Registration - RJH 829R

Chassis No. - 031ZD7910

M.O.T. - Exempt

Odometer - 58,804

This very original-looking Éclat is finished in red and trimmed in beige cloth/PVC. Remarkably clean inside and out it is regarded by the vendor as being ‘good’ in all major respects, and displays an unwarranted but highly credible total mileage from new of just 58,804. Such early examples were equipped with either a four-speed Ford gearbox or five-speed one developed from Austin Maxi components. ‘RJH 829R’ began life with one of the latter, but at some stage it has been replaced with the superior five-speed Getrag unit, that was standard fit on later versions of the model. The Lotus is now offered at No Reserve, complete with a ‘good’ set of tyres, comprehensive history file and two links to the model’s designer, Oliver Winterbottom – a signed photo of him with ‘RJH 829R’ and his signature on the front cover of the operating manual. A rare opportunity to acquire so tidy an example of one of Lotus’s lesser-known models.

The 2+2 Éclat model was effectively a Type 75 Elite with fastback styling and the practicality of a separate boot area, and the lower half of the fibreglass body was in fact identical to that of its sibling. Production ran from 1975 to 1982, during which around 1,500 examples were produced. The chosen powerplant was a development of the Vauxhall Slant-4 unit of which Series 1 cars were fitted with a 1973cc version, while Series 2 versions built from 1980 onwards featured a slightly torquier 2174cc variant. The Éclat was well received by the motoring media which, as with most Lotuses, praised the handling and grip. They also found it to be more economical than most of its multi-cylinder rivals.

In summary:

• A notably tidy-looking example of a relatively rare model
• Just 58,804 indicated miles
• Comes complete with items signed by the Éclat’s designer, Oliver Winterbottom