FRom Eric Olson:
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Lotus Eclat - am I crazy or was this the 2+2 Lotus from the mid-70s?
There are 2 in the June Hemmings, one for $8.5K one for $6K. Would I
be just plain stupid to spend everything buying a Lotus, leaving
little for dealing with its quirks? (devil's advocate here -- but
it's a LOTUS, Eric! Vroom vroom vroom!) How fast is this car
anyway? Whose engine is it? Reliable? Parts expensive as heck?
Somebody stop me!
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You won't get discouragement from me! The Eclat has the same engine as my
normally aspirated Esprit (Lotus 907). It's a very solid engine with lots of
potential if you want even more hp. (stock is 140 for US 907, I've seen that
you can go to about 200hp staying with 2 liters and 230 hp going to 2.2 liters
...this is normally aspirated!).
If I had no discipline at all(another Lotus?)and was looking for a 2+2 I'd go
for an Eclat myself (as you can't get its' successor,the Excel, here in the US).
I definitely prefer the Eclat to the new Elite in looks, but I guess it's a
matter of personal taste ( I think the Elite looks like a sleeker version of
an AMC Gremlin, if that can be called flattering :-)
The chassis can rust (pre-galvanized), but the body is fibreglass/fiberglass
(UK/US :-). And you get that Lotus ride! If you're lucky, someone has already
dumped the ZS carbs in favor of DellOrtos (one of the first things to do! :-)
Go for it! (your mileage may vary)
-Bob T.
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