In the early eighties when Lotus and Suzuki were both under the control of General Motors, and Suzuki had decided to replace the Whizzkid with a new front wheel drive car (Alto), discussions took place to decide what could be done in the UK as demand for the Whizzkid was still high. With only exotic cars on sale at the time GM were looking for ways in which higher volume and more money could be made out of it's plant in Norfolk. At the time, the Conservative Government were assisting many areas of the country with large injections of cash grants to create jobs. Due to this, GM considered setting up a production facility at Lotus to construct the sc100 Whizzkid in the UK, (one of many such proposed projects floating around at the time). Unfortunately, the Government did not consider Norfolk an area in need of assistance, so before the project even started, it was shelved (fools).
What a shame, what would Lotus have really done? A member of "Club Lotus" who was working at Lotus at the time informs us that they did not even get to have a look at the car. So, what would it have looked like? Remember, in it's standard build state, demand always outstripped supply. Maybe they would have built it in its standard trim but offered handling and performance packages as dealer options, who knows. The sc100 Entusiasts Club has decided to try to come up with what perhaps could have been. Some time in the near future, and at the many shows attended, it will be possible to see what one club member thinks this car may have looked like.
So far, modifications include:
Lotus badges, including chassis plate Wider low profile tyres on alloy wheels New exhaust silencer Black Recaro seating Black interior trim Exterior chromework blacked SU Carburettor Re-spray in Lotus Carlton Imperial Green Koni shock absorbers Circular rear light clusters
This will all take some time to complete, so expect to see the car in various stages over the coming years.
Your Whizzkid not sporty enough for you? Check out Modifying your Whizzkid
6 January 2003