There's nothing inherently wrong with the Lotus Elite. In fact, the
engines are better developed than those in the Jensen Healey (where
thy're not that bad either) and were basically the same engine used in
the Espirit S1.
They will destroy themselves if the timing belt breaks... as it will if
not changed religiously... and the heads are VERY expensive. Most you
see in this country weren't treated well. Sounds like you found one of
those.
However, the listers are right that this is not a desirable car. It ws
Lotus's first attempt to moveupmarket and their first attempt at a GT
car (vice a sports car.) They failed on both counts. The styling was
widely hated in the US, the car had decent (but not steller)
performance. But you STILL had all the Lucas electrical and build
quality issues.
While people were gnenerally willing to put up with this in a low-cost
sports car, they were not for a high-priced GT. In all, you could buy a
BMW 2002 for less money and have a better overall car. Heck, many people
even talked about the Capri being a better car at half the price.
There were many popular engine swaps, but none really improved the
overall car. But I wouldn't mind that twin cam engine in my
newly-purchased Europa! ;-)
Bill Elliott
Lake Barrington, IL
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