The Lotus Excel sports car

A review of the Lotus Excel Sports Car, covering the development, important features and technical data of this twenty-seventh model in the Lotus range.

In this article, I offer a nostalgic look at the Lotus Excel, one of an elite group of classic cars, which was manufactured during the period from 1982 to 1992.

The Lotus Excel sports car was launched in 1982 and received the Type 89 designation.

In terms of design, it was similar in shape to the Eclat, which it was based on, but received softer styling in the nose area, along with integrated lights, bumpers, and spoiler.

The result was a stylish 2 + 2 sports coupe.

While the upper half of the body trim was styled more aggressive, the lower half was retained from the Eclat.

For this reason, the car was also known as the Eclat Excel, and even Eclat 3.

Interestingly, the first production batch of Excel featured the “Eclat” badges on the trunk and the “Excel” badges on the rear wings.

However, in late 1983, this anomaly was removed.

At around that time, Toyota became a 20% shareholder in Lotus and, as part of the deal, allowed Lotus to use several of its mechanical parts.

Consequently, the original Excel used the gearbox, driveshaft, differential, alloy wheels, and door handles from the Toyota Supra Grand Tourer.

The Excel was powered by the Lotus 912, 2,174 cc, 4 cylinder, double overhead camshaft, all aluminum engine, as previously used in the Esprit 3 Series.

Equipped with two dual-choke Dell’Orto DHLA 45E carburettors, it developed 160 bhp, with a 0-60 mph time of 7.0 seconds and a top speed of 134 mph.

In October 1985, the Excel SE was introduced and the 912 engine was further modified so that the SE variant now developed 180 bhp, with a top speed of 135 mph.

Changes to this model included alterations to the bumpers, wings, and interior, along with a new dash.

In October 1986, the Excel SA variant was added to the range and featured the addition of a ZF four-speed automatic transmission, which was aimed at the US market.

In 1989, minor changes included Citroen wing mirrors and 15-inch OZ alloy wheels, as used in the Esprit.

The Excel earned a reputation for good cornering and handling characteristics due, in part, to its 50:50 weight distribution.

It had a galvanized steel chassis, firmer rear suspension, a Toyota five-speed gearbox, disc brakes throughout, while increasing passenger space.

During the period from 1982 to 1992, Excel underwent a number of changes, the most important of which included:

1984 – Body color matching bumpers, bonnet now had louvers, spoiler added to boot

1985: wheel arches widened, boot lid size increased

1986 – A high compression engine variant was made available, the steering column was now adjustable, the air conditioning system was improved

1989: the hood was modified, as were the front and rear spoilers

Following reliability issues with previous models, an upgrade was made to the Excel, although this deficiency was still well below its closest rival at the time, the Porsche 944.

Ten-year production ended in 1992, when 2,159 Lotus Excels were built, reflecting a disappointing sales record.

The main cause was due to the fact that Excel was never officially marketed in the US, as Lotus felt it could not meet the strict US emission control regulations.

This marked the end of Lotus Excel

Perhaps this walk down memory lane could have answered, or at least shed light on, a possible question:

Which Lotus sports car is your favorite?

However, if this question still remains unanswered, I will review, in some detail, in future articles within this website, the entire range of Lotus sports cars that were featured in the memorable era spanning from 1952 to 1996.

I hope you will join me on my nostalgic travels “down sports car memory lane.”