Those Isuzu inline 4-cylinder Turbos are great engines, nearly indestructible and highly receptive to tuning. Just a shame that it was front wheel drive, which a roadster shouldn’t ever be. They might as well have just made it AWD.

This channel could make a documentarsy on a random piece of carpet fluff sound interesting. Excellent video.

I remember having a game on the Amiga with these in it :D

Purely in terms of their looks, both the original 2 seater Elan and the later M100 are my favourite Lotuses. In my view, they are perfect small sports cars.

Lotus Elan - memories of Mrs Peel in the Avengers.

Not a bad video, really pleased that the M100 is featured in the Motion History series I watch on a regular basis, but three things let it down slightly for me as a self-confessed Lotus geek. No mention in the video that the M90/X100 project was the last overseen by Colin Chapman or the fact that Peter Stevens, who also styled thec McLaren F1, styled the M100. Also footage at the 10:02 mark is from the Elise documentary, with notable Elise design team members Julian Thomson centre frame and Russell Carr right of frame, and at 14:38 from the same Elise documentary where notable members of the development team including Tony Schute and Dave Minter are holding an Elise development meeting, and at 15:15 with Richard Rackham and Tony Schute in shot. I really like the M100 Elan. I still have the copy of Autocar from July 1990, that I bought as a 17 year old, that included one of the first full road tests of the car. I think its styling has aged very well, better than the MX5 Mk1. It was going to be my first Lotus, but I ended up with a Europa S as my first instead (another maligned Lotus that also had an interesting gestation). I still want a M100 though in addition to my Evora and Elise.

I have a M100 in white (non turbo version). It was a barn find that had not moved in 15 years. It has been an amazing experience and journey restoring this potential classic. I find each time I take it out it is a magnet for attention and well wishers. A real lovely car to drive and is completely a different drive to my Audi V8 convertible.

I remember this car. I remember admiring it at Motor Fayre in Earls Court as a 12 year old boy.

Thanks for the history... great video.

One of my favourites, as a matter of fact.

Great video and info, really enjoyed it but don't know where the stats come from for the Mazda. It was never as quick or as powerful the Lotus. A MK1 MX5 0-60 is 9.1 secs and top speed of 121 mph and 115 bhp... I've driven a MX5 and they handle amazingly well but they are not as fast as the Elan. I can also vouch for this because I've owned 3 se turbo's..👍

M100 was significantly more capable than the MX5 in cornering and speed, not to mention most MX5s of that period have now rusted away! M100 owners tend to hang on to their cars as they are a hoot to drive and easy to live with as you get older! ;) Comfy cabin and plenty of luggage space means you really can go long distances without strain. Some of the most fun cars have been FWD; Peugeot 205, Civic Type R etc., Lotus just led the way in getting FWD to really work... a good one is amazing even today.

Living in a small North Essex town i remember seeing a lovely one of these with a VERY young looking guy behind the wheel. I pointed it out to my mate and he said "thats Liam Howlett". This was just before my love of The Prodigy grew to obssessed proportions haha! Later i even raced Keith Flint in his TVR at high speeds around town one night. The Prodigy formed in my hometown!

Gran Turismo 2 introduced me to the M100. The M100 also appeared in Magnetic Fields' Lotus games and also Kuju Entertainment's Lotus Challenge.

Live and learn and get an MX-5. That is what we want it to look like. Basically like the original Elan.

Refreshing to hear "coupé" instead of the American "coop".

Great presentation, thanks! I really enjoy your channel content, keep up the good work.

A very pretty and extremely capable sports car and my go to when rwd enthusiasts are convinced all fwd cars are less fun, the purple m100 is just beautiful

Those involved with the M100 do not regret making it FWD. Only that they did not use their contacts in Japan to learn Mazda’s plans earlier and better prepare, nor had a chance to reduce its costs although it is doubtful Lotus could have reduced it anywhere near 3k between the M100 and MX5. IIRC read Peter Stevens account where post-MX5 they belatedly attempted to demonstrate how the cost of the Elan could have been reduced via the coupe prototype with Calibra headlights shown to some GM people, undermined by politics within Lotus by those who did not think continuing with the Elan was in their interests. The Elan M200 concept would carry over some of the low-cost ethos of the Elan coupe prototype. Throughout the development of the M100, there was internal discord between those advocates for RWD M90 in the Oliver Winterbottom faction (who was later effectively excluded from the design competition for the M100) vs the FWD M100 in the John Miles faction, where the latter with backing from on high basically sidelined and engaged in politics against the former behind their backs. The M90 on the other hand could have reportedly undercut the MX5 by £500 as well as been lighter and quicker then the M100, although others contend it was not costed possibly to account for the switch from Toyota to GM/Isuzu parts, even though there was potential for M90 to continue with Toyota parts had it and GM been able to come to an agreement. An account can be read in Oliver Winterbottom’s A Life in Car Design, although others dispute his version of events. Even so my personal ideal would have been the layout of M90 paired with Peter Steven's styling for M100, supposedly the Isuzu X motor would become the development base for the 1.9-litre Saturn I4 engine with slightly increased bore. Something else to consider, would either the M90 or M100 have been necessary as Elans as opposed to sub-Elan additions or sportcars cars likely sold under a GM badge had Chapman possessed the foresight to develop the Elite / Eclat-based M80 2-seater idea from the start (also mentioned in the Winterbottom book), leading to an Esprit-like production-run and Peter Stevens rebody? The existence of the Vegantune Evante meanwhile, makes one partly wish Caterham were in a position to acquire the rights to the original Elan design like they did with the Lotus 7 S3, yet possibly using regular Crossflow and BDA units (like contemporary Caterham Sevens) as well as modified to use the 900 Series engines as used in the 7 based Lotus Super 907 one-off by Steel Brothers Limited.

Nice, but the original Elan was just better.

It could do with some on-screen conversions from lbs > Kgs.

Considered purchasing one back in the day, couldn't get past the fact it was front wheel drive.....

Forgotten.. for a reason

Lotus still do make the best cars today and most of the Lotus cars are pretty much legendary cars to of ever been built in the UK.

Original MX5 did 0 to 60 in 9.4 seconds & weighed 940KG. Elan 0 to 60 6.5 seconds & weighed 1020KG.

Even though the MX5 and Elan were available together and the Mazda being cheaper, I know what I'd have every time. The Elan has got that unique square shape up front, pretty car. The MX5 is a great little motor but with the Isuzu lump too, bullet proof and a good base for tuning, yep, the little Lotus every time 👍

Just an FYI, The Lotus Esprit that appeared in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' only appeared in that one film. The one in 'For Your Eyes Only' was a Lotus Esprit Turbo.

Lotus still do make cars but not as much as they used to before. I quite like the Elise and the Elan. Very nice sports cars built in East Anglia.

You can tell a fall from Grace when you basically need an Isuzu engine in a Lotus

Pitching this against the MX-5 was simply doomed when they decided to drive the wrong wheels. Great in a family car, not welcome in a 60's throwback light convertible.

Who else has Top Gear to thank for introducing you to this car?

The video is about the M100 but the first half is about the history of Lotus. When talking about the early Elan the video is of the early Lotus 7 ? when talking about M100 production it's showing pictures of an Esprit being built ? When talking about the SE and non turbo cars - it shows pictures of an S2 ? Sorry but the video whilst it might be accurate in its factual narrative, is confusing with the video. I don't think a lot of thought has gone into putting the video and narrative together. Sorry.

What part of the Elan has the same driving behavior as the MX-5. These two could not handle different if one of them was a lorry. The Elan 100 drives like a jumped up Austin Allegro, and the MX-5 drives just like the original Elan was supposed to.

Yet another car killed by the prejudices of motoring journalists. Although reviews at the time couldn’t help commenting on it’s excellent handling they stuck their noses up at the front wheel drive layout damning sales to enthusiasts of probably the best front drive chassis of all time. Just like they’ve done with, now accepted, technologies such as paddle shift gear boxes, hybrid engines, diesel engines and electric propulsion. Only when they’ve realised that these things are actually popular (ie things the average customer wants) have they accepted them and then swooned at their technical brilliance. They never would’ve accepted a car like the A100 alpine, Tesla model 3, the multitude of brilliant BMW diesel engines or particularly the Toyota Prius 10 years before. Now they’re considered the norm (apart from the diesels).

I worked at lotus Cincinnati. Fwd is why we.refused to stock 1.fwd killed it

They were selling to different buyers, the MX-5/Miata was almost a third of the price of the new Elan in 1990. That and a financial recession sealed its fate, even if released earlier it was still an overpriced car.

The Elan is so much cooler than the MX-5.

The Lotus Esprit holding what to the Aston Martin DB-5. An Esprit can be found for 35'000, an Aston DB-5 will set you back at least one full million. So what does it hold to the Aston exactly. Nothing, right. Just a parts bin special in my mind.

Love your video's! But this one has many errors. Both in details of the car as well as historical. To numeral to mention.

Wasn't the issue of it, that it was too competent, and so it wasn't as fun as the competition? An MX5 might struggle to keep up, but it's owner would have more fun doing so.

The elan was miles faster than the mx5

_🌎 🦅 __15:48__ __18:00_ _[L🌑TUS🎼L/AN_ _🎶_

It's not "ECLAT" It's pronounced ECLARR

Ahh the car that was also badged as a Kia and sold in the UK. 🤔 sold 796 of them - for some reason back when Kia were a laughable company. (Can’t say anything now. I’ve had 7 and currently own 2) but never understood why!

Hi Ruairidh, I really enjoy your presentations which I believe are well researched, presented and narrated. However, in the case of the Lotus Elan, could you please avoid the usage of 'pounds' and use kilograms instead as I think more people can equate to this rather than pandering to the US! Cheers