It was based on the Elite but had a fastback body style which offered more practicality with storage in the boot, albeit with less headroom above the rear seats.

The remainder of the range have a 114.3 mm bolt pattern, the same disc brakes as the Elite, and GKN alloy wheels.

There were also sporty versions of the 520 and 521 called the Eclat Sprint, with a black-and-white paint job, an oil cooler, and a variety of other performance upgrades.

In damp climates, the felt became a water trap and caused structural corrosion, resulting in a crumbling of the chassis from the rear.

Chassis replacement was initially not cost effective on the Eclat and Elite, and in consequence resale values suffered.

[citation needed] The fuel consumption was also considered reasonable at the time, in comparison with the larger and multi cylinder engines used in competitor GT cars.