Makes › Lotus › Excel · Rare production
Lotus
Excel
2,159 built
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: DeFacto · CC BY-SA 3.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- Not yet verified
- Engine
- Longitudinal, set well back in the chassis, alloy
- Power
- 134 kW / 182 PSFactory: 180 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The Excel was Lotus's four-seat sports coupe of the 1980s, with a composite body and Toyota gearbox. In 1986 Lotus was improving the Esprit and Excel ranges and had not revealed a new production model for over ten years.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Lotus Excel (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: DeFacto · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lotus Excel (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: DeFacto · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lotus Excel (Wikimedia Commons search)
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
No production figures recorded yet.
History
The Excel was restyled in 1985. For 1986 the faster SE was added, with a 180 bhp engine priced at 18,500 pounds sterling in the UK.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Excel.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Longitudinal, set well back in the chassis, alloy1 Independently researched |
| Displacement | Not yet verified |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | 10.91:1 (SE)1 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | 134 kW / 182 PSFactory: 180 hp · converted1 Independently researchedSE variant. Source says the SE gains 20 bhp over the standard engine; the standard figure is not stated. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Manufacturer | Toyota1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gearbox | Five-speed manual1 Independently researched |
| Gears | 51 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Galvanised folded steel backbone chassis1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Single transverse lower arm located by the anti-roll bar, conventional wishbone above, coil springs and oil-filled dampers1 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Wide wishbone below, transverse link above, coil springs and oil-filled dampers1 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Tilt-adjustable steering wheel and column, borrowed from the Toyota Supra1 Independently researched |
| Body construction | Composite body moulded in upper and lower sections, vacuum-assisted resin injection1 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
The SE is identified by red camshaft covers, a stepped front air-dam below the normal one, and a more obvious revised rear wing. The SE engine has a compression ratio of 10.91:1 and a pair of 45 mm twin-choke Dellorto carburettors.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
New Cars: Lotus Excel SE Level C Motor Sport Magazine
- the longitudinally-mounted alloy engine and five-speed gearbox
- very high cr of 10.91
- Known as the SE, this 180 bhp vehicle
- the Toyota gearbox is unchanged
- five-speed gearbox
- a galvanised folded steel backbone chassis
- a single transverse lower arm is located fore-and-aft by the anti-roll bar
- a wide wishbone below and a transverse link above
- the tilting steering wheel and column have been borrowed from the Toyota Supra
- The Excel main body is moulded as an upper and a lower section
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