1981 Lotus Eclat 2.2
Discussion
Great to hear you are making progress on this Gerard, hopefully the wiper motor will free itself up.
I've found faults on my Elite (slow windows and misbehaving headlight pods) right themselfs to a large degree with use.
Some faults cant be ignored though, it's off the road for now as the steering has been getting heavy and not self centering when turning right so will need to check that out.
Passed a nice red D reg Excel in my home town thismorning, sadly i wasn't driving the Elite, was in my Discovery taking stuff to the dump.
I've found faults on my Elite (slow windows and misbehaving headlight pods) right themselfs to a large degree with use.
Some faults cant be ignored though, it's off the road for now as the steering has been getting heavy and not self centering when turning right so will need to check that out.
Passed a nice red D reg Excel in my home town thismorning, sadly i wasn't driving the Elite, was in my Discovery taking stuff to the dump.
The Eclat is now in daily use on an eight miles each way station commute. It is starting first time in frost and in rain, and running well. It's a bit clattery at idle. The wipers are now working at two speeds (not very fast, and a bit faster) The lights are going up OK but one doesn't always fully close. The dash lighting is still erratic - standard feeble ghostly glow on the dials, centre panel mostly dark. The rear demister still doesn't work, but bags of dehumidifier in the car have helped dry it out a lot. The wiring for the tacky radio has been disturbed as it now lights up but makes no sounds. The cabin light doesn't work.
Driving observations: it's fun! By contrast with the 1990 Excel SE that I had for a while, this car seems to have a quicker throttle response, but it has got good as new carbs. I like the precise Getrag five speeder, which has a very solid feeling to the gear change action. The assisted steering seems just right. The car doesn't feel quite as bolted to the road as the Excel did, but the grip and handling are still very good and the new Falken tyres seem pretty reasonable in wet and dry. I haven't really flung the car about much, as I am still getting to know it and have been driving it mostly in the dark on wet or possibly icy roads.
These cars are actually worse for rearward visibility than a Lotus Europa is, so parking at the station can be a bit gingerish.
Forthcoming jobs for Roy will include checking the wiring behind the centre panel, fitting the little joystick that controls the door mirrors, and checking on some corroded fuse placements in the boot. Also the driver door drain holes need clearing - the door has water sloshing about in it, which is a bad thing as the steel bar inside the door is prone to rust (this is the main corrosion weakness of the galvanised chassis Elite/Eclat/Excels).
Driving observations: it's fun! By contrast with the 1990 Excel SE that I had for a while, this car seems to have a quicker throttle response, but it has got good as new carbs. I like the precise Getrag five speeder, which has a very solid feeling to the gear change action. The assisted steering seems just right. The car doesn't feel quite as bolted to the road as the Excel did, but the grip and handling are still very good and the new Falken tyres seem pretty reasonable in wet and dry. I haven't really flung the car about much, as I am still getting to know it and have been driving it mostly in the dark on wet or possibly icy roads.
These cars are actually worse for rearward visibility than a Lotus Europa is, so parking at the station can be a bit gingerish.
Forthcoming jobs for Roy will include checking the wiring behind the centre panel, fitting the little joystick that controls the door mirrors, and checking on some corroded fuse placements in the boot. Also the driver door drain holes need clearing - the door has water sloshing about in it, which is a bad thing as the steel bar inside the door is prone to rust (this is the main corrosion weakness of the galvanised chassis Elite/Eclat/Excels).
Breadvan72 said:
This is a late Eclat, with the 2.2 litre Lotus 912 engine........ The JPS paint scheme and decals are original.........
i do not want to destroy your dreams but:eclat, elite and excel models never, ever came as JPS special models.
its a standard eclat, where the seller / dealer has fitted some decals, created a nice story around it, for increasing the profit!!
fussy mode ON: rear spoiler is not original, nor the sunroof, nor the boy-racers tailipes. fussy mode OFF
Edited by RochdaleGT on Thursday 27th November 10:27
Thanks for your patronising post, Rochdale. Great contribution! So what if a dealer fitted decals? Is the ghost of Chapman going to haunt me? The sunroof is obviously after market. As for the spoiler, I care not, and I don't want to leave holes by taking it off. The tail pipes are not dissimilar in size to those seen on some Excels, and they aren't especially noisy. If they offend your delicate sensibilities, oh dear, how sad, never mind.
The Essex stuff was daubed on a few Esprits, IIRC.
The Essex stuff was daubed on a few Esprits, IIRC.
yes, those cars have JPS stickers put on them, but those cars never came as "special" JPS factory models...like the esprit or europa.
so all elite, excel and eclats you see with the JPS scheme are standard cars which luckily came painted black from the factory, or have been repainted in their later life, and "somebody" put some JPS stickers on them.
so nothing special.
Essex Scheme the same: never used on elite, eclat, excel.
give the factory your VIN and they will confirm what i´m saying.
so all elite, excel and eclats you see with the JPS scheme are standard cars which luckily came painted black from the factory, or have been repainted in their later life, and "somebody" put some JPS stickers on them.
so nothing special.
Essex Scheme the same: never used on elite, eclat, excel.
give the factory your VIN and they will confirm what i´m saying.
BV your car is stunning, I'd love an eclat especially in the colors of yours.I think what the man is getting at is that you specifically wrote..
Breadvan72 said:
The JPS paint scheme and decals are original, ]
Hell, I'm seriously tempted to stick some bright red pvc rally spec mudflaps on my white excel. That's what originality means to me.The jps scheme looks great, certainly don't change it.It's not my fault if his anorak is too tight! This car hasn't been re-sprayed since it was new. In other words, it has its original paint on it. The paint's a bit knackered. I think that the jalopy has probably had its plugs and tyres changed at least once since it was new, so that's blown it for the purists.
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