Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 23/Episode 2

Episode 2
A Lotus Elan drives through a puddle.
Prod. code	NBMN307T
No.	200
Runtime	29:39
Prev ep.	Series 23, Episode 1
Next ep.	Series 23, Episode 3
Airdate	3rd April, 1990

Series 23, Episode 2 of Top Gear aired on the 3rd April, 1990. It was the second episode of Series 23; the 200th episode of Top Gear overall, including compilations. It was the 191st episode since Top Gear entered national broadcasting in 1978, and was the 2nd programme to air in 1990 out of a total 18. Series 23, Episode 2 was originally broadcast in 576i at a 4:3 Standard aspect ratio on British television channel BBC Two. The episode was primarily presented by William Woollard, Chris Goffey, and Tom Boswell, with additional segments presented by Beki Adam.

Synopsis

As narrated by William Woollard:

• Lotus' new sports car: is this the best front wheel drive car yet?
• Power from the sun: can it replace petrol and stave off the Greenhouse Effect?
• And a new form of motorcycle sport, combining motocross and road racing.

This week, Top Gear finds itself in Norfolk, the home of Lotus Cars. This episode is dedicated to the company's engineering and sporting innovation, as he presents the opening segment from a Lotus Elan. Woollard states that a car like this could not be made to this exact specification due to increased safety regulations, though the newly-launched Mazda MX-5 has found a way. Woollard had previously tested the Mazda in an earlier episode, but now it has found its way home to British shores, where it meets competition in the form of the relaunched Elan.

Lotus Elan

The Lotus Elan had been out of production since 1974, and there was always a likelihood it would be brought back. During the time in which Toyota owned a quarter of Lotus, they had launched the similar MR2 which grew on to become a success, but now General Motors has control of the company. There was some apprehension regarding using the Lotus name for a front wheel drive car, but on the whole Chris Goffey is satisfied with the design. Isuzu in Japan helped build the engine with Lotus, outputting 165 BHP. The Elan also has a set of interesting pop-up headlamps, a rather spacious boot, and an easy-to-use cabriolet roof. In testing, the roof was airtight and did not flap at speed, a crucial deciding factor in choosing roadsters. The steering is satisfactorily heavy despite a power steering unit, but Goffey takes umbrage with the braking system, where Lotus is not planning to offer the car with ABS. Otherwise, the driving position, road-holding ability and interior design is very good, but Goffey is not a fan of the red lettering on the instrument panel. The car is well-equipped for 1990, with a good stereo, power windows and power mirrors as standard. Chris also doesn't like the position of the handbrake console, as it makes shifting into 2nd gear difficult. Overall, the Elan is very manageable on a day-to-day basis, and so he takes the car to Lotus' test track so he can gauge an accurate assessment of the car's performance.

On the track, the Elan fared rather well, and despite lots of noise from the Michelin tyres, decent grip was retained throughout. There is some body roll but it does not affect over control of the vehicle. With a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 137 MPH, the Elan is also quick, thanks in part to its cd=0.34 drag co-efficient with the roof up. Chris really enjoys the car, but if you want one you will have to wait until the Summer of the following year, as the first 4,000 cars have already pre-sold.