Where Is The Frua Lotus

[LaikaTheDog]

Hi,

I am wondering, just for interests sake if anyone knows of any history, information, more pictures, spec etc of the Lotus Elan 1600 SS Coup? concept.

link to piccies etc (german);

<a href='http://pietro-frua.de/1964_lotus.htm' target='_blank'>Link</a>

according to this site there are unconfirmed reports of there being 3 made and possibly to exist in UK or Japan...

also featured in a magazine article from Thoroughbred & Classic Cars April 1995, if anyone can dig out a copy and scan the pages for me...that would be great

any info gratefully recieved.

thanks

Laika

[type36lotus]

Kinda looks like a xke jag. The "translate this page" was kind of fun. I wonder what was really ment by "Swiss of the plumb bob US importer "

Mike Geiger

[rgh0]

That one had my German wife fooled for a while also but the english german dictionary shows 2 german words for plumb bob - LOT and SENKBLEI , my wife who is an engineer was not familiar with the term LOT just the second one. Thus SWISS LOTUS IMPORTER turned into SWISS of the PLUMB BOB US ! Makes perfect sense to a computer !!

Rohan

[elansprint71]

I believe that searches for this car have drawn a complete blank. Classic and Sportscar asked your very question a couple of years ago and as far as I am aware they did not publish any follow-up.
I'll post a picture to the files section showing the rear view, I also have one for the front somewhere but no idea where! This shot was published by C&SC in April 87 but it also appers in some Elan books.

Pete

[trw99]

Graham Arnold makes brief reference to the Frua Elan in his Buyers Guide:

"Frua of Turin was commissioned by the Swiss Lotus importers to produce a one-off styling execise on an Elan chassis. This looked like a scaled down Maserati and took three years to actually get on the road after the Turin Show. Present location unknown."

Other coupe styles he mentions include the better known Shapecraft Elans and the Hexagon Garages Elanbulance estate Sprint.

[LaikaTheDog]

thanks everyone for your responses, if i dig up any more will add it here

I too had many laughs with the translaters...

Laika

[LaikaTheDog]

My original link above has an update from 26.4.2012 with pictures of the frua lotus stripped body in Tokyo.