Description
Here we have a very special Mica silver Lotus Elise 135r.
It is number 45 out of approximately 100 built.
It is a stunning-looking car; the colour is exceptional.
It really is one of the best-looking Elise models and colours, in my opinion.
This is a very high-spec engined car; it is not a standard Honda K20 conversion.
The car is an absolute weapon. It weighs 750kg and has 282bhp NA power, that’s 376bhp per ton.
It also has a lightweight billet crankshaft, which makes it rev and accelerate like a motorbike.
It is a very high-spec car, and one of the most prominent Honda converted Elise out there, it has a very specific engine note.
I bought this car in 2019 from Jon Seal Sports cars, the Lotus specialist. The car had covered 49k miles when I bought her, and it now stands at 55k miles.
Last spring the car had a full engine rebuild through Hallscorts Performance. Bruce Bamber, formerly of Wessex Racing, carried out the engine build. Bruce used to specialise in building rally cross engines. After the build, the car was mapped by Longman Racing, to a very punchy 282bhp of pure throttle-bodied NA power.
The car was originally converted by HPE Automotive in 2016, when the vehicle had covered 43k miles. The bill for this conversion was £23, 510. 00, and that was without VAT. The same conversion now would cost upwards of £40k. Below are the HPE conversion specs.
2. 2 Stroker Engine fully forged/ Balanced
Lightweight Clockwise Motion Billet crankshaft
Billet rods, Billet cams and forged pistons
Clockwise Motion Billet individual throttle bodies
Carbon airbox
2Bular rear box
4-1 Manifold retaining boot (Zirotec Coated)
EFI ECU
Laminova oil cooler
Pieburg external water pump
Wavetrack Limited Slip Diff
Pro alloy 48 Litre fuel tank
Lightweight race alternator
Nitron NTR Dampers
I used the car for a few track days and some road tours around the UK. Unfortunately, I started to get some running issues with the engine. If these high-performance Honda engines are not correctly built, then they don’t tend to last long. I paid the price, unfortunately.
This is why I had to have the rebuild done and why I used someone who really knows what they are doing when it comes to assembling a high-performance Honda engine correctly. I have a full engine report from Bruce Bamber, with all the measurements and tolerances of the newly built engine. It had a new block, new pistons, the billet crank re-ground and balanced. The entire engine was rebuilt, from top to bottom, everything replaced and fitted correctly as it should originally have been. The engine was run in gently on the dyno, before being fully mapped. She has covered a few hundred miles since and had a fresh oil change.
During my ownership of the car, Adrian Hall of Hallscorts Performance has looked after. Adrian is a Honda/ Lotus/ Ford specialist who previously worked for Maidstone Sports Cars and raced for them in their Honda-powered Elise, winning every trophy.
He set this car up properly by adding a few nice upgrades that improved its performance and general handling and stability on the road and track.
A 3J limited slip diff
Uprated clutch
Aluminum belled disks
Carbon Lorraine pads
Aluminum coolant tank
The car benefits from an Elise Parts quick-release steering boss and a Sparco suede steering wheel. You can take the steering wheel with you when you park up, for added security.
There is also a battery isolator kill key in the boot, which you can remove and take with you, again, for security.
I have recently replaced the starter motor, both gearbox cables, throttle position sensor, throttle cable, alternator, water pump, and starter motor, and she’s had an MOT. I have just put a brand new set of Nakang tyres on the car.
The car comes with a huge folder of invoices, all the work ever done, every MOT it's had, and its original Lotus service booklet.
Most of the car has a protection film on it, which has kept the body work pretty tidy for her age and usage. It comes with its two original keys. I have also got a custom made decibel killer that attaches to the exhaust for track days where noise limits are low.
The car comes with a heavy duty Elise Parts track tow hook for track days.
This is one hell of a car for the money. Every time I drive it I lose myself in the experience. It’s raw and visceral and makes people stop and stare as you pass.
There isn’t much that can keep up with you out on the road or track. This is GT3 quick. This is the best Honda-coverted Elise out there, it's really a special car, that also looks amazing. It dominates on track but is also amazing for trips, with a huge boot for the size of the car.
Please let me know if you have any questions or want to speak with Adrian about the build and uniqueness of this car, if he took you out on track in this, anyone would buy it.
