What is a Lotus Elite, Eclat and Excel?

The Eclat and second-generation Elite are the missing links in the Lotus story, just about always forgotten, overshadowed by their more glamourous Esprit and Elan siblings. These were the cars that were intended to take Lotus upmarket, available only as relatively costly fully-built cars that were supposed to be more sophisticated as well as more stylish than their predecessors. The Elite, which was the first to arrive in 1974, was certainly a hit at first; it won the acclaimed Don Safety Trophy thanks to its tough construction. But the party didn’t last; it didn’t take long for the Elite and Eclat to get a bad reputation for poor build quality. For the past 30 years, the cars have since been struggling to gain credibility - which is why you can buy a good one for so little money, if you can find one.

History

The Elite, codenamed M50, was launched in May 1974 to replace the Elan. Fitted with a 1973cc version of the all-new twin-cam ‘907’ Vauxhall derived engine, press reaction was favourable - until it reached America! The Americans weren’t too complimentary about the car’s practical but quirky styling so Colin Chapman came up with the Eclat, which was soon launched in October 1975. Known internally as the M52, the new car featured a separate boot rather than something between a hatch and an estate as seen on the Elite. When the Elite was launched there were two versions available, the entry-level 501 and the 502. The pricier car featured air conditioning, quartz headlamps and a better stereo system and from spring 1975 the 503 was introduced with power steering. By October of that year there was a fourth derivative, the 504, fitted with a Borg Warner auto ‘box. All of these options were mirrored in the Eclat range, which