Lotus Elite

Fast Facts

• Best model: Anything complete
• Worst model: Any project
• Budget buy: If only…
• OK for unleaded?: Should be but use additive
• Will it fit in the garage? (mm): 3658x1473mm
• Spares situation: Generally good
• DIY ease?: Maintenance yes, not restoration
• Club support: Very good
• Appreciating asset?: Very much so
• Good buy or good-bye?: Yes but an acquired taste

As many found, the Lotus was better to drive than those looks suggested

Side view of Elite shows surprisingly adequate rear seat room

Odd looks but VARI grp meant better quality than the Elan

Engine, durable but needs lots of TLC

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With prices now soaring, this Lotus is starting to live up to its name. And it’s certainly the choice for the purist where an Elan just won’t do...

It’s so easy to assume that any car of the 1950s is old-tech in the 21st century, but even now some models from the era continue to impress, because in some ways they’ve never been bettered. Take the original Lotus Elite for example, one of the most advanced cars ever made, bar none. The world’s first genuine glassfibre monocoque, Colin Chapman’s first genuine production car was cutting-edge in so many other ways too. With disc brakes all round, a drag co-efficient of just 0.29 and both 40mpg and 115mph available from the 1.2-litre overhead cam Coventry Climax engine, the Elite was truly revolutionary when it arrived an amazing 55 years ago. Indeed, it was so forward-thinking, it would still create a stir if unveiled in 2012.

Elites still do on the classic scene. While the Elan will grab all the headlines in its 50th year, the Elite is the more purist choice and what’s more their values are rocketing. An expensive car when new, costing similar money to XKs and E-types, they are worth similar amounts now so this Lotus does live up to its name – and acronym if you don’t buy right.

History

In 1956, Colin Chapman hatched a plan to build a lightweight sports car that could take on cars such as the Porsche 356 and Alfa Romeo Giulietta on the circuit as well as in the showroom. A steel-bodied car would prove too heavy, and he didn’t have the resources or finance to build one anyway – so he resorted to using glassfibre instead.

The material had recently been proved by Jensen, Chevrolet and Turner, but while those marques all resorted to a steel chassis, Chapman would build the whole structure from glassfibre. It was an ambitious plan, but Chapman reckoned he could do it. He’d hang everything off the glassfibre structure; engine, gearbox and rear axle. Only the front suspension would be fixed to a small steel subframe, bonded into the structure.

For the design, Chapman turned to his friend Peter Kirwan-Taylor, a 27-year old accountant who had done a good job of creating an attractive body for his Lotus Six. He came up with a superb design, heavily influenced by the Bertone BAT concepts as well as Ferrari’s Superfast. However, before the final design was settled upon, it needed some refining courtesy of the legendary Frank Costin, who incorporated a Kamm tail; Costin would go on to refine the Elite’s shape further, for its racing exploits.

Powering the Elite was an engine no less revolutionary. Made by the renowned Coventry Climax company who went on to power Lotus F1 cars, the FWE engine was actually designed for industrial use (such as water pumping) as one of its forte’s was the ability to go flat out from stone cold wilth no ill effect. Cynics could say it was the most reliable engine Chapman ever used in a Lotus… It’s not the Hillman Imp engine! This was a later design by Coventry Climax and a 7/8th scale of the original FWA fire pump unit.

Although the Elite made its debut at the October 1957 Earls Court motor show, the first customer cars weren’t delivered until the last day of 1958, and production didn’t get fully underway until October 1959, when the company’s new Cheshunt factory was opened. Although the car was expensive (at £1949 it cost as much as a Jaguar), the press raved about it because of its fabulous dynamics and styling. The problem was, despite the high purchase price, Lotus lost money on every Elite it made thanks to the inordinately high production costs. And unreliability.

From 1960 there was a Series 2 Elite; earlier cars had glasfibre monocoques built by a company called Maximar, while the new edition brought Bristol-made bodyshells, which were made to a much higher standard. At the same time, triangulated wishbones were fitted, to reduce rear-wheel steering while the interior was also tidied up.

From October 1960 there was a Special Equipment (SE) option, with twin SU carbs, a four-branch manifold (to boost power to 83bhp) plus the option of a Stage II Climax powerplant, offering up to 90bhp. For those who felt 90 horses weren’t enough, Lotus also built 23 examples of the twin-Webered Super 95 (launched in May 1962 and with 95bhp), plus half a dozen Super 100s and six Super 105s. These latter cars featured fully balanced engines, a high-lift camshaft and an 11.5:1 compression ratio.

By now the cheaper, simpler Elan was in production and so the Elite’s day were numbered. After an estimated 1029 cars, the final Elite was produced in September 1963 – yet it would be June of the following year before the Elite entered its last race at Le Mans.

Driving

The Elite was a circuit car for the road, not the other way round – and it shows with the driving experience. Tweak the steering wheel and the road wheels respond instantly; there’s no play, just a sharpness that’s missing from pretty much all of its contemporaries not simply back in 1957 but a lot more modern GT cars.

With its tall and narrow tyres, getting the car to slide is easily done, but it’s an entirely predictable process – this isn’t a car that catches you unaware. The balance between ride and handling is also spot on; the long-travel suspension and soft damping give the car an amazingly comfortable ride, yet it doesn’t roll too much in the bends. What’s more you’re well aware of the (lowly) limits of adhesion, ages before you reach them – not that many owners will drive these cars that hard nowadays. Also impressive are the brakes; with a disc at each corner, the Elite’s stopping power, helped in no small part by that low kerb weight, pull the car up with much greater reassurance than you’d think.

Speed isn’t what the Elite is about anyway. With only 71bhp to play with the 1261cc engine gives what now can only be described as fairly lively performance (0-60 in under 12 seconds/112mph). And with such a small engine there’s hardly limitless torque either, but the low weight gives the Elite a surprising alacrity all the same – and the speed doesn’t taper off as quickly as you might think, thanks to that amazingly aerodynamic bodyshell.

If there’s a downside to the Elite’s construction, it’s that there’s a lack of refinement. One road test at the time described the Lotus as “nice but noisy”. Specialist Paul Matty says he can now eradicate a good deal of the harshness but the Elite can never be called quiet. An Elan seems like Rolls-Royce in comparison!

Prices

There’s no such thing as a truly affordable Elite that’s in good nick. With so few cars made, and a survival rate that isn’t as high as you might think, demand has always exceeded supply by a huge margin. As a result you’ll pay heavily for any Elite that’s in good condition, but you’re unlikely to lose any money unless you pay really daft sums.

Most of the surviving Elites are in the UK and US; Lotus guru Paul Matty probably sells more Elites than anyone. He’s convinced that prices will continue to rise thanks to the Elite’s enduring desirability. Matty comments: “A project will cost at least £40,000, which is daft when you consider that a car that’s up and running is only another £5000. And with restoration costs being so steep, it’s impossible to buy a project, get it up to scratch, then get back anywhere near the money you’ve spent. Something nice – rather than just running – is closer to £55,000, while the best cars can fetch up to £80,000, although few Elites are worth more than £70,000”.

If an Elite has some period racing provenance it can make quite a difference to how much it’s worth, but if the car has been campaigned more recently that won’t affect its value significantly.

Improvements

Over the years the Elite has gained a reputation for being fragile, and in some cases that’s deserved. However, there are few things you can do to upgrade an Elite to improve reliability, and it’s little different when it comes to drivability. That’s because unless you make wholesale changes that will compromise the car’s originality, you can only tinker on the margins.

According to Paul Matty, one of the areas that’s worth overhauling is the suspension bushes; ensuring decent polyurethane items are fitted can help significantly with the dynamics. If you’re rebuilding the engine it’s a good idea to fit higher quality valves and seats, while Elan callipers will improve the braking noticeably. But as Matty explains, going through the car and paying attention to detail with how well everything is fitted together can work wonders and the best ‘mod’ of them all.

Says Matty: “Something as simple as balancing the driveshafts or ensuring the differential is aligned properly with the propshaft can make the car much smoother, quieter and even more of a pleasure to drive”.

Three Of A Kind

IReliant Scimitar GTE

A sporting, practical GRP-bodied hatchback, with room for four in luxury, that’s able to cruise economically, restfully yet provide sports car thrills on a whim that has still to gain classic status. No, it’s not the Elite but the Reliant Scimitar GTE launched fi ve years earlier! Like the Lotus these carsremain criminally cheap, but are also usually in a poor state as a consequence. It’s another car we can see getting its deserved dues pretty soon.

TVR Tasmin

If you can see a likeness between this 80s TVR and the Elite, it’s not surprising because they were both penned by Oliver Winterbottom. Other similarities include a sporty chassis, Eclat-like 2+2 option glassfi bre construction, good overall performance and handling. Lotus-like indifference among enthusiasts, neglect and cheap prices are the downside. Later 350/390 models are better bets and spares and support is better than with the Lotus.

Porsche 944

In its day, the Elite and Eclat were considered just as good as the 944, dynamically, but the German had much better quality and stamina long term. These practical Porsches make great, inexpensive buys, being as fast as a 911 yet as easy and trusty to use daily as a VW Golf. The 16vs and Turbos have proper Porsche pace and,don’t forget, the improved lastof- the-line 968 range. If you buy well, you’ll have a proper, cheap, supercar.