Lotus Elite (Type 75) History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Reviving the Elite name on a completely different car, the Type 75 (1974–1982) was a four-seat, front-engined luxury hatchback with a wedge profile — a deliberate move upmarket for Lotus, away from spartan sports cars toward refined grand touring.
It introduced the all-aluminium 2.0-litre Lotus 907 engine (the first Lotus-designed engine) on a galvanised steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. Its fastback sibling, the Eclat, and the later Toyota-co-developed Excel were built on the same architecture.
Body styles
- Hatchback (2+2 shooting brake)
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