Lotus Etna - Birmingham Motor Show 1984

[GordonMasson]

Hi folks

Following on from the thread about the Lotus open day (1977?), I came across these photos I took at the 1984 Motor show in Birmingham which some of you may be interested in.

Sorry the quality is not great but it gives you an idea of what the Lotus stand was like and of course the Etna

Edited January 27, 2007 by GordonMasson

[Loose Cannon]

Thanks Gordon! I had a load of pics from the stand too, but after fruitless searching in the attic now reckon they are all binned

What a great lineup, and all pearl white yummy. When will the Lotus stand ever look like that again???

[Mark Blanchard]

Thanks for the pics . (Just sharpened them up in Photoshop).. Remember seeing the Etna when it was new, in Motorsport and thinking it was the cooooolest car.

[Jonathan]

Just looking at that and seeing stands of late - Lotus SOOOO badly need an Esprit replacement.

Sorry, much prefer the G car hands down.

[GordonMasson]

Just looking at that and seeing stands of late - Lotus SOOOO badly need an Esprit replacement.

And an F1 Replacement

[cbclotus]

Great pictures Gordon ,really good line up of cars .all stunning ,thanks .mike s3 ,

[Paul93Lotus]

Great pictures Gordon ,really good line up of cars .all stunning ,thanks .mike s3 ,

Was a driving version of the Etna ever built - or just rolling chassis?

[mayevora]

WOW!! Fantastic line up of Lotus cars at a Motor Show. We can only dream of something as mouth watering on any future Lotus stand.

Etna was just rolling chassis although I'm sure I've read somewhere, there's a chap somewhere who owns it and whos trying to get it road legal and make the car work (hope I haven't got that totally wrong)

[GordonMasson]

As far as i am aware the Etna was just a rolling chassis but it did have one of the first development V8's in it ... ie two 4 cylinders joined together .... i have seen one of these at Hethel and it really looks like a second 4 cylinder has been fixed on .

I think your right and im sure i read some place that the guy who owns it hopes to have it running sooner or later

Great concept but IMO it was pretty ugly in comparison to the Esprit but lets face it, they had (and have) one hell of an act to follow

[Advantage]

Fairly sure Paul Matty had it for a while (after buying it from the Chris Knight cash + carry sell off). He had it as a show piece for a couple of years during which time the glass sunroof got busted.

I think some crazy Dutch guy was the successful Ebay bidder after that....I was tempted to put in a couple of bids but was only prepared to pay five quid and a packet of toffee.

Was it last year or the year before that it was on display at the Club Lotus Donny show?

[Bibs]

I had a supercar book as a nipper and the Etna was in it, my favourite car in the whole book and what initially tuned me in to Lotus

[GordonMasson]

Some Etna stuff from Autocar

[nello]

Great shots - brings back the memories - as per an earlier thread I'm local to the NEC and went to all the shows? Wonder where that White G Turbo is now? Must dig my shots out......................

I saw the Etna at Paul Mattys - seem to remember that centre console section being a wooden block with dummy lookalike switches that came off in your hand!

Wasn't the guy who bought it from Matty's going to try to get it on the road?

[WayneB]

Terrific photos Gordon, thanks for sharing them.

It doesnt seem like yesterday when I was there.

All those white Esprits must have been subconciously influencing me when I bought my car!

I was also lucky enough to have a close up look at the fabulous Etna Epowood showcar at Paul Mattys showroom on a UK visit about 5 years ago.

They hadnt long had it, and they sadly were not interested in selling it at the time (to me)

I heard the current owner was planning on making it a running , functioning street drivable car which would entail a huge ammount of work and money IMO

It would be saner just to keep it as a fantastic piece of garage adornment.

But best of luck to him, it would be great to see it move under its own power. B)

[GordonMasson]

I think the trouble with the Etna becoming a drivable car is that as far as i could make out it was still a good way off beeing a propper runner which means that if this one was eventually able to move under its own steam it would be unlikely to be refined in the handling department as all the hard work in making it ride properly has still to be done.

So no noubt it could drive under its own power but i think its unlikely that it would ever handle as it was meant to.

So in a way it would be nice to see it drive about on its own but perhaps not as a fully functioning Lotus sports car with awsome poise and handling....that might be the best compromise??

[USAndretti42]

Partcuarly as the car was planned to have active suspension and a CVT. Certainly looks like the inspiration for the Stevens Esprit with those rounded edges and the half-glass hatch.

[Alireza]

I remember Etna was for sale around 3 years ago. I bid on it on Ebay, but it went higher. It lacked front windscreen.

[esprithk]

this Lotus Etna reminds me of the Subaru coupe in the late 80s...

[USAndretti42]

Aah, the SVX Coupe.

Was tempted by one of those for a while although I've never sat in one. Just fancied something different (and cheap).

[Mark Blanchard]

I remember Etna was for sale around 3 years ago. I bid on it on Ebay, but it went higher. It lacked front windscreen.

I remember that too. This was the thread on the sale at the time:http://www.glcforum.com/esprit/forums/inde...104&hl=etna.

Strangely, the guy who owns it, Olaf Glassius, says it was never sold on ebay. Here was the car displayed last year at: Donnington

[GordonMasson]

Hmmmmm...perhaps there was more than one ????

If you look at the photos i took at the show and the ones in the magazine there is only a single tail pipe on the left of the car yet the one in the later pictures has two twin tail pipes.

Also from earlier in th thread,

"I saw the Etna at Paul Mattys - seem to remember that centre console section being a wooden block with dummy lookalike switches that came off in your hand!"

Well from the pic in the magazine the centre Console looks pretty slick to me. Could it be that there were two cars, one for the design, styling and interior which was used on the stand and in the magazine and a second car that was built to test the running gear / engine layout etc?

Or are we simply looking at an evolution of the same car?

Edited January 30, 2007 by GordonMasson

[Mark Blanchard]

Hmmm . . . I think there was only one car, but nice theory. I saw the pics of the Etna with the wooden dash and dummy lookalike switches. I guess that was earlier in it's developement. The twin pipes were put on by the Owner, as they weren't on the car, when Matty sold it on ebay.

[WayneB]

It seems most people cant seem to understand that the Etna comprises of a partial plywood structure skinned in fiberglass and epoxy (body filler) plonked on a Esprit backbone chassis.

You cant just plonk it on another chassis, the heavy body would just fall apart

All the lighting is mocked up and non functional, so are the gauges, switches etc. The engine compartment lid doesnt open (or the bonnet) and as somebody found out all the "glass" is infact tinted perspex!

It was built to demonstrate the styling concept and to represent (looks and feel wise) how a real car might appear.

Ital Design only built one of these for Lotus, and as everyone probably knows the Subaru SVX was the production result of this design concept.

When I saw it the windsreen was still in one piece, but it did have some scratches on the bodywork in the pearl/silver paint.

It seems whoever owns it is keeping a low profile with it ATM!

[exeterjeep]

Photos taken at the auction of the team lotus remnants in 2004 that was held in Brighton, I bought a couple of things but the Etna was there - don't know if it was sold though.

[Bibs]

It's owned by a collector in Holland who fitted a working 909 engine I believe. Last I heard, it was for sale at the Goodwood FoS back in perhaps 2012 when Lotus headlined and had a huge auction of his cars but I don't think it sold.

As an aside, I had this in my Observer Book of Cars back in the eighties and read that page so much the book would always fall open at the Etna page, I thought it was beautiful! 

On 27/01/2007 at 10:34, Bibs said:

I had a supercar book as a nipper and the Etna was in it, my favourite car in the whole book and what initially tuned me in to Lotus

Haha, just scrolled up and I said the same in 2007!