Description
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There has never been and never will be a car like the Lotus Elite. Literally designed by a team of only 4 men, with invaluable input by aerodynamics engineer Frank Costin, in 6 months during meetings in a pub in London on Saturday afternoons. They had a clean sheet of paper and were not bound by restrictions from board members, suppliers and traditions to make their perfect GT. They were the first to design a glass fibre monocoque body that was light, stiff, streamlined, aerodynamically stable and attractive to look at. Colin Chapman designed the suspension along the latest racing technology of the fifties with soft springs and firm dampers, ideal for the tracks of the fifties and sixties and very comfortable on current roads. The Elite offered outstanding and forgiving road holding and braking and simply ran away from the opposition where Ferraris and Jaguars were in the way on the twisty bits. The light weight high performance engine delivered from 75 to 110 hp when the ubiquitous VW delivered (only) 30 hp from the same displacement. So a recipe for a world beater? Unfortunately not as the Elite was very expensive and time consuming to make, a Porsche 356 was cheaper, and Lotus lacked the funds for development and to set up a dealer network, so only around a 1000 cars were sold of which around 500 in drivable condition survive today.
This Elite was bought in 1982 and all the special bits like the rare ZF-gearbox, Girling AR and NR disc brakes, springs, dampers and interior parts were collected in the ensuing years. This Elite is even more special with an undamaged body and matching numbers engine, racing suspension and brakes, an aluminium long range tank of 45 liters, complete interior and exterior, tool kit, Borrani wire wheels and spinners, special stainless steel exhaust and a very special 1. 500 cc engine prepared to racing standards for the owner by Climax Engine Services. You can find the details in the original note book of Coventry Climax together with all Grand Prix engines. This engine is basically an Elite engine with an all new long stroke crankshaft and different pistons to keep the compression ratio at 1 : 10 and delivers 110 hp at 6. 500 revs/ min. The same as a historic FWE racing engine but with more torque making it seriously quick and very pleasant to drive. Weber DCOE 40 carburettors, jetted for the 1500 cc engine, upgraded starter and alternator, the original starter and dynamo are included. Climax Engine Services has refreshed and checked the engine in 2016. Nothing nasty was found.
The body was stripped to the bare fibre glass and serviced by Christian Devillers from APAL who made the NACA duct in the bonnet, the LHD dashboard, the Elite was designed for the UK and USA markets, and the recessed filler cap. Sprayed in 1990 in British Racing Green metallic and Polaris Gray for the roof which all Special Equipment Elites had. Paint is still flawless. Restoration was completed in 1992 and with less than 20. 000 kilometers since the Elite is still as new.
What makes this Elite even more special, is that it was presented at The Car of The Century in Amsterdam in 1998. The book, The 100 Candidates, a file since 1982 and an enhanced workshop manual and featuring this Elite by Kees Houtzager are included. You won’t find a similar Lotus Elite anywhere in the world.
