The final exhibition of the Lotus Heritage showcase has commenced, featuring the star of the show, the ‘Elan’.
On the 15th, Lotus Cars Korea displayed the Elan at the basement level of the Lotus Gangnam showroom in Seoul.
The Elan is a roadster that Lotus first produced in 1962. In 1995, Kia Motors acquired the rights to produce and design the Elan from Lotus, leading to a limited production run in Korea from 1996 to 1999.
In the basement of the Gangnam showroom, a red model produced in the UK and a black model manufactured locally greeted each other warmly. Both were born in 1997, making them 28 years old this year, and signs of age were easily detectable.
Despite sharing the same name, the UK and Korean models differ in appearance right from the start. They vary in size; the Korean model measures (3,880×1,730×1,270mm), making it slightly larger than its UK counterpart at (3,803×1,734×1,230mm). Additionally, the rear lights on the Korean model are round, while the ones on the UK model are rectangular.
The powertrains also differ. The Kia Elan is paired with a 1.8-liter gasoline engine producing a maximum output of 151 horsepower and a torque of 19.0 kg.m, matched to a five-speed manual transmission. In contrast, the UK-built Lotus Elan features a 1.6-liter turbo gasoline engine with a maximum output of 164 horsepower and torque of 20.1 kg.m, also paired with a five-speed manual transmission.
From a standstill to 100 km/h, the Kia Elan reaches the mark in 7.4 seconds, while the Lotus Elan takes just 7.0 seconds. The curb weight of the domestic version is 1,070 kg, which is 52 kg lighter than the UK version at 1,112 kg. Both models have a top speed of 220 km/h.
The Elan exhibition, marking the conclusion of the Lotus Heritage showcase, will be open until mid-August.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr