The M100-Series Lotus Elan represented the light at the end of a very long tunnel for its maker. Lotus had been developing a small car to slot in under the Excel and Esprit since the early-1980s and had to endiure a number of abandoned projects before it arrived at the final 1989 car. For many enthusiasts, the M100 was a complete shock, not least because it was front-wheel drive, a format that had not really proved itself in the sports car market beyond a generation of hot hatchbacks. So it was a leap into the unknown for both buyers and its maker.

But once road testers got their hands of the Elan, and the scale of its dynamic proweess became apparent, you could hear the collective sighs of relief. Almost all the production cars ended up being turbocharged SE versions, though some 130bhp non-turbo models were sold. All were powered by a durable Isuzu 1600 engine that Lotus had helped to design.

Lotus was a money-losing combine by the the early 1990s, and the Elite offered no respite. Lotus made a loss on every one of the 3855 Elans sold, so it was abandoned after two years. But when Bugatti bought the company in 1994 further run of 800 was made, using up spare engine stock, and featuring a raft of improvements. The design was then sold off to Kia, who built its own Elan between 1996 and 1999.

BODYWORK
BODY TYPE 2 seater convertible/cabriolet
NUMBER OF DOORS 2
DESIGNER Peter Stevens

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS
WHEELBASE 2250 mm 88.6 inches
TRACK/TREAD (FRONT)
TRACK/TREAD (REAR)
LENGTH 3802 mm 149.7 inches
WIDTH 1735 mm 68.3 inches
HEIGHT 1229 mm 48.4 inches
GROUND CLEARANCE 130 mm 5.1 inches
LENGTH:WHEELBASE RATIO 1.69
KERB WEIGHT 997 kg 2198 lb
WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
FUEL TANK CAPACITY 46.5 litres 10.2 [12.3] UK [US] gal.
AERODYNAMICS
DRAG COEFFICIENT 0.34
FRONTAL AREA
CDA
POWERTRAIN
ENGINE TYPE naturally aspirated petrol
ENGINE MANUFACTURER Isuzu
ENGINE CODE Isuzu Lotus

CYLINDERS Straight 4
CAPACITY 1.6 litre
1588 cc
(96.906 cu in)
BORE × STROKE
80 × 79 mm
3.15 × 3.11 in
BORE/STROKE RATIO 1.01

VALVE GEAR double overhead camshaft(DOHC)
4 valves per cylinder
16 valves in total
MAXIMUM POWER OUTPUT
(DIN) 132 PS (130 bhp) (97 kW)
at 7200 rpm
MAXIMUM TORQUE
(DIN) 142 Nm (105 ft·lb) (14.5 kgm)
at 4200 rpm
SPECIFIC OUTPUT
(DIN) 61 kW/litre
83 ps/litre
81.9 bhp/litre
1.34 bhp/cu in
SPECIFIC TORQUE
(DIN) 89.42 Nm/litre
1.08 ft·lb/cu3
ENGINE CONSTRUCTION
SUMP wet sumped
COMPRESSION RATIO 10:1
FUEL SYSTEM Ro fuel inj.
BMEP (BRAKE MEAN EFFECTIVE PRESSURE) 1123.7 kPa (163 psi)
MAXIMUM RPM
CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS
ENGINE COOLANT Water
UNITARY CAPACITY 397 cc
ASPIRATION Normal
COMPRESSOR N/A
INTERCOOLER None
CATALYTIC CONVERTER
PERFORMANCE
ACCELERATION 0-80KM/H (50MPH)
ACCELERATION 0-60MPH 7.6 s
ACCELERATION 0-100KM/H
ACCELERATION 0-160KM/H (100MPH)
STANDING QUARTER-MILE 16.1 s
STANDING KILOMETRE
MAXIMUM SPEED 196 km/h (122 mph)
POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO Higher is better
132.2 PS/tonne (1000 kg)
0.13 PS/kg
97.23 kW/tonne (1000 kg)
0.1 kW/kg
130.39 bhp/tonne (1000 kg)
0.13 bhp/kg
0.06 bhp/lb
WEIGHT-TO-POWER RATIO Lower is better
10.28 kg/kW
17.18 lb/bhp
FUEL CONSUMPTION
FUEL CONSUMPTION
UNIVERSAL FUEL CONSUMPTION (CALCULATED FROM THE ABOVE)
LITRES/100KM
KM/LITRE
UK MPG
US MPG
CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS

CARFOLIO CALCULATED CO2?

VED BAND (UK)
CO2 EFFIZIENZ (DE)
CHASSIS
ENGINE POSITION front
ENGINE LAYOUT transverse
DRIVE WHEELS front wheel drive
TORQUE SPLIT N/A
STEERING rack & pinion
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK
TURNING CIRCLE
FRONT SUSPENSION I.CS.DW.ARB.
REAR SUSPENSION I.LW.UTrL.CS.ARB.
WHEEL SIZE FRONT
WHEEL SIZE REAR
TYRES FRONT
TYRES REAR
BRAKES F/R Di/Di
FRONT BRAKE DIAMETER
REAR BRAKE DIAMETER
BRAKED AREA
GEARBOX 5 speed manual