Lotus

The Lotus Éclat, produced from 1975 to 1982, was a fastback coupé derived from the Elite and intended to offer greater practicality in a more compact form. Initially planned as the Elite coupé, it shared the Elite’s lower fibreglass bodywork and backbone chassis but replaced the shooting-brake rear with a sleek fastback, improving luggage space at the expense of rear headroom. Announced in October 1975, the Series 1 Éclat was powered by the 1,973 cc, 16-valve Lotus engine producing around 160 hp. Like the Elite, early Éclats suffered from corrosion issues caused by felt strips fitted between the body and chassis, which trapped moisture and led to serious structural deterioration - an expensive problem at the time that negatively affected residual values despite the car’s strong performance and advanced engineering.