at the rear. When leaving the factory, the Elite was fitted with Pirelli Cinturato 155HR15 tyres on wire wheels.
The original Elite body style drawings were by Peter Kirwan-Taylor. Frank Costin (brother of Mike, the co-founder of Cosworth), at that time Chief Aerodynamic Engineer for the de Havilland Aircraft Company, contributed to the final shape. The car was later tested for aerodynamics that showed the drag coefficient of [1], excellent considering Costin did not have access to computer-aided design or wind tunnel testing.
The SE model was introduced in 1960 as a higher-performance variant, featuring twin SU carburettors and cast alloy intake manifold resulting in engine power output increasing to 85 hp, four-speed ZF S 4-12 gearboxes[9] in place of the standard "cheap and nasty" MG ones,[5] Lucas PL700 headlamps,[10] and a silver coloured roof. The Super 95 model[5] had a more powerful engine with 10.5:1 compression ratio and two sets of Weber 40DCOE carburettors. A limited number of Super 100 and Super 105 cars were made for racing with a 5-bearing high lift camshaft, steel timing gear, ported head, and fabricated exhaust manifold.
Among the Elite's few faults was a resonant vibration at 4,000 rpm (where few drivers kept the rev on the street) and poor quality control, handicapped by an overly low price (resulting in Lotus losing money on every car produced) and, "perhaps the greatest mistake of all", offering it as a kit (with a substantial reduction in price and Purchase Tax),[4] exactly the opposite of the ideal for a quality manufacture.[5] Many drive-train parts were highly stressed and required re-greasing at frequent intervals.
When production ended in 1963, 1,030 cars had been built.[11] Other sources indicate that 1,047 were produced.[12]
A road car tested by The Motor magazine in 1960 demonstrated a top speed of 111.8 mph and a 0–60 mph acceleration time of 11.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 40.5 mpgimp was recorded. The test car cost £1,966 including taxes.[13]
Legacy
The ownership and history of the more than 1,000 Elites is maintained by the Lotus Elite World Register.[14] There are several active clubs devoted to the Lotus Elite.[15]
Motor sport
Like its siblings, the Elite was campaigned in numerous formulae, with particular success at Le Mans and the Nürburgring. The Elite won in its class six times at the 24 hour of Le Mans race as well as two Index of Thermal Efficiency wins. Les Leston, driving "DAD 10", and Graham Warner, driving "LOV 1", were noted UK Elite racers. In 1961, David Hobbs fitted a Hobbs Mecha-Matic 4-speed automatic transmission to an Elite,[16] and became almost unbeatable in two years' racing when he won 15 times from 18 starts. New South Wales driver Leo Geoghegan won the 1960 Australian GT Championship at the wheel of a Lotus Elite.[17]
Types 75 and 83 (1974–1982)
From 1974 to 1982, Lotus produced the considerably larger four-seat Type 75 and later Type 83 Elite. With this design Lotus sought to position itself upmarket and move away from its kit-car past.[20] The Elite was announced in May 1974.[21] It replaced the ageing Lotus Elan Plus 2.
The Elite has a shooting brake body style, with a glass rear hatch opening into the luggage compartment. The Elite's fibreglass bodyshell was mounted on a steel backbone chassis evolved from the Elan and Europa. It had 4-wheel independent suspension using coil springs. The Elite was the first Lotus automobile to use the aluminium-block 4-valve, DOHC, four-cylinder Type 907 engine that displaced 1973 cc and was rated at 155 hp. With this engine the car does 0 - 60 mph in 8.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 125 mph. (The 907 engine had previously been used in Jensen-Healeys.) The 907 engine ultimately became the foundation for the 2.0 L and 2.2 L Esprit power-plants, the naturally aspirated 912 and the turbocharged 910. The Elite was fitted with a 4 or 5-speed manual transmission depending on the customer specifications.
Elite concept
On 20 September 2010, Lotus unveiled photos of an Elite concept that was exhibited at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The car was expected to go into production in 2014.[24]
The car was to feature a 5.0-litre V8 engine sourced from Lexus, rated at 592 hp. The car would have a front-mid engine layout to distribute weight evenly at all four wheels. An optional hybrid kinetic-energy recovery system would augment the V8 by feeding electricity generated by braking to motors in the transmission. The 0–100 kph time was reported to be as low as 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 315 kph.[25]
The car had a 2+2 body style and was to be marketed as a grand tourer.
The Elite project was cancelled in July 2012 after a take over of Lotus' then parent company Proton by DRB-Hicom which initiated a new cost effective business plan.[26]
External links
References
- Quentin Willson. The Ultimate Classic Car Book DK Publishing, Inc., 1995^
- The Chequered Flag, A Brief History The Historic Racing and Sports Car Club Inc, retrieved 23 Aug 2025^
- Elite #1008 – The 1958 Earls Court Show Car Club Elite Newsletter, December 2011