1984 Lotus Eclat Excel

This particular example has been dry stored for the last ten years, and as such needs a thorough re-commissioning before it sees the road again.

Having spoken to the current owner - only the third custodian the car has ever had - it is unclear as to why this Eclat Excel was ever taken off the road to begin with. In the history folder is an invoice for in excess of £2,300 pertaining to clutch work, a fuel drain, cam belt adjustment and timing work, suggesting the plan was to continue using the car after this work was completed.

Clearly, that plan never came to fruition, as the mileage has only increased by 130 miles since the invoice was paid on 31 March 2006.

That’s where the vendor comes in - having purchased the vehicle as a project with their father, the decision was made to move the project on having not carried out any further work to the vehicle, other than discovering the engine does, in fact, run.

The resin bodywork of this Eclat Excel is in surprisingly good condition, though this is largely due to having been dry-stored during its time off the road. There are the usual wear-and-tear marks to be found, along with more significant surface marks and minor scuffs.

The front nearside wing has some form of paint or resin run which is detailed in the photos below, while the windscreen surround has a few notable cracks in the paintwork. The black plastic side trims behind the door windows need reconditioning, while the front nearside wing also has an area of cracked paint.

The nearside bonnet catch appears to be jammed meaning the bonnet never fully latches shut, while both door locks are incredibly stiff, but they do open.

Keen-eyed viewers may have noted the absence of the offside front quarter-light, while all four wheels will need a refurbishment to bring them back to their best, though they do appear to be free from any structural issues as far as we could see.

Impressively, the period Lotus graphics and badging all seem to be in great condition, as do the lenses that we could see, though we could not test the pop-up headlights as the car’s battery was completely exhausted, and even a jump pack wouldn’t supply enough ‘juice’ to actuate the system.

While the exterior of this wedge-shaped beauty may be in need of some significant attention, the interior is in remarkable condition, and would only need some minor TLC to bring it back to a useable condition.

The seats are in excellent shape, with the leather not appearing to have cracked and retaining a surprisingly supple texture. The headliner, too, is in great shape and hasn’t sagged or ripped, though there are a few patches of damp which would easily be remedied by a thorough valet.

There are, of course, a few marks - the carpet has a few notable stains near the door seals, whilst the top edges of the door cards have been bleached by the sun, along with the usual high-traffic areas such as the steering wheel, shifter and seat folding levers exhibiting an age-related patina.

As we were unable to get the car to take any electrical power, we were unable to test the usability of any switches, instruments or electrical systems.

Under the front-hinged bonnet sits the 2.2-litre slant-four engine, which is in need of a thorough re-commissioning before it sees the open road again. That having been said, we have been informed by the vendor that the engine will start and run by squirting easy-start or fuel directly down the carburettor. This suggests that the fuel pump is at fault, though further investigation is required to determine the exact cause.

The engine itself looks to be in decent enough visual shape, though at the very least a cam belt replacement would be strongly suggested before the engine is run for any length of time.

Underneath the car itself, the chassis itself looks to be in decent shape, though there are signs of corrosion on the usual culprits such as the suspension components, exhaust pipework and backboxes, though it would be impossible to determine the exact condition without putting the car up on a ramp, thanks to the low-slung nature of the Eclat Excel’s bodywork.

As previously mentioned, the most recent work carried out to the vehicle was back in 2006, when the invoice for an impressively comprehensive service, along with some remedial maintenance was signed for the price of just over £2,300, with the vehicle evidently being laid-up shortly after this work took place.

In addition to the aforementioned invoice, there are numerous old MOT certificates, old paperwork from events, tax/SORN notification letters, two sets of keys, another invoice dated August 2001, and the V5 document showing two prior owners.

While this 1984 Eclat Excel may not be ready for the road just yet, the ‘bare bones’ are all there, and the knowledge that the engine starts and runs in its current state is certainly encouraging.

Offering the opportunity to get truly ‘stuck in’ on returning this modern classic back to its former glory, we estimate this rolling project will fetch between £4,000 and £8,000 which should leave plenty of change to turn the fortunes of this Excel around.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.