The amazing story of the Lotus Elite

[@barneypi1191]

As Oliver's daughter I want to thank you for a really well presented story. My dad got his fair share of stick over the years about his design's. He was a passionate and thoughtful designer and this story helps to highlight that.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

He was just so far ahead of the curve. I'll admit, I always thought the Elite was "weird" looking, or rather "not traditionally attractive". Then time went on and one day in this millenium, something just clicked and I thought it was the best looking thing I had ever seen. He was just so far ahead it took the world some forty years to catch on.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thank you so much for watching and commenting! I have always loved your father's designs - he was very much a pioneer, which always brings out the critics - but also eminently practical and without affectations of being different for the sake of it. His excellent autobiography shows enormous charm as well. It's been lovely to hear from you and apologies for only just having seen your comment!

[@philvfilms]

It’s a beautiful car, I hadn’t seen one till a car auction this week and it’s got me wanting to buy one 😊

[@cliveyboyb5770]

@@philvfilms When ever anyone seeks my advice about buying an Elite/Eclat My answer is always "Don't buy one unless you really know what your doing" and have very deep pockets. They are a nightmare to own and maintain. This is advice from a Lotus fanatic and long term Lotus owner. The Elite and Eclats were from a dark period in Lotus history. Apart from the beautiful looks its difficult to think of anything positive. However the later version Excel is an excellent car which I have owned and still love and recommend.

[@philvfilms]

@@cliveyboyb5770 and I’ll be honest I really don’t know what I’d be doing 😂 I’m fortunate I’ve got very good contacts who could really help with restorations but as an owner I’m not mechanically minded. Maybe not the right car for me 🤙

[@deepestdub]

A really interesting story of an often overlooked car. Very nicely written, produced and presented.

[@dennisnichols2411]

It's a great video. The biggest thing I enjoy about your videos is your straightforward, dry wit!

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks very much!

[@freekinfigetaboutit]

Finally, someone who knows their stuff about these under appreciated cars. Maybe I'll get my eclat running this weekend to go with my Excel and Elan. Well done!

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Ooh, you've got the Lotus bug baaaadd. Good luck with sorting the Eclat!

[@fryingtonight98]

Brilliant and very informative. Quotations from CAR magazine a big plus in my book. 👍

[@GentilsGarage]

Fantastic video Martin and great story very well documented. I’m impressed with the new glass fibre body production method they created.

[@rumpbuns]

Really great history on the Elite. Always happy to see more videos on them.

[@deanprosser5224]

I do love these cars, your Elite was the reason that I subscribed.

[@seanhumfrey]

If only we'd known in 1977, that to get one good TR7, all we needed to do was to buy three of them... I am amazed BL didn't advertise the fact 😂

[@GrandThriftAuto]

I feel bad now for being disrespectful to the TR7 😔

[@KarlAdamsAudio]

That line gave me enough of a chuckle to reflexively click on 'Like' - except I'd already done so for "Spoiler Alert" - I nearly undid my good work for a moment there...

[@GrandThriftAuto]

@@KarlAdamsAudio 😂

[@alech8336]

Really interesting and informative video. This channel deserves more followers.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it!

[@Lot76CARS]

Fascinating look at the Elite.. I’d no idea how pioneering it was in terms of manufacture and safety. Loved the background, the period photos… and of course your CAD illustrations!

[@simonturner5450]

Thanks for shining a light on these wonderful cars. I had a 502 in black and despite a popping up headlight and a self destructing steering column it was an amazing driving experience. I remember driving too fast at night on an unfamiliar road and reaching a sharp right turn, I braked and turned the wheel expecting a crash but she just sailed round perfectly like a slot racing car.

[@martinharris5017]

A few years ago I went shopping for a project car, had my heart set on a Beetle and that's what I ended up with, but along the way I was offered an Elite with a nicely engineered Rover V8 conversion. I've always been a fan of the Lotus Elite and wished my budget and workspace had allowed for a second project. Great vid, thanks!

[@magnetpull7587]

Very interesting video and nicely narrated! The car reminds me of a Fancy Volvo 480

[@GrandThriftAuto]

I know what you mean, if they’d remade the Elite for the late 80s it might have resembled the 480.

[@benday1218]

Thanks Martin, a follow up on how the Excel was developed would be enjoyed too.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Good idea - noted!

[@fhwolthuis]

Great video, Martin! Love your thorough research and sense of humour😄 I always thought the Elite was a 1:1 version of one of those Matchbox fantasy cars from the 1970s 👍😅

[@spavatch]

Another informative yet enjoyable video for more reasons than just the 'spoiler alert' which made my day 🤣

[@ianactually]

Thanks for the in-depth story! I bought an ageing 503 in 1987 or so and managed to drive it to Le Mans and back, only for the rear axle to seize just 30 feet from home on a main road - possibly the most expensive recovery per inch ever! Stunningly beautiful with stupendious handling charactistics but I'll always remember the glove box door falling open at random, and the way it would wink at me after a week in the garage when the vacuum leaked on one side ;-)

[@_Ben4810]

I can remember my Pa bringing home from Lotus Cars one of the pre-production Elites for the weekend...& we all went as a family off to see a family friend who was a Norfolk farmer & landowner & take him for a ride in it.... Who, upon getting out of it christened it ''a right ol' bum-scratcher of a car'' in his Norfolk accent...! 😉🐷😁

[@martinhibbert1428]

I want one even more now. Super video 👍

[@AdamOrban123]

Fantastic video; I enjoyed every single second of it! Thank you!

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Adam, I’m very glad!

[@markcarrington8565]

Great video, Martin. I remember sitting in the rear of an S2 being driven from our overnight hotel to Snetterton by our glorious helmsman. Hadn’t felt so sick in the back of a car since the days of my youth, however, that might have been the curry and six pints the night before rather than his exuberance. Happy days. By the way, thank you for the “foot pounds”.

[@boronizer848]

I just found this Video since I have bought a Lotus Eclat S2 Riviera couple of days ago. What an interesting overview about Lotus and the Elite. Great Job!

[@markwhitaker3673]

What a great detailed video review of the Elite-thanks so much! I recall seeing one for the first time in the US in 1975 and felt it was a bridge too far for me to like having grown up with my Dad's 71 Elan S4FHC but over time I appreciate the design/styling and features more and more, it was certainly advanced. If I lived in the UK, I would probably get an Excel sorted by Lotusbits for a frequent driver. I love my 69 ElanS4DHC but a wedgie Lotus would be nice to have-they are quite rare here in the US, the Esprit excepted of course. Hope your Elite is running well/better-please update your mechanical adventures with it when you can. Cheers!

[@herridge819]

Watched another video about the Elite recently. As I commented on that video I worked at a Lotus dealer from 1974 for nearly 14 years and spent many hours working on the Elite/Eclat/Esptlrit etc. The gearbox in the Elite was very week and I could rebuild those in my sleep together with the lower suspension arm pivoted on a 'pin' (of sorts) on the rear diff. However they were a good car to drive albeit with a fairly flimsy interior trim . Good Times!

[@GrandThriftAuto]

The gearbox on mine is ok at the moment but I'll keep you in mind if it needs rebuilding! Knowing Chapman, the rear wishbone mounts probably also doubled as the fuel filler neck and the ashtray.

[@mrjaffa5072]

Thanks Martin, for a very good, informative video. I recently went along to ‘take a look’ at a tired 1979, Elite 501 finished in gold. Despite not being particularly interested in the Elite, as soon as I saw the car ‘in the flesh’ I soon changed my opinion. The car is incredibly low and sleek - features that aren’t captured well in photographs. I then watched all of your Elite videos to learn a little more about them. I now own a tired 1979 Lotus Elite 501 finished in gold 🤔

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Congratulations and deepest sympathies! Welcome to the madhouse, sorry club.

[@garypoulton7311]

Great video, and I like your style of no nonsense, truthful comments. I almost bought an Esprit 6 years ago, but chose a DB7 instead. Hateful car, that has halved in value, whilst Esprits are now a lot more, so it too late to change.

[@colinritchie1757]

Excellent video, I had a friend who owned an Elite - and suffered more than a little while using it as his everyday car , On the subject of VARI I'm old enough to remember a "Tomorrow's World" episode in the early 70s with William Woolard at Hethel describing the VARI Process and describing it as creating 2 Chippendale pieces then nailing them together - knowing Lotus he may have had a point

[@mattw8332]

The Elite is my favourite Lotus car. I am a sucker for wedgy 1970s cars.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Clearly a man of taste 👌

[@kenny9447]

Great Video Martin! Tons of great information and research. Even owning three of these its great to hear more inside info on the development of these fascinating cars. Also, your car looks great! Keep up the good work!

[@SR-hz4ws]

Great video, always love the Elite!

[@helmetdrone]

Love these

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Me too!

[@agenturawubekistanie]

Thanks for an interesting video

[@jameshulme4287]

Good video ... good presenting style too, keep up the good work! Looking forward to more.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks!

[@paulhayter2210]

Really enjoyed this fascinating piece of motoring history. Buying 3 TR7’s comment, just brilliant! Well done.

[@GasoliniASMR]

Excellent work as ever.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Many thanks!

[@lotus-e-clan]

Excellent reference video for the Elite Martin. I miss my Black '76 501 Elite. It was my daily for 10 years from 1982, but it became an economic insurance write-off after a little old lady t-boned me (was my fault, mind you). Chassis damage mainly, composite body only locally damaged. BTW, in 1976, the 907 2 litre was fitted with 'E' cams to improve torque. Driveability improved significantly over the previous 'D' cammed cars that I tested prior to buying the '76 501. I then bought an excellent low mileage 89SE Excel on the rebound after the crash. Driven too as a daily at times within past 24 years. Super reliable and inexpensive to run. A well maintained SE 912 engine is so much better than the 907. Values for these Lotus Grand Tourers are rising. Hard to find unmolested good ones now because good ones, like mine, tend to be keepers.

[@jonfrank2566]

Thanks - enjoyed that. Very well researched and presented. I used to have an elan +2 S130. Lovely thing when it worked. Which wasn't often....

[@tomthompson7400]

Great video , well done.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks!

[@ajwasp3642]

I'm still going to add an Elite to my stable, after I win the lottery.

[@dennisnichols2411]

The glove box wasn't just a problem on your Lotus. The one on our 1968 Pontiac Catalina wouldn't stay up either, no matter how much Dad tries to adjust the latch...

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Ooohh, I could forgive the odd glovebox incident on a ‘68 Catalina too, very handsome things ❤️

[@E15tony]

Great video. There is a interesting period documentary on the development called Lotus Elite and Eclat M50. It’s available on KZbin.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks, that's interesting, I haven't seen that.

[@tommissouri4871]

I never understood the rear window divider between the passenger seats and the trunk (boot). It would have been handy to access from inside and possible to put really long items, like skis, in the car. Of course, I found the rear seats almost claustrophobic, but then I didn't have to sit there, and very hard to move around in once in them. Between the rearward angle, deep seat, and the high center console covering the chassis, one was pretty much held in one position. Fine for spirited driving but a bit awkward on long trips. Not that a Lotus could do a long trip anyway. I did a 1500 mile trip in mine in '83 from Bury to Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and back to Bury one weekend. I had to work on it three times, with the last few hundred miles using scraps we found on the roadside to get the throttle linkage to work when the cable snapped. I didn't have full throttle, but at least we were able to drive home instead of walking.

[@tommissouri4871]

Long ago, I had information and also read more on how they were originally going to build the now 907 as a V8 4.0 liter and put in these cars in the beginning. However, the tax penalties, fuel concerns, rising fuel costs in '70 and '71, and finally the oil embargo around 1973 had put an end to the V8. As such, they left it as half a V8 instead. But I did a search earlier today and can find nothing on the '60s V8 plan. The only thing close is the 908 and 909 V8 that were developed and explored years after the first 900 series engines were being designed and tested. Back when I got my Elite in '82, I thought they should have continued that V8 plan, as a 4 Liter V8 would have been an outrageous ride. The 907 was quick enough, letting me run about 120-125 one night along the A45, and picking up some of England's finest in my wake with those funny flashing blue lights. But a V8 would have put it in Ferrari company. Of course, it was priced high enough as is, so the V8 probably would have priced it far beyond any who were willing to put up with Lotus' quirks and characteristics. I had considered putting an aluminum head SBC in it for awhile, as it would have only been about 25 pounds heavier than the 907, but with much more road-ability and power. Chevy made an aluminum block available for a short time and I had run across a couple, and thought that would be an even better idea, but unfortunately, I got married and fun money kind of disappeared.

[@drew699]

I have a ‘kinder’ eye toward the Winterbottom wedge these days. The 50 year old shape makes more sense to me now. I still prefer the curves though. Great vid. Do you think you’ll ever paint your car? Thanks.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Drew. I’ve been thinking about paint - I’d certainly like to do it. I’m considering creating my own demountable spray booth later this year.

[@oliverlotus]

I like to think I know my Loti, never knew the Cortina glovebox lid!

[@GrandThriftAuto]

To be fair, neither did I until someone told me in the comments on a previous video! I couldn’t find it to credit them - I’ll go and have another look 😊

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Brilliant video - many thanks for making it! I’ve always liked the Elite - and it was great to gain more insight into its development. That dashboard design however wasn’t one of Giugiaro’s best days at the office……….

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Simon 😊 I don’t _hate_ the dash…but if only it had looked more like the one he created for the Esprit!

[@gtv6chuck]

About 25 years ago, there was one sitting at my mechanic. Someone gave it to him to see if he wanted it. It had been sitting outside for a decade or so, the paint and gelcoat were dying, the interior was dead and it was a non-runner. He said he was going to get rid of it. I mulled over it overnight and decided to buy it. I went back to the shop a day or two later but he told me he sold it to the junkyard for $300. I was crushed.

[@neilmustow368]

Great development story of the Elite👍👍👍

[@RobbieLew1s]

Nice! Looks similar to the Beta HPE!

[@GrandThriftAuto]

And the HPE is also on my want list.

[@drewsimpson5967]

​@Grand Thrift Auto a Reliant Scimitar would fit into the theme nicely

[@drewsimpson5967]

Cracking set of wheels on the Elite. Early TVR Tasmins wore something quite similar.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

@@drewsimpson5967 Yes - the wheels are interesting, I thought they were off-the-shelf GKN wheels, but looking at Oliver W’s first model I’m not so sure they weren’t his (or his team’s) design that GKN then made. I haven’t managed to confirm either way. They’re great though, and of course Winterbottom himself went to TVR after Lotus so who knows? Oh and you’re right about a Scimitar - ideally an SE6 for me.

[@danielrussell446]

Well done Martin another excellent video 😊 I didn’t realise how pioneering the elite was in manufacturing terms and I am guessing the engine was an earlier version of the one in the sunbeam lotus? Well researched and great content as usual what a time it was for creativity and innovation

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks a lot Daniel! Yes, you're right about the Sunbeam Lotus engine - that was the first 2.2 litre version with the stroke increased to add more torque.

[@philvfilms]

Lovely video and very informative. Having seen one at an action recently and I was taken back by it’s looks. I’m tempted to buy one as a project car. Do you have any recommendations as to which years or models to look it for or things to avoid

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Hi Phil - I think the main rule as ever is to buy the best you can afford. The Series 2 has some advantages - the 2.2 litre engine develops its torque lower down, and the gearboxes are stronger - but they're rarer and and personally I think criticisms of the 2.0's torque curve are overdone. The main thing to watch out for is the chassis - ideally it'll be galvanised, as fitted to the S2, and not bent from careless jacking. The mild steel S1 chassis rotted quickly so most will have been replaced by now, as on mine. Good luck in your search!

[@davidhayes4814]

Everything nearly breaks Lotus. They are that sort of company…..

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Sad but true.

[@jamesmansion2572]

I loved the elite. Seemed like a sensible Espada. Interesting that they got better but lack torque, as it seems these days we are quite good at torque. The body and concept still looks lovely to me, if rather impractical. I like the 'shooting brake' style.

[@daveblock4061]

The only kit car was the Seven, two bits, car and engine, to skirt tax laws. The Twin Cam motor was mostly designed by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth (Cosworth), two Lotus engineers. The cause of Jim Clark's accident is undetermined. The story on the Eclat is excellent.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the Elite part. On the others - thanks for the feedback and you're strictly correct, but the Elan and Type 14 Elite _were_ available as kits as well as finished cars (as shown by the period advert in the video), and there were a number of eye-witness accounts describing Jim Clark's tyre blowing even though it wasn't officially declared the cause (and there are other theories). I could have made more qualified statements with this extra level of detail, but people would have been impatient to get to the Elite part they'd clicked on, and it would have quickly mushroomed into the story of Lotus - and that's a whole other video. Or three.

[@glennw5175]

would Costin and Duckworth have been involved? They left Lotus quite a few years before design work on the engine started.

[@daveblock4061]

@@glennw5175 According to Lous it was an in-house development of their engine.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

@@glennw5175 They didn’t design the 900 series, that was Tony Rudd. They _did_ work on the twin cam head (that sat on a Ford block) as used in the Europa, Cortina etc, but as a Cosworth contract. As you say, they’d left Lotus well before then.

[@glennw5175]

Harry Mundy(sp?) did the original twin cam, Tony Rudd the big valve head when he joined Lotus. Pretty sure he headed the turbo programme too amongst others. Cosworth tweaked the Original twin cam. In house Lotus team (sanville?) The slant 4 twin cam

[@thom-mark6443]

The last pic of of Esprit has me curious of the cost of the submarine option.

[@tordoff]

As a young man in his twenties i had two Elites, both happened to be six years old when i bought them, a 1976 pale blue 502 before Uni, and a 1980 yellow 503 straight after Uni. Loved them both but a farm and family meant my last Elite ownership was in 1988. I am still on the lookout for a sensibly priced series 2 or even one of the very few Elite Rivieras. Strangely I have no desire to own an Eclat although I did, a few years back, look at a couple of Eclat Rivieras the horrible seat fabric (something akin to that used on 70s buses) put me off.

[@512bb]

I loved these in the 70's & still love them today...talk about coo.l

[@julianlockwood3040]

So many Lotus cars in the 70s looked like the front was designed when they were sober, and the back after they’d sunk a few

[@GrandThriftAuto]

It was the 70s so that’s not impossible. I rather like the rear of the Elite though, it’s so minimalist - 95% is either window or bumper. Amazing, and _very_ different.

[@pashakdescilly7517]

@@GrandThriftAuto I have always liked the Elite, since they first came out. I can remember spending hours in the showroom of a tolerant Lotus dealer in Wellington New Zealand looking at one when they first came out. To me, the Eclat looks wrong. It chopped off that rear area, costing rear head room and probably caused lift and drag as well. The early type 907 engines fitted to the Jensen Healey suffered lots of problems. I remember Autocar ran an early example as a long-term test car, and the cam timing jumped causing engine failure. My memory says that Lotus had done most of the pre-production development work using modified Vauxhall iron blocks, while they sorted out the design of their alloy block. The alloy block did not get much development attention, and the engine was rushed into production without seriously testing its effects on the engine as a whole. The deal with Jensen did not make Lotus liable for warranty issues with the engines. Another snippet luring in the back of my mind is that Lotus had ambitions of building a V8 version of the 907 engine, but it never got made. I wonder if the Esprit V8 engine was any relation to this scheme, or an entirely new engine

[@GrandThriftAuto]

@@pashakdescilly7517 Thanks for this, I concur on all points. They did apparently build one example of the planned V8 variant, which was installed in the Etna concept at the NEC Motor Show in 1984. The eventual Esprit V8 was a whole new unit.

[@pashakdescilly7517]

@@GrandThriftAuto I had not heard of the Lotus Etna. There died the second British effort to make power hydraulic active suspension, after Rover's try got killed by Jaguar in the Leyland quagmire.

[@pashakdescilly7517]

@@GrandThriftAuto I become an expert.... my reading of online info on the Etna tells me that Lotus made two examples of the 909 V8. One was the test unit, and the other went into the Etna show car. When new owners of Etna looked closely at it, they were surprised to discover that it had a functional gearbox and, miracle, a functional 909 engine - so they turned the wood, clay and fibreglass showcar body into a glasfibre body car capable of being driven. It runs. I wonder if the Lotus test engine survives.

[@kennedysingh3916]

A few of them were on the street in Jamaica 🇯🇲 back in the 70s 80s.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Ooh, cruising around Jamaica in an Elite would be ultra cool.

[@kennedysingh3916]

@GrandThriftAuto In those days Lotus was in a class by itself.

[@oldschoolman1444]

The back end looks like a AMC Gremlin. =)

[@delahayenator]

Great looking car imo. A bit like the Lancia HPE. Mix of estate and coupe.

[@Drmcclung]

I always thought the Elite is what an AMC Gremlin would look like if it ate too much peyote the night before production startup 🤣 I say this affectionately as a guy who's fond of both (Gremlins & Elites, not peyote!)

[@VintageWanderer]

How is maintenance and working on these ?

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Not bad, although you can damage the shell or chassis if you jack them up wrong. It’s also quite crowded under the bonnet. Parts support (in the UK) is fairly good and there are some good specialists like LotusBits. See my other videos for some of the ups and downs with mine (mostly ups).

[@keithwaller4545]

Excellent video lotus cars are Fab, taken a while to work why not so popular and probably due to only 4 cylinder engines. As let's face with rose tinted glasses most 70s italian cars not so good on build. Watch Harry's garage and spends a fortune on his two v12 lambos and in the really world and running costs a turbo esprit is so good 👍

[@jayartz8562]

Gorgeous car, but 2x an Alfa GTV or a Citroen SM? Thats mad.

[@bolshevikproductions]

Jonathan King has lost weight.

[@crumblefest]

this guy needs to slow down and put some space in his jabbbering...

[@m.e.345]

wow.. whatever aesthetic potential this car might have had.. (and it wasn't much) .. was ruined by the choice of side mirrors.

[@markletts2000]

As if by magic…spectacles on Reliant scimitar..🧐

[@GrandThriftAuto]

I know what you mean, but for me they have quite a different feel. I like Scimitars - SE6 for me please - but they're big bruisers where the Elite is more sci-fi, in my eyes. (Your eyes may differ, of course.)

[@chuckschillingvideos]

Sorry, but that rear end is just an abomination. Why would Lotus adopt the AMC Gremlin as a design inspiration?

[@RA-uj3nm]

.....buy 3 tr-7's and make 1 good one.....😁

[@MrTimcoronel]

what were the auto ones like: awful?

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Good question - I imagine the autobox ate all the torque (and the fun). I think they were pretty rare. Part of me would like to try one, and part of me wants to pretend they didn't happen ;)

[@davidd6861]

I had an elite, it is an awful car, incredibly badly made. No one ever mentions the trunnions.

[@jamesreckling6697]

That is one ugly car!

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Hush, you'll upset it