A real lightweight: ’60 Lotus Elite Coventry Climax

This is what we love about Mint. We get to see some amazing cars and write about them. Many cars don’t require much research and others, like this Lotus, are a pleasure to study and write about. The Elite was conceived with competition in mind.  Colin Chapman wanted class wins at Le Mans and other international events. The Elite featured a fiberglass monocoque body tub, independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. Its engine was the 4-cylinder Coventry-Climax FWE, a single-overhead-cam unit of 1,216 cc producing 75 hp, with an MG A gearbox unit. The body, penned by Peter Kirwan-Taylor and aerodynamicist Frank Costin, didn’t devote much time or effort in driver comfort, but sought really low drag coefficients that helped produce 112 mph top speeds.  Read More