A review of The Lotus Sports Car, to focus on the development, important features, and technical data of each model in the range, from the Mark 6 to the Elise S1.
In this Article, I offer a nostalgic look at The Lotus Sports Car, one of an elite group of classic cars, which was manufactured during the period 1952 to 1996+.
In 1952, Colin Chapman founded the Lotus Engineering Company whose aim was to produce racing and sports cars.
His first car was simply called the Mark 6 and was marketed in kit form.
The Lotus Seven
Based on the Mark 6, the Series 1 Lotus Seven was introduced in 1957.
Produced mainly in kit form, it enabled enthusiasts to own a combination racing and sports car inexpensively. It was a lightweight, quick and responsive two seater machine.
This was followed, in 1961, by the Series 2 Lotus Seven with a 1.3 litre engine.
In 1968, the Series 3 Lotus Seven was introduced using a 1.6 litre engine.
Finally, the Series 4 Lotus Seven appeared in 1970 with either a 1.6 or 1.7 litre engine.
The Lotus Elite
In 1958, the Lotus Elite made its appearance. It was a lightweight, fibre glass, two seater coupe. A higher performance SE version in 1960 produced 85 bhp.
There followed the Super 95, Super 100 and Super 105, with even more power. With its aerodynamic shape and Coventry Climax engine, it was a regular on the racing circuits.
The Lotus Elan
The Lotus Elan appeared in 1962. It was the first Lotus sports car to combine a steel chassis with a fibre glass body.
This two seater was, technically, ahead of its time using a Lotus-Ford twin cam engine and a Cosworth alloy head.
A 2+2 variant was introduced in 1967 with a top speed of 120 mph and 0-60 in 7.9 secs. Some 5,200 were built.
The Lotus Europa
The Lotus Europa, a two door, mid engined coupe, was launched in 1966.
Like the Elan, it had a fibre glass body on a steel chassis. The modified Renault engine was positioned behind the driver's head.
Later models were fitted with the Lotus-Ford twin cam engine. The Europa was not well received.
The Lotus Elite
In 1974, Lotus launched the front-engined, four seater Elite hatchback, designated the Type 75.
Once again, like the Elan, it had a fibre glass body on a steel chassis. It used a 16-valve, twin overhead cam engine with a five speed gearbox.
There were four levels of specification, from the basic 501 to the top of the range 504.
The Lotus Eclat
Also in 1974, the Lotus Eclat was introduced.
Based on the Lotus Elite Series 75, it had a fastback body style which provided greater boot storage.
Later models used a larger, 2174 cc Lotus engine, although it retained the same 160 bhp due to emission regulations.
The Lotus Esprit
The Lotus Esprit Series 1 was launched in 1976. As before, it had a fibre glass body on a steel chassis, and was the replacement for the Europa.
The engine was positioned behind the passengers, as was its predecessors. Sadly, it was regarded as being underpowered.
In 1981, the Lotus Esprit Turbo Type 82 was introduced, and was based on their experience gained in racing.
Finally, in 1986, the Turbo Esprit HC appeared, and its high compression engine produced 215 bhp. This brought the Esprit into the supercar league.
The Lotus M100 Elan
The Lotus M100 Elan appeared in 1989.
It was a two seater convertible, and used a Japanese Isuzu, twin overhead cam, 1.6 litre, 16-valve engine extensively modified by Lotus. Once again, the fibre glass body was fixed to a steel chassis.
This was the only front wheel drive sports car manufactured by Lotus.
The Lotus Elise
Launched in 1996, the Lotus Elise Type 111 was a two seater, mid-engined convertible. Its fibre glass body was bonded to an aluminium chassis.
Lotus also offered a series of limited edition variants. These were designed primarily for racing. The Lotus Elise outperformed all sales expectation, and returned Lotus to the premier league.
This marked the end of the classic Lotus sports car Beyond 2000, Lotus produced a number of exciting sports cars which, sadly, falls beyond the time frame of this review.
Perhaps this stroll down memory lane might have answered, or at least shed light on, a possible question:
Which Lotus Sports Car Is Your Favourite
However, should this question still remain unanswered, I will be reviewing, in some detail, in future articles within this website, the entire range of Lotus sports cars which were featured in the memorable era spanning 1952 to 1996.
I hope you join me in my nostalgic travels "down sports car memory lane".
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