First seen in 1995, the two-seater, mid-engined Elise took Lotus back to its fundamental design principles and created a sports car icon in the process.
Clothed in glass fibre over an extruded aluminium space frame chassis, the roadster was powered by Rover’s 1,796cc four-cylinder K-series engine, initially producing 118bhp and 122lb ft of torque. Although modest figures by comparison to many sports cars, the Elise’s kerb weight of a mere 725kg allowed for a 0-62mph of 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 26mph. What the bare figures did not show was the car’s poise and handling prowess.
More powerful versions inevitably appeared, including the 143bhp 111S and the 177bhp Exige, while a refreshed Series Two Elise entered service in 2000.
As well as more track-oriented iterations of the Elise/Exige, some interesting even-lower volume and more exotic developments appeared. These included the even more stripped-down 340R and the racer-esque 2-Eleven roadster.
Looking through the paperwork, it’s clear that this has been an enthusiast-owned car all its life. Beginning with the two service books - original and continuation - you can see regular workshop visits, totalling 17 dealer stamps at the proper intervals. All were from sound Lotus specialists too; the likes of Chris Foulds, Track V Road and Bell and Colvill. Besides the stamps, a comprehensive sheaf of invoices details all the work and services undertaken.
The car has also been treated to a few add-ons that make it a little more special. Inside, the standard seats have been replaced with Probax Series Two sports seats finished in Alcantara, while on the outside, the Elise sports wider 111S alloys with a Bilstein suspension kit (springs and dampers) behind. The car is also equipped with a Janspeed stainless steel exhaust silencer.
Alongside the service history, a full set of MOT certificates fully corroborates the car’s 38,650 miles driven and cross-references the service intervals. It has a full UK V5C and an MOT valid until April 2022, issued with no advisories.
The Lotus also retains its original leather wallet and owner’s handbook, as well as an A4 printout of the JVC hi-fi manual.
The sparse interior of the Elise mixes bare metal with Alcantara and leather. The finish of the fabric of the seats remains very much intact – both edges and cushions – and the colours strong. The blue and black complement the bodywork nicely and make a good contrast with the silver/grey of the metal. Neither the (leather) steering wheel nor the gear stick show any real wear, and this goes for the central hand brake too. Like the seats, the blue Alcantara central steering wheel boss remains clean and vivid in colour. What few fittings there are in the cockpit feel solid and firmly mounted. Unlike many an Elise, none of them rattle when you’re out on the road. The forged-from-billet window winders are a nice touch, feeling smooth and substantial. The slender door cards behind are neat and warp-free.
Understandably, there is a little wear to the edge of the leather sill cap on the driver’s side – getting in and out of an Elise for anyone over 4ft 6in requires a little bit of pushing and wriggling.
The seller tells us that the two seats were removed and professionally shampooed along with the front carpet mats. The door cards have been re-trimmed in anthracite Alcantara and Note, with the original foot well sound deadening material is still fitted to the car under the carpet mats. The aluminium inside the cockpit has been extensively cleaned and a new piece of carpet fitted under the seats. All plastic trims and glass have also been detailed.
Altogether, a clean, minimalist and pleasing cabin space.
Finished in Azure Blue, the bodywork of the Lotus retains an excellent gloss and consistent colour over the whole car. There are a few very small scuffs – on the edge of the nearside mirror and under the chin spoiler, but nothing of any concern. An inspection into obscure corners, joins and folds in panels, as well as the door hinge areas, reveals them to be clean, with no signs of cracking or crazing in the glassfibre.
Elise bodies are formed of two large clamshells, and the whole of the structure fits together very well. The doors and opening hatches in no way upset the smoothness of the form, nor the progress of all those curves. Also, said doors, bonnet and engine cover all open and close smoothly without creaking or wobbling. The seller has advised us that the front clamshell was repainted owing to a partial repaint by the previous owner. The clamshell was removed from the vehicle and the underside and the front crash structure inspected by the seller. This was all found to be straight and exactly as it should, with nothing untoward. The clamshell was subsequently painted off the car and refitted. New seals were fitted behind the headlamps, and the headlamp covers thoroughly cleaned, and fitted with new black edging tape with the correct adhesive. At the time, two new outer window seals were supplied and fitted owing to ageing and being slightly misshaped. The vehicle was fitted with new front number plate mounts and Velcro pads for ease of removal; a stainless steel front tow mount was also fitted.
There are minimal adornments on an Elise. The lights fit flush with the bodywork, and both their black surrounds and those of the windows retain a smooth finish free of corrosion or oxidation. Door and window seals are likewise in good health; supple and retaining a deep black finish.
The central roof panel is removable, and the accompanying soft top is in excellent shape – in un-faded blue – with no tears in the fabric.
The exterior of the car has been extensively detailed, with each wheel being removed by the seller and each wheel arch thoroughly cleaned and detailed. The bodywork was subject to a full professional detail and machine polish. . EXTERIOR.jpeg2.3 MB
THE MECHANICS
Looking around the engine bay corroborates what that folder of invoices tells you; this is no question, ‘as per workshop manual’ K-series four-cylinder set in a tidy engine bay. There are no signs of leaks around the block, cylinder head or throttle bodies, and hoses and ducting look a healthy shade of black with no signs of perishing and no cracks at joins or junctions. The jubilee clips holding them in place are clean and look as if they would be compliant with a screwdriver. And there are no layers of encrusted grease hiding behind bolts or in the crevices of the manifold. The car has also been the recipient of a new batter as of late.
By the look of the (very much intact and shiny) heat shielding behind the engine, and the rubber seals around the top of the compartment, the motor hasn’t had any overheating problems. The adjoining carpeted storage area is also clean, showing no undue wear. Thinking again of heating – or cooling – the radiators in the nose look tidy, while the black grills protecting them are straight and rust free.
Underneath the car, the spaceframe is protected by an undertray. This is very much intact, showing no significant dents, scratches or corrosion. By the way, those 111S alloys look very smart at each corner – amazingly scuff-free – and with clean yellow, Lotus logo’d bosses. The front suspension was carefully inspected for corrosion prior to purchase and it was found to be in good condition, subsequently the brake discs have been detailed as were the wheels and fitted new wheel centre caps. The under trays have been removed and cleaned and the seller can state that there are no leaks of oil or coolant on them
The Lotus Elise remains one of the purest driving experiences on offer, with little to dilute or interfere with your input and interaction with the car. Its controls are beautifully weighted and immediately responsive, its ergonomics intuitive and relaxed, and its handling balanced and poised. And on top of that, the car is just ridiculously cute. It’s only real rival – apart from other Elise/Exige variants – is probably the Caterham, though that car is perhaps a little too rough and ready for some – especially if you’re the passenger.
The current seller is a long term Lotus owner and enthusiast, and purchased the vehicle directly from the registered keeper. The car has been dry stored in the winter months while in the previous owner's six year ownership and only used the car occasionally on dry days by a recently retired gentleman who ran an engineering business. For the last several years the car has been maintained annually by Chris Foulds Lotus. The previous owner sold the car owing to lack of use; the car has since been stored in a dehumidified garage as part of a car collection.
The car is supplied and fitted with a hart top, also supplied is fabric soft top in blue, a shower cap, a de-cat pipe, two alarm remotes and two sets of keys.
Being as well cared-for as it is, this particular example retains all of the qualities that make the Elise great. The engine fires up immediately and, slotting into first gear, the car is easily away. The drivetrain pulls smoothly, the engine is free-revving and the steering has that near telepathic responsiveness that only Lotus seems able to achieve. The car can be controlled almost with gestures from the wrists, from a driving position that is poised and centred.
Coupled to all this, well-sorted Series One Elises are a strongly appreciating asset in the classic world, which, if looked after, should return your investment later on.
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