The Elan is pure Lotus in design. A distillation of Colin Chapman’s expertise and knowledge. Gordon Murray, Jay Leno and Harry Metcalfe are all paid up members of the Elan club. When I receive the rather simple looking key to take an Elan out for a drive, I feel a certain weight of expectation…

What if the little Lotus is rubbish to drive?

Driving Experience

After the initial surprise at the size of the Elan, once inside, it looks old. Really old.

A thin rimmed steering wheel, delicate, thin A pillars and Jaeger dials all look great, but ancient. It feels like a museum piece rather than a cutting edge driving tool.

Once started up the engine sounds far more potent than its capacity suggests. A few taps on the throttle and the little engine revs instantaneously, with a crackle from the exhaust. Maybe this will be good after all?

The pedals and gearshift are small and delicate. Once on the move everything falls to hand easily – especially the gear lever, just a hand span from the wheel. A few more throttle blips and we’re off down a country lane, the Elan’s natural hunting ground. It’s size makes it simple to place and dodging pot holes soon becomes an instinctive game.

At speed the Elan is forgiving to an extent. The fabulous steering tells you exactly what’s going on, to the extent that you rely less and less on the brakes. You soon build trust with the car and its ability to carry momentum through a corner. The steering is hyper sensitive, so inputs need to be measured. Once you’ve re-calibrated, the Elan becomes a great companion on even the most challenging roads. Pitching the car into corners quicker and quicker becomes natural rather than something to be feared. It feels like a go-kart that has grown up (slightly).

The (Lack Of) Weight

The Elan’s alert and responsive nature is down to its hybrid construction. A steel backbone chassis with fibreglass bodywork keeps the Lotus at a featherweight 690 kg.

The 1971 Sprint version added a more powerful punch in the form of a tuned engine. Taking just 6.2 seconds to get to 60 miles an hour, this was faster than the contemporary Jaguar E-Type (7.4 seconds) and Lamborghini Muira (6.7 seconds).

Out on the road, the lack of weight is felt by the immediacy of the controls. The small 165/70 tires smoothing over bumps that would agitate stiffer sprung and heavier modern cars.

The Engine

Lotus engine’s are often unfairly overlooked as they were generally borrowed from other manufacturers. The Elan is no different and uses a Ford “Kent” engine modified with help from Cosworth. A Lotus cylinder head and light flywheel transformed the engine into a free revving, miniature exotic.

The nature of this buzzy engine sits well with the rest of the car. It’s brilliant fun to wring out every gear and feel the car squirm under power. The little engine won’t get you an instant speeding ban and it’s no less fun for it.

The Issues

The Elan is not without its foibles. The electric windows were a late replacement for the sliding windows intended by Chapman. They were considered dangerous in a crash, and an alternative was needed at short notice. The door design couldn’t fit a manual winder, so begrudgingly Chapman opted for the heavy electric option. A real rarity back in the 1960s.

Siezed brakes, water pump failure and hot starting issues (because of the location of the starter motor) are all common issues that demand commitment and patience from a prospective owner. But with Gordon Murray, Jay Leno and Co as fellow owners, it’s a small compromise.

The Legacy

The Elan is possibly the pinnacle of Chapman’s single minded approach to car design. While it was never designed as an outright speed machine, the Elan could more than hold its own with contemporaries. Even today, it would take a fast car to catch the Elan down a country lane.

Against its competition of the day? They wouldn’t see which way the Elan went.

A Frogeye Sprite or MG Midget would get to around 80-90mph at best. The Elan would go well past a hundred. The Elan’s agility would run rings around more powerful opponents like the MG V8 or Austin Healey. In later Sprint form it would out accelerate anything with a Jaguar or Lamborghini badge.

The combination of cutting edge Lotus design and the relatively crude and outdated design of competitors must have seemed incredible back in 1962. The Elan was a leap forward in car design and one of the finest sports cars to come from Britain.

The only real competition it had was from its Lotus siblings. The later Elan +2, Lotus Europa and older Lotus Elite are all heirs to the Lotus crown, but in my eyes the Elan, with it’s cute matchbox styling and wonderfully engaging drive marks it out as the holy grail of Lotus.

The Lotus Elite might have started the hybrid GRP and steel chassis design, but the Elan is where Lotus really showed what was possible. Since then, numerous cars have left the Lotus factory using the same materials and with the same character. In my view much of this stems from when that little Elan was launched.

Whether you’re an avid collector or appreciate great engineering feats when you see them, you can’t help but marvel at what this remarkable car achieved back in 1962.

If you struggle to appreciate the Lotus Elan, drive one, you’ll soon realize why it’s brilliant!

Top Gear took Paul Sherwood’s Lada Riva to see if the experts at Lotus HQ could turn the boxy Soviet into something more fun in just two weeks. What could be more exciting than a build thread involving a Lada and Lotus?

**Unfortunately I couldn’t find the entire episode, however, video clips are below!**

The Unwitting Lada Riva

The Lada Riva was the butt of many jokes in the UK. It’s bluff appearance and low quality was at odds with the conspicuous consumption prevalent in the UK. Mechanically it was given enough to move under its own power and not much else. This made it perfect for the show and a huge challenge for Lotus having to build something worthy of their famous badge.

Lotus Begin Modifying The Lada

Lotus’ Chris Ardle was in charge of the project and met with Paul to discuss the plans they had for the unwitting Lada Riva.

The first decision was to swap the Lada engine with a twin cam Fiat engine. The late Guy Croft was both a Lotus employee and an expert on the Fiat and Lancia twin cam engine. According to a forum post the spec for the engine was considerable with a straight through exhaust and lightweight flywheel among the modifications Croft suggested.

Before the engine was swapped, Lotus test driver Gavan Kershaw took the Lada around the Lotus test track. Kershaw found the car awful and said it was “the worse car I’ve ever driven”.

After the engine swap, the Lada was given BBS Wheels, Yokohama tyres, Bilstein suspension and uprated brakes. Hand finished OMP seats from the Lotus factory were fitted. The car was resprayed in black with a contrasting silver line and hammer and sickle motif.

Lotus spent 1000 man hours on the project, putting the estimated spend at around £100,000.

The Final Result

The end result was a quick and fun to drive Lada as demonstrated by Kershaw on the Lotus test track. The car attained a cult following and several replicas were built. The actual car is registered P968 OEX.

What Happened To The Top Gear Lada Lotus?

According to a Pistonhead thread; Sherwood sold the Lotus Lada in 2003, due to family commitments. This was just a year after the car was shown on TV and it was sold without Tax or MOT, so it was unclear whether this indicated a bigger issue with the car. Another Pistonhead user (Stefan?) bought the car via eBay for around £5000 and immediately moved the car to Germany.

According to Sherwood some teething issues were solved and he assisted Stefan in selling it on to another party.

After several years of being housed in a Lotus showroom near Munich, Stefan (with help from Sherwood) sold the car on and the car was moved to MotorWorld Munchen, where it remains to this day.

The car seemed to have some issues which prompted the first sale without Tax or MOT. Even so, this seems like a hasty decision and the cars cult following shows just what a desirable car Lotus managed to create. If it ever came up for sale again, I’m certain it would reach a far higher figure than the one it initially went for.

Lotus Lada – Top Gear Episode part 1

Lotus Lada – Top Gear Episode part 2

Until the 1974 Lotus Elite, most Lotus models were curvy, compact 2 seaters. The Elan +2 had included small backseats but these could only be used by children. Colin Chapman wanted bigger more practical cars that would drive as well as other Lotus cars.

The Lotus Elite (MK2) could seat 4 adults in comfort so was used as the basis of the Eclat. Oliver Winterbottom, had designed the Elite and was tasked with coming up with a sleeker design for the Eclat, which would feature a hatchback instead of the Elite’s shooting brake design.

Winterbottom set about developing the Eclat. The M52 prototype was the result of the work of creating something consistent with the Elite, but sleeker.

Fibre Glass Bodywork & Marine Industry Connection

Winterbottom and Chapman had worked together to design boats for Chapman’s JCL Marine boat company. The GFRP moulding process used in the boat industry was applied to both the Elite and Eclat. The bodywork was built out of two main parts, an upper and lower part. A chrome strip carefully concealed this join on the finished car.

While the Elan was the first Lotus to combine fibre glass body and backbone chassis to keep the car light and responsive to drive, the Elite and Eclat benefited from the enhanced refinement the material was able to add to the driving experience.

“The GRFP is very effective in cutting out out any sort of body resonance and insulating road noise”

Motorsport Magazine – June 1977

One issue that would arise was the felt between the steel chassis and fibre glass body. It was designed to absorb movement between the chassis and body but would trap water over time causing the chassis to rust. Later cars had a galvanized steel chassis to prevent this.

Lotus Eclat Driving Experience

The Eclat started life with the Lotus 907 engine, originally based on a Vauxhall engine block. It was first used in the Jensen Healey in 1972 and was deemed suitable for use in the Eclat. The engine was often criticised for being low on torque, however contemporary road tests revealed a very favourable view of the Eclat – particularly in the driving experience.

“It is not true to say that there is not much fun left in motoring – pick the right roads and the right car and there is but there are very few cars available which are fun to drive all the time. The Lotus Eclat Sprint is one of those cars”

Motorsport Magazine – June 1977

“The Eclat, particularly in its Sprint form, has been aimed unquestionably at the enthusiast, with performance, braking and handling so brilliant as to offer the competent driver sheer ecstasy”

Motorsport Magazine – June 1977

The Legacy Of Winterbottom’s Wedge

As the Elite before it, the Lotus Eclat was a rakish wedge shape. This shape was introduced by Oliver Winterbottom and was a distinct change from the curvy cars Lotus had built before. The pop up headlights reduced the frontal area of the car, providing aerodynamic efficiencies (until the lights were used).

Winterbottom’s angular style became a recognisable Lotus trait for years after he’d finished working at Lotus. The later Esprit was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign and still retained the angular wedge shape developed by Winterbottom. Even the face lifted Esprit (1987) kept the design heritage when Peter Stevens refined Giugiaro’s Esprit shape.

The influence of Winterbottom’s style direction is considerable. His early work on the 1974 Elite and 1975 Eclat fed through to the final Lotus Esprit which finished production in 2004. After thirty years of wedge influenced designs, Lotus began to revert to curvier styling of older cars with the 1996 Lotus Elise (Designed by Julian Thomson).

Winterbottom’s skill with fibre glass bodied sports cars attracted TVR to his services in 1980. His first work with the company was the Tasmin, which was the first of the affectionately known “Wedge” series of cars which made up TVR range throughout the 1980s.

Lotus Eclat Cost Comparison

Picture the scene, it’s 1977 in Britain and you’re on the look out for a new sports car. Here are some of the cars available that would seat 4 and offer some driving thrills:

• Porsche 911 Cost in 1977 £9,999
• Eclat Sprint Cost in 1977 £8,316
• Jaguar XJC Cost in 1977 £8,182
• Porsche 924 Cost in 1977 £6,999

Starting at Jaguar in 1961 as an apprentice for 5 years, Winterbottom worked another 5 years in William Lyons’ design department as a designer. The major project he worked on was the XJ-21, which never made it past prototype stage. He also designed a wheel nave plate for the XJ6.

At the age of 22, Winterbottom received the “Grifo Argento” at the Bertone design awards.

Moving to Lotus in 1971, Winterbottom worked under Colin Chapman on Design and Safety engineering. The Lotus Elite MK2 and Lotus Eclat were both designed by Winterbottom. During this timeframe, Winterbottom help Chapman with his JCL Boat business, designing the JCL Mamba and JCL Mistral.

Moving To TVR & Back To Lotus

In 1980 Oliver Winterbottom moved onto TVR where he worked under Martin Lilley on the TVR Tasmin. Winterbottom adopted a similar wedge style as the Lotus Eclat. In 1981 Lotus approached Winterbottom to help with the design of the M90/X100 project, a car that was intended to be a cheaper, more mass market Lotus with a Toyota engine. It was intended to complement the Excel and Esprit models.

When Colin Chapman died unexpectedly in 1982, funding for the project dried up and the project was put on indefinite hold. Only one example of the M90/X100 would be built and this is the above prototype. The Lotus Elan (M100) would pick up the mantle of the “entry level” Lotus a few years later in 1989. While unrelated, the “new” Elan had an outsourced engine and gearbox from Isuzu. Perhaps the M90/X100 project helped the company realise the potential of outsourcing?

“I was proud of all of them!”

Oliver Winterbottom on the cars he designed over the years

After Lotus, Winterbottom moved to the US to work in Detroit for General Motors. After a period of time he decided to move back to England and secured another position at Lotus, helping with the safety on the new Esprit and managing projects. His last stint of employment was as a consultant where he worked with mainly Chinese companies.

A Life In Car Design

Winterbottom’s autobiographical book “A life in car design” recalls his work on different cars throughout his career and the often chaotic process behind the scenes. Winterbottom is in rare position to comment on the motor industry having spent a great deal of time at Jaguar, TVR and Lotus. The stories of budget problems, issues with management and the start of computer-aided design all add to a fascinating read – that despite some of the problems, is intended to encourage students into the product & car design path.

“They’re obviously getting very cocky to carry out a raid right in front of a police station but they know they can get away once back inside the car”

PC David Oliver

In 1993 a few months prior, a car was stolen from a residential drive in Worcester. This turned out to be the getaway car in question, registration “40RA” a Vauxhall Carlton. This was a very special Vauxhall Carlton – A Lotus Carlton in fact, the fastest saloon car of its day. This car would be used to carry out a series of robberies across the West midlands over several months.

“We simply haven’t been able to get near the thing and it looks unlikely that we ever will. Our urban panda cars can only go at 90mph, but we also have a policy of not getting involved in chases. If we did that, the thieves could kill themselves or someone else”

PC David Oliver

The criminals were never caught and the Police openly admitted that the only chance they had was to find where the car was hidden during the day. Even the Police helicopter struggled to keep up with the Lotus on the M6.

General Motors turns to Lotus

The Lotus Carlton came about when General Motors decided it wanted to get involved in the performance Saloon segment. Mercedes had the 500E and BMW the E34 M5 and General Motors wanted its own car in this segment. Without a tuning company like BMW’s M division or Mercedes’ AMG, it turned to another company it owned, Lotus.

General Motors decided that the Vauxhall Carlton 3000 GSI (Opel Omega if you’re reading in Europe) would form the basis of the new car and Lotus set to work. The 3000 GSI already included a 3 litre engine and rear wheel drive so it was deemed a good platform to compete against the Mercedes and BMW.

The unassuming Vauxhall Carlton was transformed, with a bigger, twin turbo version of the Vauxhall GSI engine, bonnet intakes, front and rear spoilers, AP vented brakes, limited slip differential, re calibrated suspension and wider arches. The car was capable of 177mph and 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and 0-100 in 11.5 seconds. The 3.6L straight six 24-valve 382bhp engine was paired to a Corvette ZR-1 6 speed gearbox to handle the 419lb ft of torque.

All the cars were finished in Imperial Green with Lotus badging all round. The Lotus Carlton was an official Lotus product with “Type 104” designation. When production had finished, 950 cars had been built, just shy of the 1000 unit target.

Lotus Carlton – Modern classic

The Lotus Carlton was considerably quicker (outright and in acceleration) than the BMW E34 M5, Mercedes 500E and BMW Alpina B10. BMW and Mercedes limited their most powerful cars to 155mph, but the Vauxhall would easily pull another 20mph over these rivals.

While the Lotus Carlton held the title of fastest standard saloon car in the world for over 10 years it was not all about straight-line performance. Lotus had created an exploitable and capable chassis. A strange quirk was that the fuel level affected the handling because the petrol tank was above the rear axle.

Today the car is a rare modern classic that holds onto its value well – in spite of its criminal connections.