Lotus Eclat

The Lotus Eclat (internal Type 76 and Type 84 ) was a until the fall of 1982 built by the end of 1974 fastback coupe with 2 2 seating of the British manufacturer Lotus Cars. It was based on the same built Lotus Elite and had a front-mounted engine. Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars, presented the Éclat at the New York Auto Show.

History

The vehicles of the first series ran from late 1974 to mid- 1980 by the band. They were powered by the Lotus 907 engine, a 2-liter four-cylinder with two twin carburettors, which was not based on the Slant Four of Vauxhall Motors contrary rumors to the contrary. Lotus used the Vauxhall engine blocks due to similar dimensions only as a test bed. The performance was (160 hp) at 117 kW.

Mid- 1980, the Éclat S2 on the market, which had other minor cosmetic changes, a 2.2 -liter engine development with the type designation 912. From the 2.2L total of only 223 units were built. For the power transmission, a manual and an automatic transmission were available.

The body made ​​of glass fiber reinforced plastic was 4.48 m long, 1.82 m wide and 1.21 m high. It built on a central steel beam chassis that was galvanized in 1980. With a wheelbase of 2.48 m, the car weighed 975 kg in the standard version. An optional air-conditioning, the weight increased to 1010 kg, with additional Power Steering 1,026 kg. On the rear seats you sit surprisingly comfortable unlike many of today's 2 2- seater. With a price of $ 28,400 (1979 ) the car was about as expensive as a Mercedes- Benz 450 SL ( $ 28,687 ).

From the end of 1982, a slightly modified version of the car with a gearbox from Toyota was sold under the name Éclat Excel. This version was called from the autumn of 1983 only Lotus Excel and was until the summer of 1991 continued to be produced.