All Elans are equal, but some are more equal than others. Heck, with the rare beast we have here you could distil it even further to 'All 26Rs are equal, but some 26Rs are more equal than others. Probably best to start at the beginning...
It's 1962 and Lotus launches a road car, a follow-up to the groundbreaking blind alley that was the glassfibre monocoque Elite. This new one is cutesy in the extreme, designed not by Lotus's financiercum-skier-cum-draughtsman Peter Kirwan-Taylor but by South African engineer and Mr-Workmate-to-be Ron Hickman. The car epitomises Lotus philosophy in plastic, taking basic ingredients from Ford and Triumph (except Maserati air horns!), adding its own spices, and scorings Michelin stars for pep and handling. At its core, literally, is a simple, lightweight 18SWG folded steel backbone chassis, reputedly devised to test the Rotoflex couplings that Colin Chapman was so suspicious of but also to give incredibly smooth power take-up. Until they judder or snap.
Outriggers and side-impact protection? They are for wimps. That power? Initially 1500cc (1499 cc) for 20-odd cars, then 1600cc (though 1558cc in reality), it came from a Ford Kent five-bearing 116E lump with an intricate Lotus twin-cam alloy head (designed by Harry Mundy of BRM and Coventry Climax) on top that doesn't like overheating. It was fed by Weber 40s, though later you could end up with Dell'Ortos or Strombergs. In Blue Oval guise that workhorse engine was good for anything between 39 and 111bhp from anything between 996cc and 1599cc. For its Type 26, Lotus would come in just under the top at 105bhp but in a car that weighed only 640kg... or less.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2024 من Octane.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2024 من Octane.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
Jem Marsh
The hard-bitten Marcos boss was driven like few others and never knew when he was beaten. Thankfully
Vandamm House
A Mid-Century Modernist masterpiece that was immortalised on celluloid - despite never actually existing
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Alfa Romeo's post-war renaissance began with the 1900 saloon - and matured with Zagato's featherweight coupé version, as Jay Harvey discovers
FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
Is burgeoning classic car interest in the Middle East good for the global classic market? Nathan Chadwick investigates
Before the beginning
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BULLDOG & THE PUPPIES
We gather five motoring masterpieces by avant-garde designer William Towns - and drive all of them
Below the tip of the Audrain iceberg
As the Audrain organisation grows, we take a look behind the scenes at the huge car collection that feeds it
Flying the Scottish flag
Young Ecurie Ecosse driver Chloe Grant gets to grips with the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C-type at Goodwood. Matthew Hayward is Octane's witness
