Lotus Eclat -Back in the light after 10 years under a sheet

[TimHaydnJones]

This month, I will have owned this car for 25 years, an occasion that has (at last) got me off my ar$e and starting to bring this car back to regular use.
It's got its issues, but it's a long way from a basket case and still makes me smile - it's 31 years old now

Check it out at

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=269116&i...

[MadRob6]

Very nice.

It's quite nice finally getting a car outside when it's been tucked away for several years. It felt great to finally get my 944 out and give it a clean up, just a shame it wasn't working at the time but it's getting there now.

Did it take much to get it roadworthy again or have you just pulled it out and not checked it over yet?

[interloper]

That looks like its in great condition, lovely old thing! I wouldn't mind either one of those or maybe an Excel as a replacement for my current second car.

[philh]

Nice project, a personal 'Barn find' !

[GKP]

TimHaydnJones on his Faceache said:

I've just been on Pistonheads, but it's one of the lease intuitive sites I've ever seen. I've attached one photo to 'my garage' but i don't want to start a forum or sell a car and I don't see what other options there are. I can't see an option to upload more than one photo.

[LuS1fer]

The old bugger's 51, doesn't really understand computers, poor thing.
I recall when he first bought this car which incidentally sports a Vegantune 200hp engine from memory. It has covered thousands of trouble-free yards too.

[checkmate91]

Those old Pirelli P6s will need replacing then, if they're original...

Edited by checkmate91 on Thursday 2nd September 21:12

[Graebob]

That's a pretty, pretty thing. Bravo

[rallycross]

very nice to see an eclat, a lot of people only know of the excel and dont realise the eclat and elite came out much earlier (75?). when I was at school my dad had a couple of these and it was quite something compared to the box shaped cortina, marina etc of the time.

the thing I remember most is the rear view mirror being on the dash instead of the headlining in the Elite, and the rear seats were real bucket seats.

how does it feel to drive compared to a modern car?

Edited by rallycross on Friday 3rd September 09:34

[interloper]

As you can imagine these old and ever so slightly forgotten beasties are getting a bit rare but I didn't realise just how rare. After a bit of digging it appears that there is just one on Ebay and one in PH classifieds. No Eclats on Auto trader but I did find one Elite (the seventies variant not the ground breaking chassis-less 60s original.

Were have they all gone? By contrast Elans are ten a penny!


The Elite on Auto trader....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

How seventies is that? I love it!

Edited by interloper on Thursday 2nd September 22:05

[otherman]

Wonderful motor, I always liked the look of those. I remember one of the motor describing the handling when they came out...it was so good I was startled...or something like that.

[MADRod]

Love these old girls, owned two back in the day a fully loaded one with a 'Performance Unlimited' tuned engine & the rarer Sprint 520 without all the extras modified by 'Vegantune' the late great racing driver Jerry Marshall being its previous owner. Still dont look that dated even now, they handled very well if i remember correctly. Mine both ate rear driveshafts with their extra Power . just enjoy it is my advice .

[GKP]

interloper said:

Were have they all gone?

There's one or two on our favourite internet based auction website, but most of the owners are on thelotusforums.com nowadays.

[LuS1fer]

Bump for the morning crew

[Cock Womble 7]

Very, very nice. Bit of a forgotten gem, the Eclat - eclipsed by later Lotus models, but I always liked them.

Those wheels, by the way, transcend cool.

Top work that man.

[varsas]

Very nice, was just thinking about these after reading about them in Classic and Sports Car last night. It must have seemed very different and forward thinking, compared to what else was about at the time.

[LuS1fer]

I recall it in 1974 and the Elite was Chapman's attempt to go upmarket, not entirely successfully. I loved the purple ones and once went to test drive a metallic brown Elite though in truth the rear luggage compartment was small and glassed off. I could never really get comfortable in one but did have the "honour" of piloting this Eclat a long time ago when it was being towed in the classic Lotus tradition and that was pretty scary.

[Plotloss]

I was 7 when that was built and seeing a car like that was a proper occasion, accompanied by the usual WOW! and COR!

Lovely.

It's slightly curious that you now can't leave the house without seeing a Porsche, an Aston or a Ferrari. I think I preferred it when it was an event.

[gareth.e]

Looks great! Appears to have been stored properly too

Never seen one on the road yet!

[PompeyM3]

Love those wedge shapes Lotus from the 70's, The Eclat, Esprit and Elite are such a claasic shape.