Highlights

Largely factory standard early Elise in great condition
Well maintained by main dealers and marque specialists
Recent timing belt, water pump and service
Bilstein suspension upgrade
Cylinder Head Gasket has been upgraded and replaced
Stored in a dry garage under a cover and reportedly never driven in rain
Good history file with documented service records
MOT valid until April 2027

The Appeal

Boomers had the Seven, but Gen X got the utterly brilliant Elise, a car infused with the spirit of the original Chapman icon, but arguably considerably better and more usable. The earliest cars are closest to designer Julian Thompson’s vision, which is why we rather like this highly standard silver ‘97 Series 1.

The large history file shows regular maintenance by main dealers and marque specialists, including a long list of recent work. Notable highlights include a cambelt and water pump change in April 2026 together with a good refurbishment. A full service was undertaken in 2024 with few miles since. The car features an upgraded factory straight through exhaust and Bilstein shocks were fitted in 2022. The current MOT runs to April 2027.

The vendor acquired the car in 2021 and tells us that it has always been garaged with a cover and never taken out in the rain. It presents very well in the photos.

The vendor says:

The Lotus Elise S1 has been a fantastic car to own — reliable, simple to maintain and a genuine analogue driving experience. The suspension upgrade has transformed the way it drives, improving both composure and confidence without losing the car’s character. It delivers the kind of direct, mechanical feel that is increasingly rare in modern cars.

Key Information

Mileage: 66,000 miles (supported by service history records, not warranted)
Country of registration: United Kingdom
Technical inspection status: MOT valid until 21st April 2027 with advisories
Technical specs: 1,796cc four-cylinder petrol, five-speed manual
Paperwork: Service history file with documented records, service book, various invoices, V5C, handbook, 2 keys with fob
Cylinder Head Gasket has been upgraded and replaced

Summary of recent work:

04/26 - 65,843 miles - Timing belt and water pump - £862.20
04/24 - Oil Change and Filter Rear light repair - £149.24
04/23 - Catalyst - £95.40
04/23 - 65,100 miles - service, water bottle, lower ball joint - £329.55
07/22 - 64,970 miles - Fit trickle charger - £46.80
05/22 - 64,683 miles - Rear light repair - £84
03/22 - 64,481 miles - Oil change, filter, and MOT - £191.39
03/22 - 63,440 miles - Bilstein suspension upgrade - £1,400
03/21 - 63,440 miles - B service - £240

Service history (further details in photos):

04/24 - 65,386 miles
04/23 - 65,100 miles
03/22 - 64,481 miles
03/21 - 63,440 miles
06/11 - 58,045 miles - Kevledon Motors
04/10 - 56,303 miles - Kelvedon Motors
04/08 - 52,406 miles - Vindis
08/06 - 49,987 miles - Brooke Kensington
05/05 - 48,135 miles - Brooke Kensington
04/04 - 41,554 miles - Steve Williams Sports Cars
01/03 - 32,994 miles - Steve Williams Sports Cars
12/01 - 27,016 miles - Bell & Colvill
07/01 - 20,224 miles - Lakeside Engineering (Lotus specialist)
03/01 - 13,932 miles - Lakeside Engineering (Lotus specialist)
04/00 - 11,722 miles - Haydon Cars Lotus main dealer
07/98 - 6,080 miles - SGT
08/97 - 1,196 miles - SGT

The Detail

Well kept silver metallic paintwork with few signs of use
Long list of recent work detailed above
Vendor states the car is in very good mechanical condition with a clean engine
Exterior has a few stone chips to front of car
Two small marks, one under the grille and one at the rear
Five spoke factory alloys in good order with quality Toyo Proxes tyres
Black leather interior in good order commensurate with mileage
Interior shows a couple of worn patches such as driver’s bolster
We are told that all interior features work correctly
Largely standard specification aside from the Bilstein suspension upgrade
Supplied with straight-through exhaust adaptation to replace catalytic converter
Minor advisories to note on MOT

BEFORE YOU BUY

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