Historical M100 Query

[Jesterboy]

Interested to know what else was planned for the M100 had it been success beyond a possible coupe version and an uprated 180 hp engine (not sure whether latter was a tuned 1.6 Isuzu 4XE1WT turbo or possible turbocharged 1.8 4XF1)? Were any additional engines or variants planned for the M100?

Also apart from notably using 1.6 Isuzu 4XE1 engines and tail-lights from the Alpine GTA/A610, to what extent did the FWD Elan M100 carry over mechanicals from other GM (or non-GM) products like the R-Body Isuzu Gemini II/III and Isuzu Piazza II / Impulse (albeit modified)? Have heard conflicting accounts in the case of the latter.

[Dave Eds]

McLaren F1 sidelights and indicator cluster....

[Jesterboy]

McLaren F1 sidelights and indicator cluster....

Is there any truth to claims the M100 carried over more than just the Isuzu 4X engines from the R-Body Isuzu models albeit in modified form?

Also financial problems / etc aside, how did Lotus plan to further develop the M100 before they shifted their attention to the Elise?

[Simon_P]

Is there any truth to claims

what claims?

[Rambo]

how did Lotus plan to further develop the M100 ....

M200

Bonhams : The Frankfurt Motor Show,1991 Lotus M200 Speedster fully operational concept car
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20143/lot/259/

[dapinky]

Jesterbot,

As your 4 posts in the last 11 years appear to be asking just one question, I'll try to answer it for you......

..... There was never an M100 Coupe - although some may say that it could be created by someone with suitable skills (and perhaps using the Kerching hardtop as a starting point, you wouldn't be too far away from one)

Lotus ONLY took the engine/gearbox (and some associated ancilliaries - starter, altenator etc) from Isuzu - and even then, they changed the engine to produce extra power, using hydraulic tappets and other tweeks from the 1.8 engine of the time...... and changed the altenator to a slightly smaller unit.....

.... so you could argue that it isn't the same engine at all, although it shared most of the bits with the Isuzu/GM cars' version of the 4 pot turbo 1.6.

No other Isuzu bits are used, but many GM parts are used....... dashboard, instrumentation etc are based on Vauxhall Calibra/Cavalier/Astra from European market.... Brakes are based on Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (and other models using the same shared floorplan).....

.... rear lights are shared with Renault Alpine....

.... lots of parts are used which are also used elsewhere - but not necessarily borrowed from another manufacturer.


All of the above are either well-known amongst interested parties, or easily verified by talking to the right people - as for 'conjecture' about "what would have happened if things were different?"....... those things can't be answered, because things were as they were, and NOT different, so there rae no 'facts' to quote.

[GeoffSmith]

Peter Stevens, Ian Doble, Jim Router and others did commission the Dove company in Derehem to produce this in the early 90s which Spud told you about 10 years ago:

[GeoffSmith]

Not forgetting the windscreen wiper arm head cover (A082M6380F) from Rover.

[Jesterboy]

Jesterbot,

As your 4 posts in the last 11 years appear to be asking just one question, I'll try to answer it for you......

..... There was never an M100 Coupe - although some may say that it could be created by someone with suitable skills (and perhaps using the Kerching hardtop as a starting point, you wouldn't be too far away from one)

Lotus ONLY took the engine/gearbox (and some associated ancilliaries - starter, altenator etc) from Isuzu - and even then, they changed the engine to produce extra power, using hydraulic tappets and other tweeks from the 1.8 engine of the time...... and changed the altenator to a slightly smaller unit.....

.... so you could argue that it isn't the same engine at all, although it shared most of the bits with the Isuzu/GM cars' version of the 4 pot turbo 1.6.

No other Isuzu bits are used, but many GM parts are used....... dashboard, instrumentation etc are based on Vauxhall Calibra/Cavalier/Astra from European market.... Brakes are based on Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (and other models using the same shared floorplan).....

.... rear lights are shared with Renault Alpine....

.... lots of parts are used which are also used elsewhere - but not necessarily borrowed from another manufacturer.


All of the above are either well-known amongst interested parties, or easily verified by talking to the right people - as for 'conjecture' about "what would have happened if things were different?"....... those things can't be answered, because things were as they were, and NOT different, so there rae no 'facts' to quote.

Thanks for answering, queried elsewhere on another Lotus site though was suggested to ask here and then forgot about the account made here years back.

Wanted to clear up any false online claims regarding the M100 sharing more than just the engine/gearbox from the R-Body Isuzu models.

As far as further developments are concerned. Outside of the later Kia Elan was any consideration given to the M100 making use of Lotus tuned 1.8 Isuzu 4XF1 NA / Turbo engines, along with carrying over the 4WD system from the mk3 Gemini as well as the Nishiboric passive four-wheel-steering system as used in both the mk3 Gemini and mk2 Piazza or earlier precursor versions of Lotus's own in-house equivalents with the experimental SID research vehicle?