Lotus Elite 501

Rød Original og velkørende klassik Lotus Elite. Dansk registreret, rustfri Chasiss..

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Manufacturer Lotus Cars
Production 1974–1982
2,535 produced
Assembly England: Hethel, Norfolk
Designer Oliver Winterbottom
Body and chassis
Class Sports car (S)
Body style 2-door 2+2 shooting brake
Layout Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related Lotus Eclat
Powertrain
Engine
2.0 L Lotus 907 I4
Transmission
5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,490 mm (98.0 in)
Length 4,470 mm (176.0 in)
Width 1,820 mm (71.7 in)
Height 1,210 mm (47.6 in)
Curb weight 1,112 to 1,168 kg
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.[18] The Elite was announced in May 1974.[19] It replaced the ageing Lotus Elan Plus 2.

The Elite has a shooting brake body style, with a glass rear hatch opening into the luggage compartment. The Elite'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. 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.) The 907 engine ultimately became the foundation for the 2.0 L and 2.2 L Esprit power-plants, the naturally aspirated 912 and the turbocharged 910. The Elite was fitted with a 4 or 5-speed manual transmission depending on the customer specifications. Beginning in January 1976, an automatic transmission was optional.

The Elite 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.[20]

The Elite was available in four main variations, set apart by equipment levels: 501, 502, 503, and later on 504.