Lotus Elite S2 1961 - 1964

Lotus Elite S2 1961 - 1964

Type: 14

Year of construction 1961-1964

Brake system from Girling, disc brakes front and rear

History/Description:

The first Lotus Elite, the Type 14, was a very light, two-seat coupe. It was introduced at the 1957 London Motor Car Show and was manufactured from 1957 to 1963. The engine compartment of the Lotus Type 14 When it was introduced at the London Motor Show in 1957, the Elite was the only English-made sports car with an overhead camshaft. The manufacturer Coventry Climax supplied the FWE type engine. The housing and cylinder head were made of aluminum and therefore very light. The short-stroke (67 mm/76 mm) four-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 1216 cc has dry liners. With a compression ratio of 8.5:1, it produces 55 kW (75 bhp) at 6100 rpm. Only this engine was offered throughout the entire construction period, but there were various tuning levels with up to 77 kW. Coventry Climax was the leader in racing engines at the time. The power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox. The front wheels are suspended on double wishbones, a Chapman axle is installed at the rear, i.e. wheel-guiding spring struts with the drive shafts as wishbones and trailing arms, later diagonally arranged wishbones (with two suspension points on the wheel carrier and one further forward in the middle). The brakes are from Girling, hydraulically operated without servo, with discs on all wheels, inside the rear. The Elite, of which only 988 units were produced, was intended as a sports car and was successfully raced. The Elite achieved first and second place in its class at Le Mans between 1961 and 1963.