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Lotus
Elise 111R and
the history of Lotus |
Broadcast
dates : 3rd July 2005
9th July 2005 |
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Lotus
was founded by the late Colin Chapman in the late 1940s when
he developed an Austin 7 into a low-slung sports car
special. From these humble beginnings, fully-fledged sports
car production evolved, as well as entry into Formula One,
which culminated in multiple world championships for drivers
like Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario
Andretti.
The cars that the Lotus Club assembled for our impromptu fun
day chart the history of virtually every era of Lotus
production.
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The Elise 111R is a car that Chapman would have been
proud of, as it embodies all the key principles of Chapman’s
design philosophy such as light weight, simplicity, and
electrifying performance.
The Elise has been produced since the late 1990s through to the
present.
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The modern Elise has been amazingly successful for Lotus, and has
achieved worldwide acceptance amongst serious enthusiasts.
Since the death of founder Colin Chapman in 1982, Lotus has
developed, not only as a car manufacturer, but as a technology
consultant for the likes of General Motors and other major
manufactures.
This expertise is reflected in the exemplary build-quality of the
111R.
Constructed of fiberglass with a steel chassis, panel fit is
excellent and despite its diminutive size, the Elise offers
big-car trim and comfort levels.
It’s the high-revving Toyota motor, though, that’s attracting
all the attention. A car that looks this good deserves a screamer
of an engine.
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The Birkin is
based on a fifty-year-old design.
The cycle-fendered Birkin Seven is a replica of the Lotus seven,
the first series production model in the company’s history,
launched in 1957.
Lotus stopped producing the Seven in the early 1970s and sold the
production jigs to Caterham Cars in England.
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However, for the past 20 years Birkin Cars of Pinetown, near
Durban, has been manufacturing Lotus Seven replicas for worldwide
export as well as the local market.
The Birkin uses a potent Ford Zetec motor, modified with twin
Weber carburetors in the classic Lotus tradition.
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The yellow Elan was the definitive 1960s sports car.
The Elan was launched in 1962 at the London Motorshow, and a
quarter of a century later was unashamedly copied by Mazda who
produced their MX5.
A wood panel dash and leather-covered steering wheel are
particular delicacies on this 1967 model.
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The Elan was also the
first production Lotus employing the Ford engine block and classic
twin-cam cylinder head.
The suspension may look soft today but in the 1960s this was an
amazingly fast car, and even today it’s quick. In the hands of
Jack Holme, an Elan scored dozens of wins in South African races
between 1965 and 1969.
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The red Eclat
represents the 1970s. The Lotus Eclat is unusual in the Lotus line-up in that it is a
four-seater sports car.
It’s really a development of the Elan and this 1977 model is
owned by George Witt of Jo’burg.
The fact that at fifteen hundred units the Eclat is considered
rare, indicates how serious a manufacturer Lotus has been over the
years.
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The Eclat follows the classic layout of a front-engined Ford-based
twin-cam engine, a Corsair Two Thousand "E" gearbox,
rear-wheel-drive and independent rear suspension.
There’s lots of tyre squeal by today’s standards, but bear in
mind this car is nearly thirty years old and its owner is in his
seventies!
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The white Esprit spanned the 1980s and
early 1990s.
The Esprit represents the classic mid-engined era for Lotus and
the styling is a mix of late-70s knife-edge with the rounded edges
coming into vogue in the mid-1980s.
The Esprit evolved from four-cylinder engines through turbo motors
to a V8-engined car. This turbo model is owned by Joe Dos Santos.
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The Esprit was immortalized as the car that James Bond, a.k.a
Roger Moore, went scuba diving in, with the gorgeous Barbara Bach
for company.
The snug cockpit is typical of the mid-engined layout, as is the
handling, which set new benchmarks for road-holding.
The engine is a Lotus development from a Vauxhall design.
Lotus Elise 111R
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Engine: Four-cylinder petrol, naturally-aspirated, 1 796cc
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Power: 141 kW @ 7 800 rpm
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Torque: 181 Nm@ 6 800 rpm
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Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive
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0-100 km/h: 5,2 seconds
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Top speed: 241 km/h
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Fuel consumption: 8,8 l/100 km (claimed)
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Price: R495 000
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