Description New Windscreen Green Tint Excel, Elite, Éclat Designed and Manufactured exclusively for LotusBits. These windscreens fit perfectly unlike some others. Please Be Aware, All Windscreens Are Collection Only You May Also Like: Cam Shaft Oil Seal – Elite/Eclat/Excel/Esprit/JensonHealey/Sunbeam Why Not Follow Our Facebook Pages: Lotusbits Ltd Lotusbits Rally Team History: From 1974 to 1982, Lotus produced the considerably larger four-seat Type 75 and later Type 83 Elite. With this design Lotus sought to position itself upmarket and move away from its kit-car past. The Elite was announced in May 1974. It replaced the ageing Lotus Elan Plus 2. Styling: The Elite has a shooting brake body style, with a glass rear hatch opening into the luggage compartment. It’s fibreglass bodyshell was mounted on a steel backbone chassis evolved from the Elan and Europa. It had 4-wheel independent suspension using coil springs. Engine: The Elite was the first Lotus automobile to use the aluminium-block 4-valve, DOHC, four-cylinder Type 907 engine that displaced 1,973 cc (120.4 cu in) and was rated at 155 hp (116 kW). With this engine the car does 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 8.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). (The 907 engine had previously been used in Jensen-Healeys.) 907 engines ultimately became the foundation for the 2.0 L and 2.2 L Esprit power-plants, the naturally aspirated 912 and the turbocharged 910. Gearbox: 4 or 5-speed manual transmissions were used depending on the customer specifications. Beginning in January 1976, an automatic transmission was optional. Lotus Elite’s had a claimed drag co-efficient of 0.30 and at the time of launch, it was the world’s most expensive four-cylinder car. The Elite’s striking shape was designed by Oliver Winterbottom. He is quoted as saying that the basic chassis and suspension layout were designed by Colin Chapman, making the Elite and its sister design the Eclat the last Lotus road cars to have significant design input from Chapman himself. Development: The Elite was available in four main variations, set apart by equipment levels: 501, 502, 503, and later on 504. • 501 – “Base” version. • 502 – Air-conditioning was added to the base model. • 503 – Power Steering and Air-conditioning was used • 504 – All of the above, but an Automatic Gearbox was introduced as an option The Elite was the basis for the Eclat, and the later Excel 2 2 coupés.
