1226cc 4 cylinder OHC Coventry Climax
4 speed Manual
Front Engined Rear Wheel Drive
Hydraulic Disc Brakes
75 bhp 75 ft-lb
Exterior Yellow Interior Black
The Lotus Elite type 14 was a departure for Lotus from building cars exclusively intended to being a track car to building one that was primarily intended to be a roadgoing vehicle, while still possessing performance characteristics and the light weight that made Lotus cars excel on the track. The car’s design was innovative in many ways utilizingmany of Colin Chapman’s race-bred ideas and applying them to the street. The body is made almost entirely out of fiberglass, relying on embedded mounting points for the suspension and engine and a steel hoop to support the windshield frame and mount the doors. As there is no steel backbone as appeared in Lotus’s later cars, the fiberglass shell itself was relied upon to provide the rigidity to connect the front and rear suspension together as well as handle the loads created by the drivetrain. Suspension was fully independent, both front and rear, with transverse wishbones in the front and a Chapman strut at the rear, which utilizes a long strut incorporating the spring and shock absorber at the top while a fixed length universally jointed driveshaft serves as the lower locating link, allowing it to serve double duty and thus reduce weight. Brakes were provided in the form of disc brakes both front and rear, with the rear discs being mounted inboard, reducing unsprung weight and the need to transfer braking forces from the wheels to the chassis. The cars were built in two series, the first series of 250 with bodies made by Maximar Mouldings, while the second series was built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, solving some of the production and quality control issues of the earlier Series 1 cars. In 1960, an upgraded SE version was produced with twin carburettors and a
tubular exhaust manifold, yielding an additional 10 horsepower as well as a ZF built gearbox replacing the original MG unit fitted to the earlier cars. This example was purchased via an online auction, but was a relatively local car to me, and had been very well restored for the previous owner who had the car for 30 years, buying it after it had sat for at least 20 years as a non-operable vehicle. The bodywork was repaired and finished to a high level throughout, including underneath. Care was also taken to preserve many of the original components for the car that rarely survive a restoration, including having the original shocks rebuilt. Originally painted lime green, the yellow paint really makes the car stand out and suits its lines incredibly well. Despite having only a 75 horsepower output from the overhead cam Coventry Climax all aluminum slant four engine, the very light weight allows the car to shine as a sports car, with very good acceleration, coupled with Lotus’s famed excellent handling characteristics. Aside from the colour some other subtle changes have been made, the most obvious being the chromed rather than painted wire wheels, and the rear differential ratio was changed to 4.22:1 from 4.55:1 allowing for more comfortable cruising speeds. Otherwise, the engine and drivetrain are still standard for the early car with a single carburettor and cast exhaust manifold. The cardrives and handles very well, with the only real downsides being the fact that it has little in the way of sound insulation and as a result, is quite loud inside while driving. In addition, the lack of steel in the body makes it potentially a dangerous car to get in an accident in, as there is little in the way of protection for the driver or any passengers.
