lets see your Lotus(s)!

[Porlock]

My two.

[DaveGB]

Upgraded 350 to a 380

[Sion111R]

Bit late finding this forum....
But here are my two.

[Smokin Donut]

Polish and wax after 4 years hibernation.



Dwarfed at BMW Sunday Service.

[johnnymaestro]

Few lurking around here,







Not withstanding my Uncle's 2 Elans and Elite, and grandfather's Elan+2 and Lotus 7 S2.

[anonymous-user]

[anonymous-user]

The stereo is (a) horrid, and (b) broken.

[anonymous-user]

[anonymous-user]

The interior is grey tweed, which seems hard wearing. The gearknob shown has since been replaced by a SHINAAAY metal Lotus one. The speakers and stereo are indeed meh.

I have added some mats with gold edge-binding, as these pick up the JPS blah on the exterior (put there by a dealer, probably, as there was no factory JPS edition of the Eclat). Some clot fitted a tilty sunroof, but at least this does not leak.

[rene7]

Remember the first time I ever saw the 70's elite was in the local carrefour car park in Caerphilly, Blue it was, me and my mate Pete [another rabid Lotus fan] were stunned by its awfulness, looking like a cheap tintop although made in FG - always hated all subsequent Lotii after that time, and to date have Never considered owning another one
Still have the 1970 Lotus 7 that I owned at the time, really wish I had a camera with on that first occasion, coz I'd managed to park my 7 next to that NEW elite. - Oh well
Time hasn't been kind to the Elite either - it was all downhill for lotus from then on - a great shame

[anonymous-user]

That seems to me a tad harsh as it excludes the Excel - a good car, and the later Esprits, and the back to basics early Elise. I take the point that Lotus moved away from its lightweight small engined sports car tradition with all save the Elise, and the modern PH Elise culture is, I gather, all about BHP and not about lightness, handliness, and power to weight ratios, but it's not all gloom.

I find the 70s Elite to be "jolie laide". It's fugly in some ways but cool in others.

[dontlookdown]

I think that surviving 70s Lotuses - Elite, Esprit and Eclat - are fabulously eccentric time capsules which take us back to an era when there was still some real diversity of thought in car making.

There is also something very English in the frugality of their design. More than the sum of their parts. (A good job I hear you say).

I love to see one out and about, and although I suspect they are more faff to own and run than I can be bothered with, those of you who do keep them alive are doing the rest of us a service. Thank you.

[anonymous-user]

Elites, Eclats and early Excels are indeed a faff. Late Excels are practical daily drivers. I have not owned an Esprit - I reckon it would be a faff but would still love one - maybe a middle period non turbo. I have owned two Europas and an Elan Plus Two - faff. But the faff is fun. Loads of thrills usually sensational.

[rene7]

Breadvan72
Good on you for owning an elite, I was gutted when I saw that first elite, and as previously mentioned have had no looks on the heavyweight 'saloon' lotii ever since, the 60's and early 70's lotii were magnificent for their simple lightweight construction, and power/weight dynamics - Nothing has come close since - For sure they wern't the most reliable, BUT driving them on empty 70's roads when there was nothing that got close in performance was an unforgetable experience. Sadly todays drivers can't experience this feeling of road dominance with current lotus - but its something I regularly replicate in my ancient 7 on the great Welsh roads
Closest subsequent Lotus was the the elise but it was too fat & heavy compared to the featherweight 60's& early70's cars. And as you mentioned everyone thinks BIG power is the way forward - IMO this is totally WRONG, but hey that's their problem not mine

[anonymous-user]

I agree re MAX POWAH YO, but try telling that to PH people.

I don't own an Elite but an Eclat. The blue Series One Elite belongs to a friend and is living at my place for a while. The black Series Two Eclat is mine.

[Tuna]

I've not heard many people call the Elise fat and heavy before! For sure the 60's featherweight Lotii were lighter, but at the expense of rigidity and reliability - you could chuck them around right up to the point where they dumped you in the ditch. The S1 Elise is an absolute beauty by comparison, particularly when you look at the improvement in engineering and design next to the classic Lotus models. The total confidence it could instil when chucking it around is still a benchmark.

The Excel was a hidden gem - a lovely GT that could give you all the classic Lotus driving qualities whilst being almost practical and remarkably reliable. I'd have another late model in a heartbeat. Certainly it was aimed at a different type of driver, but no less of a Lotus for it.

[anonymous-user]

I agree with most of that, but would say that Elans and Europas were pretty rigid. The Europa would hang on and hang on but would, I agree, then let go very suddenly and spin if you went too far. The late Excel is a really good package. I should have kept my 1990 one.

[Tuna]

Breadvan72 said:

I agree with most of that, but would say that Elans and Europas were pretty rigid. The Europa would hang on and hang on but would, I agree, then let go very suddenly and spin if you went too far. The late Excel is a really good package. I should have kept my 1990 one.

I had a 1991 Celebration Edition - wonderful car until it was eaten by rats.

My Dad restored a Europa Twin Cam - interesting to note that there were only a few kilos difference between that and the Elise S1. You can make cars lighter than that, but the sacrifice in terms of driver comfort is arguably detrimental to the pleasure of driving No point in having a car that can only be driven in ideal conditions, though driving a Seven down open country lanes is undoubtedly lovely.

[LotusOmega375D]

Tuna said:

I had a 1991 Celebration Edition - wonderful car until it was eaten by rats.

I looked at one recently. Unlike your rats, I didn't much care for the interior colour personally. It drove well, but when you looked underneath, all of the drive-train/suspension components were so corroded: it looked like it had been sitting in salt water half of its life. So I turned it down, which is unusual for me. Now bought something else. Not Lotus this time.

[Shnozz]

I always fancied a 90's Elan. Went to test drive one before I bought my first TVR but found it hugely cramped for my 6'3" frame. Knees were either side of the steering wheel.