The first generation of the Elite or Lotus Type 14 was a light weight two-seater coupéproduced from 1957 until 1963.

The car debuted at the 1957 London Motor Car Show, Earls Court bearing chassis number #1008.[3] The Elite had spent a year in development, aided by "carefully selected racing customers" before going on sale.[4]

The Elite's most distinctive feature was its highly innovative fibreglass monocoqueconstruction, in which a stressed-skin Glass reinforced plastic unibody replaced the previously separate chassis and body components. Unlike the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette, which used fibreglass for only exterior bodywork, the Elite used glass-reinforced plastic for the entire load-bearing structure of the car. A steel subframe for supporting the engine and front suspension was bonded into the front of the monocoque, as was a square-section windscreen-hoop that provided mounting points for door hinges, a jacking point for lifting the car and roll-over protection components.[5]The first 250 body units were made by Maximar Mouldings at Pulborough, Sussex.[6]The body construction caused numerous early problems, until manufacture was handed over to Bristol Aeroplane Company.