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Lotus X100 in Manhattan Beach

33K views 32 replies 23 participants last post by  jib2222 
#1 ·
After seeing War of the Worlds yesterday this car was parked in the car park. It is badged as a Lotus X100 which is an early testbed car - I didn't know there was actaully one driving around on the roads over here.
 

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#2 ·
Trying to figure out how that car is different than any other Toyota MKI MR2? Other than the badging...an headlight covers.
 
#4 ·
It was, after all, pretty much designed by Lotus for Toyota...;)
 
#6 ·
Personally I think it's a wag having some fun. I doubt Lotus, or any other company, would ever sell their engineering prototypes or test beds to the public, if for no other reason than liability concerns. They either are kept/sold as museum pieces, or crushed, generally speaking.




DLY
 
#9 ·
I was living in the mountains of northern California when the MR2 first came out - and owned a '70 Elan at the time. I talked the local Toyota dealer into taking one out for a spin (ok... it was more like him throwing me the keys and saying "go play with it... it was the '80s :) ). Pretty cool car - handled great!

No wonder I liked it so much...

And BTW, if I remember correctly Lotus did sell off the X100 prototype a few years back... although the MR2 in the picture is obviously not it!
 
#11 ·
etypeiii said:
Personally I think it's a wag having some fun. I doubt Lotus, or any other company, would ever sell their engineering prototypes or test beds to the public, if for no other reason than liability concerns.
Actually, Lotus sold their engineering prototypes (including the real X100) a few years ago. These included the Etna mockup and the Active Suspension test mules.

Now, as for this car, this is just an MR2 owner who heard the old story that the MR2 was actually the Lotus X100 design that was sold to Toyota when Lotus designed to make the M100 instead. They didn't and it isn't.
 
#12 ·
Joetz said:
Interesting, this disagrees with everything I have read since the early 90s about who designed the MKI MR2. I understood it was done in house, with Lotus being brought in to consult on the suspension. Lotus had also previously been involved with Toyota on engine development.
 
#13 ·
MikeGalos said:
Actually, Lotus sold their engineering prototypes (including the real X100) a few years ago. These included the Etna mockup and the Active Suspension test mules.

But, sold for private, daily driving use? In the U.S. no less? I would have imagined it to be like the big Ford prototype auction a year or two ago - most of the cars sold were not street legal at all, and were to end up in museums or collections.



DLY
 
#14 ·
Randy Chase said:
Interesting, this disagrees with everything I have read since the early 90s about who designed the MKI MR2. I understood it was done in house, with Lotus being brought in to consult on the suspension. Lotus had also previously been involved with Toyota on engine development.

I also had questions about that article. Regarding the Isuzu Impulse, my understanding was that it was engineered by Isuzu (and styled by Giugiaro/ItalDesign.)

Lotus was brought in to tune the handling, hence the plethora of "Handling by Lotus" badges found on Impulses. But they didn't design the car itself - my memory is vague on this but I seem to remember the Impulse shared a lot of parts with the Chevette (as Isuzu and GM were/are affliated.)



DLY
 
#17 ·
if I remember correctly Lotus did sell off the X100 prototype a few years back

I know Andrew Barron from Texas bought the M90 which was the early prototype of the M100 Elan. I think he still has it. I know he was thinking of selling at one point, not sure if he did.

The car pictured above looks clearly to be an MR2.

Bruce
 
#18 ·
etypeiii said:
But, sold for private, daily driving use?
If I remember correctly, the Etna was just a chassis - no engine or running gear. The Active Suspension test mules had the hydraulics replaced with regular suspension.
 
#20 ·
etypeiii said:
I also had questions about that article. Regarding the Isuzu Impulse, my understanding was that it was engineered by Isuzu (and styled by Giugiaro/ItalDesign.)

Lotus was brought in to tune the handling, hence the plethora of "Handling by Lotus" badges found on Impulses. But they didn't design the car itself - my memory is vague on this but I seem to remember the Impulse shared a lot of parts with the Chevette (as Isuzu and GM were/are affliated.)



DLY
I am pretty sure that it is referring to the second-generation Impulse like the one below. Both that and the M100 Elan were similar in that they used the same engine and were both FWD. IIRC, the GEO Storm of the day was also in the same gang, being based on the Impulse. Whether the chassis was the same for the Elan, I don't know. I would tend to doubt that, though. You are correct, however, the FIRST-generation Impulse was designed by Giugiaro. I still remember being pissed at how closely that car resembled my VW Scirocco 16V.
 

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#21 ·
Icedog_16 said:
Whether the chassis was the same for the Elan, I don't know. I would tend to doubt that, though.
You'd be right to doubt that.

The M100 Elan had a chassis that was, although the last classic, Lotus backbone chassis, one of those little works of art that Lotus Engineering does as a demonstration of their skill. It has the engine on a separate sub-chassis, called a raft. The raft is dynamically attached to the main chassis in such a way that as suspension forces change, the raft adjusts to make the dynamics of driving similar to a RWD car. In fact, it is possible to steer the M100 on the throttle using trailing throttle oversteer. Frankly, something that had always been thought impossible for a FWD car.

There's a reason that the M100 is still considered the best handling FWD car ever made.
 
#22 ·
Becker the Wrecker would probably be able to put all of the MR2 stories to rest, as he was and is one of the main contacts with Toyota.
 
#23 ·
MikeGalos said:
You'd be right to doubt that.

The M100 Elan had a chassis that was, although the last classic, Lotus backbone chassis, one of those little works of art that Lotus Engineering does as a demonstration of their skill. It has the engine on a separate sub-chassis, called a raft. The raft is dynamically attached to the main chassis in such a way that as suspension forces change, the raft adjusts to make the dynamics of driving similar to a RWD car. In fact, it is possible to steer the M100 on the throttle using trailing throttle oversteer. Frankly, something that had always been thought impossible for a FWD car.

There's a reason that the M100 is still considered the best handling FWD car ever made.
Thanks for the info! FWIW, I was able to get oversteer at will in my Scirocco. It was actually quite fun!
 
#24 ·
Im saw that car on the way to the meet last night on sunset, i took a short film but my dumb camera phone didn't keep it . The owner shouted over that it wasn't a fake, and to google the X100.

It didn't look like the m90 prototype, i'm not that familiar with the early mr2s but it looked exactly like the red in the above articles.

tried to get him to come along to the meet, but he had a date elsewhere.

it had a big supercharger sticker on the back too.
 
#25 ·
BMJM100 said:
I know Andrew Barron from Texas bought the M90 which was the early prototype of the M100 Elan. I think he still has it. I know he was thinking of selling at one point, not sure if he did.

The car pictured above looks clearly to be an MR2.

Bruce
Andrew Barron is a neighbor of mine and I can say he does indeed still have the M90. He is in the process of doing a frame up restoration and it was just recently that I helped him mount the body onto the chasis.
Her is in the final process of putting the body panels on and whenn time allows will have it sent for painting.

Looks to be a fun car when done.

Al "phonse" B.
Houston, Tx.
 
#26 ·
The M100 is the best handling FWD car ever produced, but the engine is mounted to the frame. The lower front suspension is mounted to the raft. I know because I just removed a engine from a M100 yesterday and owned one some years back. I can post some pictures later (when it's clean) if you like. I have been working on Lotus cars for almost 20 years. -eek-
Gene
 
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