The Type 76 and Type 84 Lotus Eclat, built from 1974 to 1982, was a front engine rear drive coupe. It was based on the Lotus Elite

Lotus Elite

Not to be confused with the Lotus Elise.The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.-1957:The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963....

 but had a fastback

Fastback

A fastback is a car body style whose roofline slopes continuously down at the back. The word can also designate the car itself. The style is seen on two-door coupés as well as four-door sedans.-History:...

 body style which offered more practicality with storage in the boot (trunk).

The Eclat Series 1 (1974–1980) used a 1973 cc 160 hp Lotus 907

Lotus 907

The Lotus 907 was an engine designed and manufactured for automotive applications by Lotus Cars. It was an original design, dual overhead cam, 16 valve all alloy powerplant. It displaced 1973 cc and developed approximately with dual sidedraft Dell'Orto carburetors...

 Slant Four

Slant Four

The Slant Four is a type of car engine manufactured by Vauxhall Motors and in modified form by Lotus Cars. Unveiled in 1966, it was one of the first production overhead camshaft designs to use a rubber toothed belt to drive the camshaft from the crankshaft , a method developed in 1956 by Bill...

 engine. Later cars (1980–1982) used a larger 2174 cc Lotus 912 engine, however, because of emission regulations modifications it still only produced 160 hp. Both were versions of the Lotus 900 series engine series, which was also used in naturally aspirated and turbo charged versions in the Lotus Esprit.

The car was priced at $28,400 in 1979, which was almost as much as a Mercedes-Benz 450 SL

Mercedes-Benz R107

The Mercedes-Benz R107 and C107 automobiles were produced from 1971 through 1989, being the second longest single series ever produced by the Mercedes, after the G-Class. They were sold under the SL and SLC model names. The R107 replaced the W113 SL-Class in 1972 and was replaced by the R129...

($28,687).

As of 2011, 1,024 are still registered in the United Kingdom but more than half of them are listed as SORN.

Chassis

The original mild steel chassis fitted by Lotus supported the glassfibre body at the rear by sandwiching a strip of felt, which fitted between body and the steel crossmember of the chassis. In damp climates, the felt became a water trap and caused structural corrosion, resulting in a crumbling rear chassis. Chassis replacement is not cost effective on these vehicles (Elite and Eclat) and by consequence resale values suffered hugely. Series 2 cars were fitted with a galvanised chassis as standard and a large number of series 1 vehicles have had replacements fitted, which are usually galvanised. The tainted reputation of these vehicles caused by rotting chassis (and other minor irks) has made surviving cars one of the best UK exotic sports car bargains, especially the S2's (or S1's which have been loved enough by a previous owner to fit a galvanised chassis).