Lotus Elan SE Turbo (M100)
The M100 Elan broke Lotus tradition by pulling with its front wheels, using a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine and careful chassis tuning to make a quick roadster that aimed to feel friendly as well as exciting.
1989 Lotus Elan SE M100 at the London Motorfair · Andrew Bone · CC BY 2.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Lotus developed the M100 while the company was owned by General Motors. Peter Stevens shaped its compact cab-forward body, and Lotus made the radical choice of front-wheel drive for a sports car intended to be secure and easy to drive quickly. The Isuzu-sourced 1,588 cc four-cylinder was offered with or without a turbo; the SE was the 165 bhp turbo flagship with a five-speed manual. Lotus's current archive dates the SE to 1989–1992 and says the M100 went on sale in 1989, while the period factory sales-training body chapter describes UK retail sale in late spring 1990. This page therefore treats 1989 as the debut and early-production identity without pretending every British customer could buy one throughout that calendar year.
Look a little closer.
The launch-display cover car shows the very Lotus that challenged the usual sports-car rule that the driven wheels had to be at the back.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Why Lotus tried front-wheel drive
The factory brief called for a lightweight roadster that was enjoyable and easy to drive quickly. Front-wheel drive can feel reassuring because the car is pulled from the front, but it also asks the front tyres to steer and deliver turbo power. Lotus's engineering challenge was to preserve light, informative steering while making the car stable and approachable.
Source: Lotus Cars — Elan Type 100 heritage ↗Debut year versus UK retail year
A car can be revealed, enter early production and reach showrooms on different dates. Lotus's current archive uses 1989 for the M100's sale period, but its period sales-training body chapter points to late spring 1990 for UK retail. Keeping both statements visible is more accurate than turning either date into a claim about every market.
Source: Lotus M100 Factory Sales Training Manual — body chapter ↗Where these facts come from
- Lotus Cars — Elan Type 100 heritage
- Lotus M100 Factory Sales Training Manual
- Lotus M100 Factory Sales Training Manual — body chapter
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-03.