วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 28 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2556

>>Lotus 27

Lotus 27


Lotus 27
Lotus 27 2.jpg
Overview
ManufacturerTeam Lotus
Production1963
Body and chassis
ClassFormula Junior
Body styleOpen wheel
Powertrain
Engine1098 cc Cosworth Mk.XI
Transmission5-speed manual Hewland transmission
Chronology
PredecessorLotus 22
The Lotus 27 was a Formula Junior version of the Lotus 25 Formula One car for the 1963 Formula Junior season. Its body was aluminum monocoque with steel bulkheads. It was originally designed with fibreglass sides which led to flexing problems, leading to them being replaced with aluminium.
The Team Lotus cars were run by Ron Harris; and Peter Arundell won the 1963 British championship after the initial flexing problems were solved.

>>Lotus 26 (Lotus Elan)

Lotus Elan



Lotus Elan
Lotus-Elan-'66.jpg
Overview
ManufacturerLotus Cars
Production1962–1973
AssemblyHethel, England
Body and chassis
Body style2-door coupe
2-door roadster
LayoutFR layout
Powertrain
EngineLotus TwinCam 1,557 cc (1.6 L) I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,134 mm (84 in)
Length3,683 mm (145 in)
Width1,422 mm (56 in)
Height1,156 mm (46 in)
Curb weight688 kg (1,517 lb)
Chronology
SuccessorM100 Elan
Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible cars and one fixed head coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The original Type 2626RRacing version (of the S1 Elan), 36R Racing version (of the S2 Elan), 36 Fixed Head Coupe, 45 Drop Head Coupe, and the "Type 50" +2 Coupe, circa 1962 to 1975, are commonly known as the '60s Elans. The Type M100 from 1989 to 1995, is also commonly known as the 1990s Elan.

1960s Elan
The original Elan was introduced in 1962 as a roadster, although an optional hardtop was offered in 1963 and a coupé version in 1965. The two-seat Lotus Elan replaced the elegant, but unreliable and expensive to produce Lotus Elite.

Elan backbone chassis
It was the first Lotus road car to use the now-famous steel 
backbone chassis with a fibreglass
body.
 At 1,500 lb (680 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapmanminimum weight design philosophy. Initial versions of the Elan were also available as a kit to be assembled by the customer. The Elan was technologically advanced with a DOHC 1557 cc engine, 4-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and 4-wheel independent suspension. The "Lotus TwinCam" engine was based on Ford Kent Pre-Crossflow 4-cylinder 1498 cc engine, with a Harry Mundy-designed 2 valve alloy chain-driven twin-cam head. The rights to this design was later purchased by Ford, who renamed it to "Lotus-Ford Twin Cam". It would go on to be used in a number of Ford and Lotus production and racing models.
Lotus Elan +2
LotusElan+2Side.jpg
Overview
Production1967–1975
Body and chassis
Body style2-door 2+2-seater coupe
LayoutFR layout
Powertrain
EngineLotus TwinCam 1,557 cc (1.6 L) I4
Transmission4-speed manual all-synchromesh
Dimensions
Wheelbase96 in (2,438 mm)
Length169 in (4,293 mm)
Width66 in (1,676 mm)
Height47 in (1,194 mm)
An Elan +2 was introduced in 1967 with a longer wheelbase and two more rear seats. The Elan +2 embodied the Lotus spirit: It was a fast and agile sport coupe. It combined the performance and reliability of the Elan "Coupe" with genuine 2+2 passenger comfort. Tested maximum power: 108-126 bhp (net) (depending on the model); top speed: 120 mph (190 km/h), 0–60 mph in 7.9 seconds, 0-100 mph 21.8 seconds. 5,200 Elans +2 were made: fewer than 1,200 of these cars remain in the roads today. Their relative rarity, beautiful lines, impressive performance and practicality are the main factors for the rising interest on these cars among collectors.
The Elan ceased production in 1973 and the Elan +2 in 1975, succeeded by Elite II and Lotus Eclat. An estimated total of 17,000 original Elans and Elans +2 were built. Because of its successful design and rigorous attention to cost control on the body, chassis, engine and the transmission, the Elan went on to become Lotus' first commercial success, reviving a company stretched thin by the more exotic and expensive to build Lotus Elite with fiberglass monocoque body/chassis and all-aluminium Coventry Climax engine; and enabled funding of the Lotus success in racing over the next ten years.
This generation of the two-seater Elan was famously driven by the character Emma Peel on the British television series The Avengers. In 2004, Sports Car International named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. The original version of the car was designed by Ron Hickman,who also designed the first Lotus Europa as part of Lotus' GT40 project bid and made his fortune having designed the Black & Decker Workmate.
The original Elan is usually credited as being the design inspiration for the highly successful 1989 Mazda MX-5 (Mazda Miata in North America). Two Elans were intimately evaluated by Mazda in the process of designing the MX-5.

1990s Elan
Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan.jpg
Overview
ManufacturerLotus Cars
Production1989–1995
AssemblyHethel, England
DesignerPeter Stevens
Body and chassis
Body style2-door roadster
LayoutFF layout
Powertrain
Engine1,588 cc Isuzu 4XE1 I4
1,588 cc Isuzu 4XE1-MT turbo I4
Transmission5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,250 mm (88.6 in)
Length3,803 mm (149.7 in)
3,870 mm (152.2 in) (US)
Width1,734 mm (68.3 in)
Height1,230–1,240 mm (48.4–48.8 in)
Curb weight997 kg (2,198 lb) (NA)
1,075–1,110 kg (2,370–2,447 lb) (Turbo)

1991 Lotus Elan – Federal (USA) version
The Lotus M100 Elan, launched in 1989, was a two-seater, convertible sports car designed by Lotus, with a reliable Japanese engine and manual transmission supplied by Isuzu, and built with the development and testing resources of General Motors. Around £35 million (about $55 million) was invested in its development, more than any other car in Lotus history. Its design, featuring a fibreglass composite body over a rigid steel backbone chassis, was true to Lotus founder Colin Chapman's original philosophy of achieving performance through low weight, and the name "Elan" connected the car with its 1960s ancestor, the original Lotus Elan.

Origins

In 1986 the purchase of Lotus by General Motors provided the financial backing to develop a new, small, affordable car in the same spirit as the original Elan (last built in December 1972). A development prototype, the M90 (later renamed the X100) had been built a few years earlier, using a fibreglass body designed by Oliver Winterbottom and a Toyota-supplied 1.6-litre engine and transmission. Lotus was hoping to sell the car through Toyota dealerships worldwide, badged as a Lotus Toyota, but the project never came to fruition and the prototype was shelved (although Lotus's collaboration with Toyota had some influence on the design of the Toyota MR2).
The idea of a small roadster powered by an outsourced engine remained, however, and in late 1986 Peter Stevens's design for the Type M100 was approved and work began by Lotus engineers to turn the clay styling buck into a car that could be built. This process was completed in just under three years, a remarkably short time from design to production car.

Testing

The M100 Elan was conceived as a mass-market car and in particular one that would appeal to US buyers. Consequently, Lotus put an enormous effort (for such a small firm) into testing the car; over a two-year period 19 crash cars and 42 development vehicles were built, logging nearly a million test miles in locations from Arizona to the Arctic. The Elan was driven at racing speeds for 24 hours around the track at Snetterton. Finally each new car was test-driven for around 30 miles (48 km) at Lotus's Hethel factory to check for any manufacturing defects before being shipped to dealers.

Handling

The choice of front-wheel drive is unusual for a sports car, but according to Lotus sales literature, "for a given vehicle weight, power and tyre size, a front wheel drive car was always faster over a given section of road. There were definite advantages in traction and controllability, and drawbacks such as torque steer, bump steer and steering kickback were not insurmountable." This was the only front-wheel-drive vehicle made by Lotus. Every model made since the M100 Elan, such as the Lotus Elise, has been rear-wheel drive.
The M100 Elan's cornering performance was undeniable (on release the Elan was described by Autocar magazine as "the quickest point to point car available"). Press reaction was not uniformly positive, as some reviewers found the handling too secure and predictable compared to a rear-wheel-drive car. However, the Elan's rigid chassis minimised roll through the corners and has led to its description as 'the finest front wheel drive [car] bar none'. Unlike the naturally aspirated version, the turbocharged SE received power steering as standard, as well as tyres with a higher ZR speed rating.

Engine

The M100 Elan used a 1,588 cc double overhead camshaft (DOHC) 16-valve engine, sourced from the Isuzu Gemini and extensively modified by Lotus (a third generation of this engine was later used in the Isuzu Impulse), which produced 162 horsepower (121 kW). 0–60 acceleration time was measured by Autocar and Motor magazine at 6.5 seconds, and a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h) was recorded.
Significant differences in the Isuzu-Lotus engine from the original include a new exhaust system, re-routed intake plumbing for better thermodynamic efficiency, improved engine suspension, and major modifications to the engine control unit to improve torque and boost response. Almost all models featured an IHI turbocharger.

Sales

Two variants were available at launch, the 130 bhp (97 kW; 132 PS) Elan 1.6 (retailing at £17,850) and the 162 bhp (121 kW; 164 PS) Turbo SE (£19,850). Initial sales were disappointing, perhaps because its launch coincided with a major economic recession in the UK and USA, and perhaps also because it coincided with the cheaper Mazda MX-5 which was arguably similar in concept, though the MX-5 was quite intentionally nostalgic and old fashioned (apeing the original Elan), while the M100 was deliberately futuristic, modern and forward looking. The Elan was regarded as a good product in a bad market, but was also very expensive to make (the cost to design and produce the dashboard alone was more than the total cost of the Excel production line), and sales figures were too low to recoup its huge development costs. When Lotus was sold by GM to Bugatti, its new owners had no interest in continuing manufacture of the loss-making Elan.
Altogether 3,855 Elans were built between November 1989 and July 1992, including 129 normally aspirated (non-turbo) cars. 559 of them were sold in the US, featuring a 'stage 2 body' which had a different rear boot spoiler arrangement together with a lengthened nose to accommodate a USA-compliant crash structure and airbag, and 16-inch wheels (optional in most markets, standard in the U.S.) instead of 15-inch as on the UK model.

Series 2

A limited edition of 800 Series 2 (S2) M100 Elans was released during the Romano Artioli era (produced June 1994–September 1995) when it was discovered that enough surplus engines were available to make this possible. According to Autocar magazine, the S2 addressed some of the concerns over handling, but power was reduced to 155 bhp (116 kW; 157 PS) and the 0–60 acceleration time increased to 7.5 seconds, due to the legislative requirement to fit a catalytic converter in all markets. The S2s have very similar performance to the USA vehicles, having an identical engine management system calibration and a slightly lower overall vehicle weight.

Korean reintroduction
Kia Elan / Galloper Elan
KiaElan2.jpg
Overview
ManufacturerHyundai Precision & Industry Company Limited (HDPIC)
Also calledGalloper Elan (Arabian Peninsula)
Kia Elan (South Korea)
Production1996–1999
AssemblyDaejeon, South Korea
Body and chassis
Body style2-door convertible/roadster
LayoutFront-engine, Front-drive
After the final production run of the Elan in 1995, Kia Motors bought all the relevant license of Elan from Lotus to manufacture their own version. Outwardly, the Kia version looks almost identical to the original. The most obvious difference is the different taillights, which is of own design of Kia Elan, as the original Lotus version taillights was of Renault Alpine's. From 1996 to 1999, Hyundai Precision & Industry Company Limited (HDPIC) built the car as the Kia Elan for the Korean market, using a 151 hp (113 kW) 1.8 L T8D engine instead of the Isuzu-made 1.6. On Arabian Peninsula markets it was sold as the Galloper Elan.

Rear view of Kia Elan







2017 Elan
2013 Elan
Lotus Paris 1.JPG
Overview
ManufacturerLotus Cars
Production2017–
AssemblyUnited Kingdom
Body and chassis
Body style2-door
LayoutMid-engine, Rear-drive
The new Lotus Elan was announced at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. It was hoped to be in production by 2013, but the company pushed it back for a 2017 release, as a way to further develop the current Evora. It will feature a 4.0-litre V6 engine and will weigh roughly 1,295 kg (2,855 lb) and will also feature optional hybrid technology with KERS which will be across the whole new Lotus range. It will mainly be aimed at buyers of the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

วันอังคารที่ 26 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2556

>>Lotus 25

Lotus 25



Lotus 25
Lotus 25 b.jpg
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorTeam Lotus
Designer(s)Colin Chapman
Technical specifications
ChassisAluminium monocoque
Suspension (front)Double wishbone, with inboard coilover spring/damper units.
Suspension (rear)Lower wishbone, top link and radius rod suspension, with outboard coilover spring/damper units.
Engine
Coventry Climax FWMV Mk.II, 1496cc, Crossplane 90° V8
FWMV Mk.III, 1496cc, Fuel Injected, Flatplane 90° V8
FWMV Mk.4, 1499cc, Fuel Injected, Flatplane 90° V8
FWMV Mk.5, 1499cc, Fuel Injected, Flatplane 90° V8
BRM P56, 1498 cc, 90° V8 Naturally aspirated, mid-mounted
TransmissionZF 5DS10 5-speed manual.
TyresDunlop
Competition history
Notable entrantsTeam Lotus
Reg Parnell Racing
Notable driversUnited Kingdom Jim Clark
United Kingdom Trevor Taylor
United Kingdom Mike Spence
New Zealand Chris Amon
United Kingdom Mike Hailwood
United Kingdom Richard Attwood
Debut1962 Dutch Grand Prix
RacesWinsPolesFastest laps
49141418
Constructors' Championships(1963, 1965)
Drivers' Championships(1963, 1965)
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to
Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only.
The Lotus 25 was a racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula One season.  It was a revolutionary design, the first fully stressed monocoque chassis to appear in F1. An early brainchild of Chapman's fertile mind, the original sketches for the car were made on napkins while Chapman discussed his idea while dining out with Frank Costin (designer of Vanwall,Lotus Mk.8, 9, 10, 11 and Lotus 16 bodies, later of Marcos fame), who is the brother of a Lotus engineer Mike (later of Cosworth fame).

Jim Clark's Championship-winning Lotus 25, in the Donington Grand Prix Collection.
The monocoque made the car more rigid and structurally stronger than typical F1 cars of the period. The 25 was three times stiffer than the interim 24, while the chassis weighed only half as much. The car also was extremely low and narrow (frontal area only 8.0 ft², 0.74m² compared to the normal 9.5 ft², 0.88 m²)It was also envisaged to have a column gear lever, to keep cockpit width to a minimum, although this was only experimental and discarded. To assist this, the driver reclined sharply behind the wheel (an idea seen in the 18, and pioneered over a decade previously by Gustav Baumm at NSU), leading to the nickname 'The Bathtub', while front coil/damper units were moved inboard (as in the 1948 Maserati). The 25 was powered by Mk.II 1496cc through to Mk.5 1499cc versions of Coventry Climax FWMV V8 in crossplane and flatplane formats. Later, Reg Parnell Racing in 1964 fitted BRM P56s of similar specification to their second-hand 25s. Such was 25's effect on motor racing, even today's modern F1 cars follow its basic principles.
Some privateers who had been buying Lotus chassis were disgruntled by the fact Chapman refused to provide them 25s. These teams, including Rob Walker Racing, were given Lotus 24s, while the works team had exclusive use of the 25 for Jim Clark and Trevor Taylor. When it first appeared at the Dutch Grand Prix, the futuristic 25 was inspected by John Cooper, who asked Chapman where he had put the frame tubes in the car.
The car gave Clark his first Grand Prix victory, at Spa, that year. He took another win in Britain, and again in the USA, which put him in contention for the title, but at the final race, South Africa while leading, a much publicised engine seizure cost him the title to Graham Hill.
Clark gained his revenge the following year, taking his first world championship in the 25, by winning 7 races, Belgium, France,Holland, Britain, Italy, South Africa, and Mexico. Lotus also won its first constructors' championship. In addition, 25s were entered at Indianapolis, where they trialled Lucas electronic ignition for Ford.The 25 was used during the 1964 season, winning a further three races in Clark's hands. At the final race in Mexico, just as in 1962, the Climax engine developed an oil leak and with literally a lap to run Clark coasted to a halt in sight of world championship victory, this time conceding to John Surtees.
Clark went on to take the car's final win at the 1965 French Grand Prix before it was replaced by the Lotus 33. The Lotus 25 won 14 races, took 17 pole positions, and set 13 fastest laps.
In 2008/9 Lotus launched a special edition of the Elise supercharged model in the original Lotus 25 racing colours. This had track standard sports suspension and traction control. A total of 25 of these Lotus Jim Clark Type 25 cars were produced for the RHD market.

>>Lotus 24

Lotus 24



Lotus 24 at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010
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The Lotus 24 was a Formula One racing car designed by Team Lotus for the 1962 Formula One season. Having devised the monocoque Lotus 25 for use by the works team, Colin Chapman decided to build a 'conventional' back-up spaceframe design which he would also sell to privateers. The 24 was a completely different design from its predecessor, the 21, and used much of the same suspension as the 25. Both Coventry Climax FWMV and BRM P56 engines were fitted.

Lotus 24 Coventry Climax at the Pau GP in 2007

วันจันทร์ที่ 25 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2556

Lotus 23

Lotus 23


Lotus 23
1965Lotus23b.jpg
Overview
ManufacturerLotus Components Ltd.
Production1962-1963
DesignerColin Chapman
Body and chassis
ClassGroup 4 Sports Car
Body styleOpen Two Seater
Powertrain
Engine
742cc Coventry Climax FWMC
748cc Coventry Climax FWMB
997cc Cosworth Mk.III
1098cc Cosworth Mk.IV
1340cc Cosworth Mk.VI
1475cc Cosworth Mk.VII
1498cc Lotus TwinCam
1594cc Cosworth Mk.XII, Mk.XIII
Transmission
23: Hewland Mk.III 5sp (Renault 4 sp on the first prototype)
23B & 23C: Hewland Mk.IV
23B & 23C with Cosworth Mk.XII or XIII:Hewland Mk.V
Dimensions
Wheelbase90 in (2,286 mm)
Length139 in (3,531 mm)
Width23 & 23B: 60 in (1,524 mm)
23C: 65 in (1,651 mm)
Height23 & 23B: 26 in (660 mm)
23C: 27 in (686 mm)
Curb weight1,000 lb (454 kg) (dry)
Chronology
PredecessorLotus 17
SuccessorLotus 53 (not built)
The Lotus 23 was designed by Colin Chapman as a small-displacement sports racing car. Nominally a two-seater, it was purpose-built for FIA Group 4 racing in 1962-1963. Unlike its predecessors Lotus 15 and 17, the engine was mounted amidship behind the driver in the similar configuration developed on Lotus 19.

The 23
To comply with FIA rules, it had a regulation trunk space to the right-rear of the driver, a windshield wiper, a horn, pairs of headlights and tail lights, rear center license plate light, a wire-operated emergency brake, and a mounting space for one spare tire under the front body. The 23 used a wider version of the Lotus 22 space frame, clothed in a fibreglass body.
The front suspension was a typical double wishbone arms with outboard coil/damper unit using the Triumph upright made by Alford & Alder, Triumph Herald rack and pinion steering, and outboard Girling non-ventilated disc brake. The rear had the top link with lower reversed wishbone, top and bottom radius arms with the top arm at about the height of the halfshaft, combined with the outboard disc brakes and coil/damper unit. Unlike the arrangement for Lotus 20 suspension, the halfshafts had Metalastic rubber 'doughnuts' on the inside, carrying no cornering (side) forces.
The tie-rod end, front top and bottom wishbone outside joints and the rear lower wishbone inside joint used Heim joints. The rest of the suspension joints were rubber joint, with joint-mounting pipes welded onto the ends of the suspension arms. While most of the suspension arms were in common with Lotus 22, the angle of the rear radius arms on the plan view was different from the narrower-frame Lotus 22, so they were not interchangeable with the 22.
It was originally intended for engines of 750 cc to 1300 cc (45-80ci) with a Renault 4 speed transaxle, but had a 5 speed Hewland Mk.III in production, which used the entire Volkswagen magnesium alloy transaxle case in upside-down configuration, housing bespoke straight-cut gears with dog-rings, and the Volkswagen differential gear set. Unlike the later Mk.8 and Mk.9, the Mk.III had the shifter rod at the end of the VW nose casing, so the shifting rod (pipe) from the shifter knob location extended all the way to the tail of the chassis.
On the frame structure, the lower side pipes and the width-wise lower pipe behind the cockpit were rectangle tubes, with most of the other frame pipes being round steel tubes in various diameter. The upper left round pipe was used as the water (the use of anti-freeze chemicals was prohibited by most of the race organisers at the time for the danger of making the Tarmac slippery) feed pipe for the radiator up front, and the lower right side pipe and a half of the width-wise lower rear cockpit pipe was the return tube. Likewise, the upper right side pipe was the oil feed to the oil cooler, and the lower left tube was the return.
This configuration was shared with Lotus 22 and other Formula cars of the time, but the combination of a wider and thus larger radiator, wider (and somewhat bulkier) steel frame acting as a cooling device, and the small displacement engines resulted in more than ample cooling capacity. Atypical of the contemporary racing cars, Lotus 23 models sometimes experienced an over-cooling problem in sprint races, and displayed a very stable water temperature in endurance racing.

Lotus 23B. The much thicker 3 point roll bar as opposed to the original thin 2 point, smoked wind screen, slightly wrong location of the right hand side rear view mirror, and the lack of a small windshield wiper are incorrect restorations.

23B cockpit. The two structural pipes (one just inside of the gear shifter) running length-wise connecting the front bulkhead to the rear section, are unique to 23B and 23C. These are the correct rear view mirror locations.












The 23B
The 23B in 1963 had the original center gear shifter relocated to the right side of the driver, and the radiator and oil cooler were combined into a single unit, with the lower 1/5 or so acting as the oil cooler. The frame received additional structural tubes to take the torque of Lotus TwinCam-based 1.6 litre Cosworth Mk.XII and Mk.XIII, mated to a "high torque spec" 5 speed Hewland Mk.V transaxle. Smaller displacement engines were mated to 5 speed Hewland Mk.IV. Both the Mk.IV and Mk.V transaxles had GKN (Ford Zephyr) differential gears and a forward-facing selector rod on the right side in a bespoke (Hewland made) tail casing.
The intake funnels on the Weber carburetors on 23B (and the 23C) were housed in a "cold air box" which received fresh air from two oval holes cut out on the top side of the rear body behind the driver.

The 23C
The 23B proved to be very successful in being a "giant killer" often beating cars in larger classes, but the limited road adhesion due to the narrow tyre width became apparent as the shortcoming in running with the larger cars. The 23C was developed using much wider Formula Two tyres mounted on wider 6-stud wobbly-web wheels front and rear. The body received wing-extensions to cover the wider tyres, with the characteristic 23/23B rear wings (covering the top half of the wheels on the outside) cut-out to expose the entire tyre/wheel in the side view.
Lotus 23 proved a competitive, durable, and popular race car. These cars are still a mainstay of vintage racing in Europe and the United States today.
Including the 23B and 23C, about 130 examples were made in period, but the popularity of the model led to many additional cars assembled from replacement and reproduction parts. The current estimate on the total number ranges between 200 and 400 excluding Xanthos and Noble.

Debut at the Nürburgring
The debut of the 23 was at the Nordschleife in May, 1962. The tiny 100 bhp (70 kW) Lotus 23 with the newly developed 1.5L Lotus TwinCam engine shot away from the field of Porsches, Aston Martins and Ferraris with Jim Clark at the wheel in a rain. Even though some cars had four times the power of the Lotus, after the first lap in the wet, Clark was 27 seconds ahead of Dan Gurney's Porsche. Extending his lead on each lap until the track dried, Clark was overcome by exhaust fumes from a damaged exhaust manifold on lap 12 and crashed out.

Banned from Le Mans
With the sensational Nürburgring debut well publicised in the press, two 23s were entered at Le Mans in June, 1962. One with a 742 cc (45.3 cu in) aluminium-block DOHC Coventry Climax FWMC and another with one liter Iron block pushrod Cosworth Mk.III.
The 23s failed to pass the scrutineering on several technical grounds, including an insufficient windscreen height, fuel tank capacity being too large, turning circle too large, ground clearance too small, and the spare tyre requirement not met. Fitted with a makeshift tall wind screen, all but the spare tyre issue was rectified almost immediately.
The original 23 and the later 23B had 4 stud front and 6 stud rear wobbly-web wheels, and carried the narrower and lighter front wheel with its tyre mounted as the spare. (23C had wider 6 stud front wheels.)
The French scrutineers argued the requirement to carry a spare tyre is for the purpose of changing a flat, which is not satisfied by the 23 in the case of a flat occurring on one of the rear tyres. So the Lotus factory had a 4 stud rear hubs drafted and machined over-night, and had a person carry them and flown to Le Mans the next day. After being presented with the 23s with 4 stud rears installed, the scrutineers rejected again on the grounds that the 6 stud configuration must have been a reflection of strength requirement in the original design (which may well have been true), so the 4 stud configuration was deemed unsafe.
The scrutineers and the ACO did not change this position even after Mike Costin, the Lotus engineer on site, offered to go over a structural analysis calculations showing the difference falls within the safety margin built in the design to accommodate the more powerful 1,098 cc (67.0 cu in) Cosworth Mk.IV to 1,475 cc (90.0 cu in) Cosworth Mk.VIIengines.
One of the two Lotus 23s with 4 stud rears, with Cosworth Mk.III 997 cc (60.8 cu in) engine, was sold off sans engine on the spot, with a lease on the engine and support contract attached, on a strict condition imposed by Chapman to keep the 4 stud configuration for longer than one racing season. The French buyer, Bernard Consten, not only obliged but won Clermont-Ferrand 6 Hours and 1000 km of Montlhery that year with this 23 without breaking the studs, the hub, or the wheel.
Team Lotus remained on the scene for the entire 1962 event supporting and winning the 1.3 liter GT class and the Index of Performance prize by a Lotus Elite driven by David Hobbs and Frank Gardner. ACO officials then made the situation worse in admitting a mistake, offering a financial compensation for the 23 entries after the race. With pro-Lotus motoring journalist Gérard Crombac (who reported the entire fiasco in a French publication, suggesting the Ferrari 246SP and 268SP had the same ground clearance issue, but were allowed to race unrectified after the Ferrari team threatened to withdraw the entire team) present as the interpreter in the meeting, Chapman suggested a figure which was too large for the officials to swallow. Upon being rejected, Chapman vowed "We will never race again at Le Mans!" - and Team Lotus never did.

Restoration and replication of the Lotus 23
Beginning in the early 1980s a small group of enthusiasts began to make it possible to restore original Lotus 23 by remanufacturing parts. These parts are now easily available. It was at about this time that a Register was established for the Lotus 23. That Register is now part of the Historic Lotus Register of the UK. Some race organizers and the Historic Motor Sports Association began in 2007 to take steps to restrict race participation by replica cars.
There are several sources of replicas of Lotus 23 cars.

Xanthos 23

The Xanthos 23 is a more-or-less accurate reproduction of the 23B using the same frame design as the 1960s original. Powered by Lotus-Ford Twin Cam or its Cosworth derivatives mostly mated to Hewland Mk.8 or Mk.9, it is still built by Xanthos Sports Cars.

Noble 23

Following the success of his Ultima GTR project, Lee Noble created a Lotus 23 replica with a wider track than the original to allow for the use of wider tyres. With a lower level of adherence to the original design than the Xanthos, it proved successful in racing, with over 60 cars produced using either Lotus TwinCam or Renault V6 engines. Noble's version continued in production, first by Auriga Design using an Alfa Romeo engine and transaxle, and now by Mamba Motorsport near Oxford, UK using Ford Duratec Engines.