Lotus Elan M100s: Hethel’s front-drive family

By Charlie Calderwood

| 6 Mar 2024

Classic & Sports Car – Lotus Elans vs Kia Elan: Hethel’s front-drive family

Can a car be too good?

That must have been what Lotus engineers asked themselves when Mazda’s attempt at reviving the spirit of the Elan, the MX-5, received a more rapturous response than its own Elan M100 when both were launched in 1989.

The Lotus was rightly praised, but it was also accused of lacking some of the, er, élan, of the far less sophisticated Mazda.

The Lotus Elan SE (right) has a touch more power, thanks to its uncorrupted (if dirtier) exhaust, but you hardly notice once on the move

The crucial US market wasn’t convinced either, leading to a stop-start production run.

But how can a car that vies for the title of ‘best-handling front-wheel-drive car of all time’ remain so relatively unloved among the Lotus pantheon?

These three Elans, an S1, S2 and the rare Kia, should help get to the bottom of it.

The Lotus Elan M100 showcased the marque’s front-drive know-how

The received wisdom is that Lotus made a mistake when it chose front-wheel drive for the M100 Elan.

When questioned on it at the time, Lotus went on the defensive. “After extended testing, it was faster,” was the line from managing director Mike Kimberley.

Cross-country that was probably true, but more important was the fact that the firm’s owner, General Motors, didn’t have a small, sporty, longitudinal drivetrain anywhere across its global empire.

The Lotus Elan SE turbo’s steering is almost too refined

Even if Lotus had stayed under partial Toyota ownership, as it had been until 1986, the company would have faced the same issue, with the AE85/AE86 Corollas that gave the 1984 X100 prototype its running gear having gone off sale in 1987.

At both GM and Toyota, rear-drive had become the preserve of heavier vehicles in more expensive segments.

The real value of Lotus to Detroit was as a development consultant, not a car maker, and growing its expertise on front-wheel drive was the linchpin that justified the American investment.

‘The genius is how the Elan puts its power to the ground. A Lotus couldn’t exhibit scrabbling wheels or rampant torquesteer’

The Elan was as much about showing what Hethel could do for GM as it was about selling its own cars.

It wasn’t a case of ‘why’ front-wheel drive, but ‘how’.

Distant and relatively unknown Isuzu, part-owned by GM, was the unlikely source of the engine.

As unexpected as it might have been, it’s a fantastic unit and perfect for the Elan.

The jazzy hide trim lifts the Lotus Elan SE turbo’s interior

A fuel-injected, twin-cam, 16-valve and very nearly square (80 x 79mm) ‘four’, only its iron block left it short of every item on the high-performance engine checklist.

It made 128bhp at 7200rpm in naturally aspirated form, but, with further tuning and the addition of an intercooled IHI turbo, the majority of Series 1 M100s actually yielded 163bhp.

Lotus could only sell the non-turbo car for £2000 less, so just 129 buyers went for the inferior engine.

Compliance meets exemplary body control in this 1991 Lotus Elan SE turbo

It’s a strikingly lag-free unit, as demonstrated by Dave Turner’s 1991 SE turbo.

Being a small twin-cam there is a degree of peakiness, but the boost comes on progressively from around 3000rpm.

Unlike many turbocharged engines, there’s a reward for reaching the top of its rev range, too, supplying a last rush of accelerative effort.

Lotus Elans have very period pop-up headlamps

It doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as the original Lotus Twin Cam – few fuel-injected four-cylinders have – but it’s much more than a generic mechanical background noise, stopping just short of raspy.

The genius, though, is in how the Elan puts its power to the ground.

It was the first – and indeed only – front-drive Lotus, but Hethel had spent much of the 1980s working on other marques’ cars and navigating around the layout’s challenges.

A Lotus sports car couldn’t exhibit the scrabbling front wheels or rampant torquesteer that many powerful front-drivers experienced.

This 1995 Elan S2 was the 50,000th Lotus built

The car’s novel ‘compliance raft’ (also called an ‘interactive wishbone’) mounts the front suspension’s lower wishbones on a crossmember isolated from the chassis via rubber mounts that permit movement fore and aft, but not side-to-side.

This prevents the driveline shunt common with harsh throttle movements in powerful front-wheel-drive cars, as well as reducing torquesteer.

If that sounds overly complicated, the proof is in an almost complete absence of those typical characteristics on the road.

This special-edition Lotus Elan’s unique Royal Blue paintwork extends to the alloy wheels

Only with full-throttle launches from rest can you detect the slightest lightening of the steering or slipping of the wheels, and only to the extent many rear-wheel-drive sports cars also suffer.

You can’t discuss the M100 without addressing the elephant in the room that is its driven front wheels, but Lotus really did pull off the feat of making it truly a non-issue.

The dominant experience of driving this Elan is its remarkable body control in the corners, which seems quite unfeasible given the compliance of its ride.

‘The Elan proved that Lotus had cracked the performance front-drive nut. As a consultancy showpiece it excelled’

The front-end grip, in all three cars, is utterly tenacious, and it responds to any mid-corner adjustments in steering, throttle and brake input in a benign, balanced way that completely masks its considerable (67%) nose-heaviness.

The speed you can take into a corner – and how early you can get on the throttle out of it – is addictive, and the driven front wheels just give the sensation that they are pulling you around, rather than being any kind of obstacle.

That the Elan does this while providing such comfort, particularly in its primary ride, is the Lotus calling card and the reason why so many companies called from across the world for its consultancy services.

This Lotus Elan S2 has the optional Nardi steering wheel

Poor, pockmarked surfaces are ignored in a fashion many great sports cars decades newer can’t manage.

There is still firmness, and a deep pothole will send a shudder through the structure, but it’s only in those situations when the Elan’s necessarily short springs reach their limits that the car approaches any kind of discomfort.

It’s also the only time there’s any noticeable scuttle shake.

If there is any objective flaw in the driving experience, it’s that the steering is a little too refined.

The Lotus Elan M100’s turbocharged, Isuzu-sourced 1.6-litre engine has minimal lag but is at its best when revved

Perhaps it’s a result of the extra bushing in that compliance raft, but, whatever the cause, it doesn’t communicate like the very best powered set-ups.

It’s good, but bettered by many previous Lotus models, and indeed an MX-5.

This facet, along with the unshakeable handling, leads some to counter: yes, the Elan is quicker, but is it more fun?

The Elan’s greatest commercial problem, however, was its price-tag.

The Lotus Elan M100 was resurrected in S2 guise in 1994

While an MX-5, or indeed other niche rivals such as a TVR S3 or Reliant Scimitar SST, is less refined and likely slower point-to-point, all were cheaper than the Lotus.

More than £5000 cheaper in the case of the Mazda, and that difference was even greater in the USA, where it was hoped a third of the planned 3000 annual sales would take place.

The sharp recession of the early 1990s provided few American buyers adventurous enough to take the expensive Lotus option, and only the UK market got close to target.

In nearly three years just 3855 cars were built, and the Elan, originally planned for a 10-year lifecycle, was dropped as GM abandoned ship.

The Lotus Elan S2’s cabin has simple switches

“With the sale of Lotus by GM there was a certain amount of politics and jockeying for positions in the new company,” recalls the car’s designer, Peter Stevens.

“At that point I, Ian Doble and Colin Spooner decided to do a quick ‘cost-down’ coupé version of the Elan to demonstrate to the board that it was feasible.”

Changes included Vauxhall Calibra tail-lights and the replacement of the pop-up headlights with fixed units.

It didn’t come to anything.

This Lotus Elan S2 has red piping around its leather seats, but loses the S1’s bold stripes

The now famous story that led to the M100’s unexpected revival just a few years later is that, during a walk around Hethel, incoming owner Romano Artioli saw a huge stack of brand-new, unused Isuzu engines and questioned why the company was sitting on such a stock of capital.

With a catalytic converter fitted to comply with new Euro 1 emissions standards, the M100 returned for a run of 800 cars in 1994-’95.

It was through no small degree of chance, therefore, that Justin Pressland’s 1995 Elan S2 rolled off the production line as the 50,000th Lotus to be built.

The Lotus Elan looks compact, but its glassfibre body is 10% bigger than originally intended due to miscommunication over its pioneering construction

The car was given unique Royal Blue paintwork, matching painted alloys and special decals, but the real headline was how it was sold.

Donated to the Prince’s Trust, the Elan was raffled in a campaign in The Sun fronted by Britt Ekland.

A total of £70,000 was raised and, while the car was almost instantly sold by the winner, it still bears the then Prince Charles’ signature in the handbook.

Despite its catalyst and 10bhp drop on paper, there’s little difference in the S2’s performance.

The Lotus Elan S2 (furthest) leads the Kia Elan, but in all its guises Lotus chassis magic shines through

Closer examination of the figures reveals that the extra restriction only cost the Isuzu unit in the very upper reaches of its rev range – torque is identical, and so is the 0-60mph time.

Justin’s S2 has covered a mere 26,000 miles, preserved to protect to its historic provenance, so the gearshift feels tight and is easy to navigate quickly, if a little longer in the throw than you might expect from a Lotus.

The brakes are strong, too, and the clutch well-weighted.

Hethel’s eagerness to make the M100 a very drivable, usable car is clear.

Kia built the Lotus Elan under licence from 1996 to 2000

Superficial though it may seem, it’s the S2’s steering wheel that is the biggest change – and improvement – over the earlier car.

Although we should note that the excellent item fitted here is a Nardi wheel that cost an extra £55.

Just that bit smaller, it better dials in the helm to what the front wheels are experiencing, and quickens the steering ratio.

The earlier car wasn’t slow to turn, but the smaller wheel gives it a touch more immediacy and playfulness where the older version could be a bit earnest.

It’s the one modification every S1 owner should try.

Despite changes, the Kia Elan remains supple and impressively grippy

For most British enthusiasts, the story ended once the stock of Isuzu engines dried up – but upstart Kia had other ideas.

The South Korean firm was no stranger to buying up old tooling and building cars under licence: its debut model in the UK was the Mazda 121-based Pride, and the marque didn’t build a car of its own design until 1992.

Its first – and so far only – sports car required an all-new drivetrain due to local content regulations, notwithstanding whether General Motors would even be willing to supply it with Isuzu engines.

Peter Stevens’ Lotus Elan design evolved little by the time it received a Kia badge

Kia chose the largest engine from its Sephia range, the 1.8-litre, twin-cam ‘BP’ – and if those initials are familiar, you’re probably a Mazda owner.

Brilliant irony, then, that a Korean-built copy of the MX-5’s engine was fitted in the new Elan.

Anyone familiar with the later, 1.8-litre MX-5 Mk1 knows the score: while a bit torquier than the 1.6, with which the Mazda made its debut, it’s still an engine that requires real revving in order to extract its performance.

It’s a thrilling-sounding unit, however, that audibly encourages you to hold on to each gear.

The Kia Elan’s 1.8-litre engine is a Korean-made copy of Mazda’s BP-series unit

The gearing is tall in its lower ratios – a hangover from the Sephia-sourced transmission – but once you have negotiated that foible, it gives a thoroughly entertaining drive.

This 1997 example is from Kia UK’s heritage fleet and remains one of the few ever delivered to Britain.

Kept by a Kia dealer, presumably looking to show customers that this new marque they hadn’t heard of was capable of providing a bit of excitement, this Elan has led a pampered life, covering just 11,000 miles despite a period in private ownership.

Virtually all Kia Elans, however, were sold in Korea or Japan, and all were left-hand drive.

Kia was able to sell the Elan for much less than Lotus did

The interior is a mish-mash of the original Lotus with Kia additions.

The digital clock is gone, while much of the switchgear is different.

The upholstery, leather in both Lotus models, is a typically mid-’90s cloth weave here.

More substantially, the delightful, small-diameter, optional steering wheel of ‘our’ S2 is gone, replaced by an off-the-shelf, airbag-equipped wheel that is too big for the car.

The Kia Elan has a cloth trim and an unsporty steering wheel

For all that, and despite a 40mm rise in the ride height, the Kia retains the brilliance of the Lotus chassis: its ride is supple, its front-end grip steadfast.

There was serious enough ambition to bring it to the UK for Autocar to test one in 1996, but Kia’s bankruptcy the following year ended the idea.

Had it done so, however, perhaps it would have been the final making of the M100.

The Kia Elan’s interior is a mash-up of Lotus bits with Korean additions

Not only was Kia able to make the car far cheaper (£23,000 in 1996, to the inflation-adjusted Lotus at £26,150), but it would also have escaped the expectations, and restrictions, of being a Lotus.

It’s not that the M100 doesn’t deserve the badge, but perhaps it wasn’t quite what Lotus buyers were looking for.

Speaking to Road & Track in 1990, chassis engineer Robert Becker explained he’d signed off the Elan so that 90% of drivers could access 90% of the performance, 90% of the time.

He concluded: “It’ll make it easy for [the driver] to enjoy what they’ve got.”

The Kia Elan rides 40mm higher than the Lotus models

Yet the customers willing to spend over the odds, travel to far-away dealerships and put their trust in a niche player were that remaining 10%.

Lotus had built the car that General Motors should have been building itself.

The Elan proved, however, that Lotus had cracked the performance front-wheel-drive nut.

As a consultancy showpiece it excelled, and if you’re a fan of hot-hatch handling, you have to give the M100 a go.

Had it been built with a roof and a hatch, it would knock storied names aside as one of the best of all time.

It remains – as it has been for the past 20 years – one of the great sports-car bargains.

Images: Max Edleston

Factfiles

Lotus Elan SE

Sold/number built 1989-’92/3855
Construction steel backbone chassis, glassfibre body
Engine iron-block, alloy-head, dohc, 16-valve 1588cc ‘four’, turbocharger and electronic multi-point injection
Max power 163bhp @ 6600rpm
Max torque 147lb ft @ 4200rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, FWD
Suspension independent, at front by unequal-length wishbones rear upper links, wide-based lower wishbones; coil springs, anti-roll bar, tubular dampers f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes vented front, solid rear discs, with servo
Length 12ft 6in (3802mm)
Width 5ft 8in (1735mm)
Height 4ft (1229mm)
Wheelbase 7ft 6in (2250mm)
Weight 2249lb (1020kg)
0-60mph 6.7 secs
Top speed 137mph
Mpg 32
Price new £19,850 (1989)
Price now £6-15,000*

Lotus Elan S2
(where different from SE)

Sold/number built 1994-’95/800
Max power 153bhp @ 6000rpm
Max torque 146lb ft @ 4200rpm
Top speed 133mph
Mpg 33
Price new £24,500 (1994)

Kia Elan
(where different from SE)

Sold/number built 1996-2000/792
Engine iron-block, alloy-head, dohc, 16-valve 1793cc ‘four’, electronic multi-point injection
Max power 135bhp @ 6250rpm
Max torque 114lb ft @ 5500rpm
Brakes with anti-lock
Weight 2359lb (1070kg)
0-60mph 7.4 secs
Price new £23,000 (1996)