Lotus Elite, Eclat and Excel — An Enthusiast's Guide

by Matthew Vale

Lotus introduced the Type 75 Elite in 1974. Being a full four-seater coupe with an opening glass tailgate, it was designed to carry a family in comfort while retaining Lotus' trademark, excellent road holding and handling. Perhaps most importantly, it was the first - and successful - step in Colin Chapman's plan to move upmarket and away from Lotus' kit car image.

The Elite gave rise to two derivatives, the Eclat and the Excel. The Eclat was a restyled coupé version, sacrificing the Elite's unique rear styling and good rear passenger headroom for a more stylish exterior. With its conventional coupé styling, the Eclat was more mainstream than the Elite, and it was in the end the better seller. In turn, the Eclat spawned the Excel, the last of the Elite-inspired family.

This book looks at the history of these unusual Lotus models, and gives a thorough guide to buying and owning the cars today.

Contents:

• Background to the Lotus Elite
• Design and Development of the Lotus Elite and Eclat
• The Eclat - Production and Development
• The Lotus Type 89 Excel (1982-1992)
• Owning and Running

Buch, Softcover, 19 x 24,5 cm, 144 Seiten, 120 farbige Abbildungen, englischer Text