It is a common misconception that the
Lotus 900 series engines were modified
VauxhallVauxhall Motors is a British automobile company owned by Magna International and General Motors. Most current Vauxhall models are right-hand drive derivatives of Magna's Opel brand; however, production of left hand vehicles also takes place for export to other parts of Europe and certain marginal...
engines. The 900 series was designed by Lotus as their first self developed engine, and due to superficial similarities in dimensions Vauxhall 4-cylinder iron blocks were used as testbeds.
The 900 series engine was introduced in production form as the
Lotus 907The 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...
in the 1972
Jensen-HealeyThe Jensen-Healey is a two-seater convertible sports car that was originally produced between 1972 and 1976 by Jensen Motors, Ltd. Roughly 10,000 were produced at West Bromwich, England. A related fastback, the Jensen GT was introduced in 1975.-Design:...
, and went on to power Lotus into the late 1990s.
It is a common misconception that the
Lotus 900 series engines were modified
VauxhallVauxhall Motors is a British automobile company owned by Magna International and General Motors. Most current Vauxhall models are right-hand drive derivatives of Magna's Opel brand; however, production of left hand vehicles also takes place for export to other parts of Europe and certain marginal...
engines. The 900 series was designed by Lotus as their first self developed engine, and due to superficial similarities in dimensions Vauxhall 4-cylinder iron blocks were used as testbeds.
The 900 series engine was introduced in production form as the
Lotus 907The 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...
in the 1972
Jensen-HealeyThe Jensen-Healey is a two-seater convertible sports car that was originally produced between 1972 and 1976 by Jensen Motors, Ltd. Roughly 10,000 were produced at West Bromwich, England. A related fastback, the Jensen GT was introduced in 1975.-Design:...
, and went on to power Lotus into the late 1990s. It is regarded as the first modern DOHC, 16-valve production engine made. The
Jensen-HealeyThe Jensen-Healey is a two-seater convertible sports car that was originally produced between 1972 and 1976 by Jensen Motors, Ltd. Roughly 10,000 were produced at West Bromwich, England. A related fastback, the Jensen GT was introduced in 1975.-Design:...
was released for sale to the general public with the first 907 engine shortly before the Cosworth Vega which also had a DOHC, 16-valve engine. Pre-war DOHC 4 valve per cylinder production engines included the
DuesenbergDuesenberg was an Auburn, Indiana based luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality passenger cars and record-breaking roadsters.-History:...
and the
StutzThe Stutz Motor Company was a producer of luxury cars. Production began in 1911 and continued through 1935. The marque reappeared in 1968 under the aegis of Stutz Motor Car of America, Inc., and with a newly defined modern retro-look. Although the company is still active today, actual sales of...
DV-32
straight-8The straight-eight engine or inline-eight engine is an eight-cylinder internal combustion engine with all eight cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
engines.
904
The initial 2.0 litre Lotus 904 engine was first used in the Lotus
type 62 EuropaThe Lotus Europa or Lotus Europe was a two door mid-engined GT coupé built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975. In 2006 Lotus began production of a totally new, Lotus Elise-derived design, a mid-engined GT coupé named Europa S....
racecar, and indeed used a Vauxhall iron block, termed the Lotus–Vauxhall engine.
911
The engine was modified into the type 911, which was fully designed by Lotus, used in the winning Lotus Talbot Sunbeam rally and production cars.
907
The
Lotus 907The 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...
engine, the first production version, was 2.0 L (1973 cc) and was used in the
Jensen-HealeyThe Jensen-Healey is a two-seater convertible sports car that was originally produced between 1972 and 1976 by Jensen Motors, Ltd. Roughly 10,000 were produced at West Bromwich, England. A related fastback, the Jensen GT was introduced in 1975.-Design:...
and later
Lotus EspritThe Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 2004. The silver Italdesign concept that eventually became the Esprit was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1972, and was a development of a stretched Lotus Europa chassis. It was among the first of designer...
,
Lotus Elite- 1957 :The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963 at the Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, UK factory....
and
Lotus EclatThe 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 but had a fastback body style which offered more practicality with storage in the boot ....
. Bore was 3.75 in (95.28 mm) and stroke was 2.725 in (69.24 mm), and a DOHC
4-valveIn automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve when each cylinder has more than two valves. Such designs have been around since at least 1912 and perhaps earlier....
head was fitted, one of the first in modern times. Breathing through dual carburettors, the engine produced 160 hp (118 kW) at 6500 rpm with of torque.
Applications:
- 1972-1974 Jensen-Healey
The Jensen-Healey is a two-seater convertible sports car that was originally produced between 1972 and 1976 by Jensen Motors, Ltd. Roughly 10,000 were produced at West Bromwich, England. A related fastback, the Jensen GT was introduced in 1975.-Design:...
- 1975-1976 Jensen-Healey GT
- 1974-1980 Lotus Elite
- 1957 :The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963 at the Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, UK factory....
S1
- 1975-1985 Lotus Eclat
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 but had a fastback body style which offered more practicality with storage in the boot ....
S1
- 1975-1978 Lotus Esprit
The Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 2004. The silver Italdesign concept that eventually became the Esprit was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1972, and was a development of a stretched Lotus Europa chassis. It was among the first of designer...
S1
- 1978-1981 Lotus Esprit S2
912
Also known as the naturally aspirated "Lotus 910", the stroke was increased to 76.2 mm giving a displacement of 2.2 L (2174 cc).
Applications:
- 1981 Lotus Esprit
The Lotus Esprit was a sports car built by Lotus in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 2004. The silver Italdesign concept that eventually became the Esprit was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1972, and was a development of a stretched Lotus Europa chassis. It was among the first of designer...
S2.2
- 1981-1990 Lotus Esprit S3 and NA
- 1981 Lotus Eclat
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 but had a fastback body style which offered more practicality with storage in the boot ....
S2.2
- 1982 Lotus Excel
The Type 89 Lotus Excel, built from 1982 to 1992, is a front-engined, rear-wheel drive car based on the design of the earlier Lotus Eclat, which itself was based on the earlier Lotus Elite II....
SE
910
Turbocharged engines introduced in 1980 were known as the
type 910, which in high compression configuration produced and an astounding of torque. The engine was again upgraded in 1990 to the
type 910s for use in the
Esprit SE where it produced through the addition of
DelcoDelco may refer to:* Delaware County, Pennsylvania* Delco, North Carolina* Delco Electronics...
GMP4
EFI-Computing and technology:*Electronic fuel injection, an internal combustion engine technology*Extensible Firmware Interface, a firmware interface specification-Organizations and institutions:...
and a water to air
intercoolerAn intercooler , or charge air cooler, is an air-to-air or air-to-liquid heat exchange device used on turbocharged and supercharged internal combustion engines to improve their volumetric efficiency by increasing intake air charge density through nearly isobaric cooling...
known as the
Chargecooler. In its ultimate incarnation as used in the
Sport 300,
X180R and
S4s the engine was capable of , propelling these cars to 0-60 times in the low 4 seconds.
Applications:
- 1980-1990 Lotus Esprit Turbo
- 1990-1993 Lotus Esprit SE
- 1993 Lotus Esprit Sport 300 and X180R
- 1993-1996 Lotus Esprit S4
- 1995-1996 Lotus Esprit S4s
GT3
A 2.0 liter configuration, previously only available in the Italian market where the lower engine displacement meant the vehicle would fall into a lower tax regime, was again utilized from 1996 to 1999 in the Esprit
GT3 models, utilizing the improvements that served the
SE models making these cars good for . This was the last application of the 900 series Lotus engine, which had a lifespan of nearly 30 years.