Description
Elise S1 – 111S
Chassis Number: SCCJA1116XHC36356
Engine Number:18K4KM32218657
Registration number: V38 HLB
Registered Date:18. 10. 1999
899 recorded dry miles since new.
History.
The car was ordered by its first owner and invoiced by HR Owen, the then London Dealer on the 25/ 5/ 1999 for a total price of £30, 180 with the following specification:
Raffia Leather
Metallic Racing Green
Radio Fitting Kit
Cobra A6422 Alarm
Hardtop
The vehicle was subsequently driven to Paris, as the owner had relocated and the first service invoice dated October 1999 from Parisian Lotus dealer, JB Automobiles France, shows the mileage as 390 miles. The car was stored in a garage within an underground car park, declared as exported to the DVLA in 2010, but was never registered in France. The car was removed from storage in July of 2010 with 870 miles recorded and recommissioned by Garage Dizier, Lotus Agents in Paris. The car was put back into storage, and there it sat until I bought the car in June of 2021. Upon arrival in the UK, the car was fully recommissioned again between June and September 2021, with full fluid changes, all belts, battery, filters, before being submitted for an MOT which it passed with no advisories and a mileage of just 872.
Body.
The paintwork is exemplary; I don’t believe the car has ever seen rain, and it’s not been subjected to UV having sat under blankets, under a car cover in a garage within an underground garage – as such the paint is deep and stunning. There are two marks on the car – a really tiny chip on the rear spoiler, another small chip on the rear buttress on the edge the roof securing panel - both of which have been touched in successfully. There's some normal and acceptable factory sinkage on the NSR clam, and front clam, both small imperfections from new and completely acceptable: it's how they were. The roll bar cover is supplied unmarked. The front clamshell is free from stone chips, the door edges are all good – the car’s bodywork is superb - it's also all original - never been painted.
Glass.
Perfect, no scratches, no delamination to front screen – both front and rear screens, and both side drop glass as new. Regulators greased, and felts lubricated – windows operate as they should. Mirrors hold position, as new.
Chassis.
Perfect – no marks on underside, being a dry weather car never seeing rain, all the surfaces are perfect, undertray fixings show no signs of oxidation. inside the cabin and all presents perfectly. No oxidisation in footwells – original bonded footwell rubber mats still feel flat.
Interior / Roof.
The interior is perfect. The leather is supple and excellent, door panels and dash tops all as they should be. The STACK instruments are all bright with their three phases of intensity and mileometer reset still functions. The grey surround of the unit suffers from no delamination. Steering wheel is just as I remember them when new – soft and matt. The factory hardtop is perfect – the headlining is taught, and the front discretionary panel still features the bolts and three caps, often missing. With regards green soft top, the elastics, snail cams, stitching and strips are all perfect. This has been stored rolled in its vinyl stowage bag. Similarly, the roof bars appear to be virgin items – there are no marks on them at all.
Wheels and tyres.
The 6 spoke OZ alloys are all unmarked, and still wear the factory weights and valves. They are all straight and true. The original Pirelli P-Zeros are OEM fit, and feature almost as new tread depth, are not flat spotted and are fine for light work and shows. The fronts still feature their moulding spikes. However, if I were to put the car to any proper use, I’d invest in a spare set of wheels with new tyres.
Suspension / Steering.
Standard “Red” Koni shocks are quiet in operation, displaying none of the “knock” that these dampers often begin to display relatively early in their service life. All bushing is remarkably good – there is nothing that’s perished, the cars sits absolutely as it should. In terms of appearance, it’s the nicest underside I’ve seen on an Elise S1 – the zinc cadmium finish to the wishbones is all there and evident. The springs are all perfect – the roll bar is silent. Steering is as perfect as an Elise is – sublime; perhaps one of the best features of the car.
Brakes.
Brakes are all as you’d expect – discs are well within service life, pads have been removed and inspected, all pistons within calipers also scrutinised; the fluid has been changed and the brakes perform as well as any other Elise S1 on cast iron discs – they work well enough once you are prepared to brake in a car with no servo, and without the immediacy of the earlier MMC set up.
Engine / Box.
The engine displays the usual cacophony of the alloys engine with the VVC set up, but it is quiet, smooth and it’s barely run in. There are no leaks, no odd noises, and whilst I’ve not driven the car particularly hard, it performs as I'd expect and remember. The oil is clear, the inner cap is clean yellow plastic. The gear box operates perfectly and is as noisy as PG1’s were when installed in a Lotus chassis! I’d forgotten the backlash as you come off the throttle. The exhaust system is stock – standard tailpipe, catalytic convertor and it’s perfect – even all bolts and fixings present really well.
Cooling / Heating.
The direction cable works well, stiffer on temperature slider, but it will move and will get better now it’s been lubricated. The three speed fan operates correctly, and there’s no pungent coolant smell. I’ve had the system drained, flushed and bled repeatedly and elected to go for period green coolant with inorganic additive – looks right in comparison to the now more common OAT fluids. Header tank all good, and the car cycles it’s temperature perfectly. It takes a long time before the cooling fan cuts in at the correct temp and the system has been pressure tested.
Paperwork
Supplied with a UK V5 in my name as second owner, MOT, NOVA correspondence from HMRC confirming all taxes paid, Export Certificate from 2010, service bills from Dizier and JB for the two services, and the original 1999 sales invoice from HR Owen. All books supplied, complete with alarm certificate, roof ready reckoner, and two sets of keys, both complete with immobiliser codes on touch keys and plastic key numbers attached to both main keys. I’ve even got the “tax applied for” insert to the tax disc holder from the supplying dealer….
Summary.
In the UK, you cannot now buy a new Elise, and rarer still is an Elise that is 22 years old with a recorded 899 miles, that’s never seen rain. This one still smells new inside, the cabin aroma takes me back to my Bell & Colvill days when I sold them new. Lotus built just 1489 111S variants – and whilst everyone has their favourite Elise, the 111S was mine – not just to drive, but to sell as a new car. Being a full four seconds quicker to 100MPH than the standard car, it had well enough performance to satisfy owners for a long time, without the need to upgrade the standard car – secret being that it was the only standard production Elise equipped with the close ration box. (135’s were not standard production but limited to 90 units). It also performed without the hysteria of the Sport 160 which looked absolutely fantastic but was a reluctant affair until you showed it north of 5500 RPM when it would then go to work. This car represents the closest thing to going back in time to 1999 and buying a new Elise. My own car, registered to me and now selling privately to make room for another Lotus.
Contact Scott Walker for further details, or to discuss ownership of this incredible S1.
