The Lotus Elite remains a textbook example of what might have been. For all of our chatter about cars made by GM that were almost great – I’m looking at you, Pontiac Fiero – Lotus has had its fair share of vehicles that also came close to legendary status. The Elite was built as a large car by Lotus standards, with a proper backseat. Its lightweight construction and outstanding handling were Lotus staples. However, with plans for a V8 engine scuttled and an underpowered four-cylinder in its place, the Elite never became the supercar it was envisioned to be. Check out this project-grade (aren’t they all?) 1974 Elite listed here on Facebook Marketplace.
While most Lotus enthusiasts were greatly offended by the idea of a sports car with a backseat, the car editors of the period thought the Elite was a transformative vehicle in the handling department. Said to have the DNA of a car that could run circles around the Porsches of the day, the powerplants never let the funky Lotus live up to its true potential. For certain, the original design called for a 4L V8 to be under the hood, and instead the Lotus arrived at dealerships with a 2.0L I4 that made around 155 horsepower. While not awful, it was nothing that would leave you shaking in your seat.
Having an actual backseat is a matter of fierce debate among owners and collectors of sports models. It’s a black-and-white issue: for many, there is no acceptable reason to have rear seats in a car destined for spirited driving. For others, it converts a car with deft handling capabilities and suited for track use into a vehicle you can also take on long-distance tours. In the case of the Elite, I’m not sure it ever truly hurt the model’s appeal given how the performance out of the box fell short of what the Lotus faithful had hoped for. The seller’s car looks decent inside for what is truly a project car, and hopefully some basic upholstery work will transform the cockpit.
One of the other major achievements that often goes under-reported about the Elise is the actual construction of the vehicle. It was marketed as a true “world car” meaning it met all of the requirements – safety foremost among them – of every market it was sold to. Door beam protection was believed to be an industry-first in the Elite, along with the “Ring of Steel” baked into the solid B-pillar. It was a highly advanced vehicle representing years’ of R&D, only to be let down by an engine that fell far short of its potential. It’s such an interesting car, and for $3,400, we hope this one gets saved. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Chuck Foster for the find.
I don’t know, the back half gives off Gremlin vibes. And that back seat? Only for “friends” you didn’t like. There’s little room back there. At least I hope the car handles like a Lotus.
I owned a 73 Lotus Europa Spl. (JPS) which I had stopped by the dealer and there was Lotus East rep with this car to show the dealer, the rep gave me a ride in the car, compared to my Europa I thought it was nothing special., but that was just me
I’ve always understood the small backseats were European in origin. The story goes insurance companies considered a two-seater a sports car while a four-seater was a passenger vehicle. I have no idea if this is true or not.
Pictures don’t do these cars justice. In the flesh, they’re exotic looking as anything from Maserati or Lambo. Awkward, mind you, but exotic. Given the rough shape, I don’t see a future for this one as anything but parts.
Why is iit, that seemingly every Lotus for sale suffers from all sorts of maladies, including apparently lousy quality control? What are these cars sold
to people who thrash them within a very short time span and then put them away? Why is the Lotus crowd always moaning about great handling and lightness, only to park their acquisitions within a couple of months, it seems?
Did you ever lean against one of these ¨wonders¨ and see the fiberglass buckle? Yep, I did on the showroom floor of British Motors in San Francisco back in 1968 and I registered a monstrous weight of 170 lbs. O ya, I know: There is that guy in East Overshoe Montana who had a dozen and drove them for years without troubles. Sure.
The vaunted Lotus Gremlin.
Odd, fragile, and problematic… but interesting and fun… and you’ll never see yourself coming and going everyday.
Could a small American V8 be fitted?
Frank… There is definitely enough space for a small V8 or V6 and because it is a simple fiberglass shell, modifications would not be complicated. This car is a good candidate for that. Their value is not investment quality for an original restore. ( my opinion only)
As I have said before, I owned with my brother, 5 Elans back in the 70’s. We did drive them as daily drivers and we were both mechanically inclined. That is something you need to be if you drove ANY British sportster as a daily. Last year I picked up a stored 83 Lotus Eclat (basic same car as Elite except with a trunk added on). I never really liked the Elites with their funky design but the Eclat was much better looking and the trunk was added for the American market as sales were dim on the Elite. The later models had upgraded frames and the 907 motor was also upgraded. Mine is RHD with Dellorto carbs instead of federalized Strombergs which is a real plus. They are not complicated cars, you just have to have the mindset of how the Brits built them. Colin Chapman liked weight-to- power ratio more than just raw power. After working on this for a few months, I am surprised at an easier learning curve than I expected without ever owning one of these before. The rear brakes are inboard using MGB drum set up. That is the one thing I am not thrilled about as I have one side fairly frozen and underneath access is very tight. I learned from a Lotus guy that the best way to tackle the rear brakes is from inside removing the rear seats. The other feature is the back seats. They look extremely comfortable but rather are very lame. My interior is in good shape but If I chose to drive this every day, I would turn it into a two seater with some cargo area. Right now I will leave it alone. This one in the ad need all new foam in the seats. I can tell by the color that the foam is junk. I would look at this car as a ‘parter ‘unless you want to build a Resto hotrod. Because they are simple RWD there are certainly many possibilities as far as drivetrains.
Among other things it’s structurally but not functionally a hatchback. The rear window opens for access to the cargo area, there’s no cover, the back seat doesn’t fold down and there’s an additional fixed glass divider between it and the cargo space. It’s as if they tried to get all the drawbacks of both a hatch and a traditional trunk with none of the advantages of either.
Somehow, this looks frog-like!
Jack- Nothing wrong with that, because who doesn’t like the bug-eye Sprite?
You’re right!
Rode hard and put away wet – not one of Colin Chapman’s best designs.
Looks like a good candidate for a buick/rover v8 swap.
I own a 1974 5 speed Lotus Elite that is silver with blue corduroy interior – very much like this one. Mine needs some help, sure. These cars are good driving cars when running properly. They are comfortable. If you’re not too tall even that back seat is comfortable. I had a 5’2″ passenger go 700 miles in the back seat of mine without a complaint. They also have an odd rear suspension, as it’s upper link is the driveshaft. The suspension design was corrected on later versions, but this makes for some bearing problems on early cars. As with any Lotus – and I own 3 – remember that L.O.T.U.S. is an acronym, and means Lots of Trouble, Usually Serious.
I am late to the party here. Yes i owned a red 77 Elite, and a Europa. You thought a manual was slow, this is a automatic. Over priced parts car.
Unforunately the only ones I’ve ever seen have been stored outside of British car specialists for extended periods of time (like sometimes VERY extended periods for whatever reason. They don’t seem to hold up to the sun and life in general very well do they?
Late comment. I remember as a teenager in the UK the high expectation we had for the Lotus Elite. Chapman got it completely wrong, Lotus never got its mojo back and Porsche went from strength to strength.
And where are they both now?
espirit: “Yes”;
elite : “No”.