Fast Facts

• Best model: Anything cherished
• Worst model: One that’s been crashed
• Budget buy: High-mileage cars
• OK for unleaded?: Yes
• Will it fit in the garage? (mm): 3785 x 1719mm
• Spares situation: Generally good
• DIY ease?: Mechanical only
• Club support: Good
• Appreciating asset?: Very much so
• Good buy or good-bye?: Lotus at its glorious best

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Modern interpretation of Seven that many hail as the greatest modern classic. S1 most wanted but the S2 replacement is the better all rounder say specialists. Plenty around but buy with care

If you were asked to think of a manufacturer of focused, lightweight sports cars, the chances are you’d instantly think of Lotus – and more specifically the Elise. Until the arrival of the Elise,a staggering 21 years ago, Lotus had a ran ge of cars that were fast and great to drive, but the company had lost its way a bit. After its legendary lightweight Six and Seven, Lotus had turned to cars that were fast and handled well, but in some cases were closer to GTs than outright sports cars. Then the Elise arrived in 1996 and changed everything.

At a stroke, Lotus rearranged the goal posts. Until the appearance of the Elise, sports car fans had to settle for cars like the Mazda MX-5 and Toyota MR2; worthy enough machines that were great to drive, but relatively heavy and soft. The Elise put driving pleasure above all else, so while long-distance touring might not be its forte, it was perfect for B-road blasts and track days.

When the first-generation Elise was replaced after little more than four years, there were some who feared that Lotus might have watered things down a bit – but not at all. While the new car had a much sharper new look, it was pretty much the same to drive even though attention had been paid to every aspect of it, from the soft top design and door seals to the suspension, brakes and wheels. With a much longer production span these later cars are far more common and more usable too; if you’ve been hankering after an Elise but you don’t know which way to turn, here’s everything you need to know.

History

1996 The Elise is launched in July, a strict stripped out two-seater on the mould of the Caterham, albeit but with state-ofthe- art body and chassis design powered by a 118bhp 16-valve Rover-built K-Series engine as used in the MGF. Alloy wheels, immobiliser and cloth trim are all standard, while leather trim and metallic paint are extra-cost options.

1998 The first high-performance Elise is unleashed in March, the 187bhp Elise 190 VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative). Although it’s more of a track day special, with race seats and harnesses, roll cage and adjustable suspension, it is road-legal.

1999 Elise Sprint appears in March, but it’s quickly rebadged the 111S, with a 143bhp version of the VVC K-Series engine. That means variable valve timing is standard, plus six-spoke alloys, an additional rear spoiler and wider rear tyres. At the same time, the Sport 135 appears but just 50 are built, each with uprated brakes and suspension.

2000 Final versions of the Series 1 Elise are released in May. The Sport 160 produces 160bhp from a non-VVC version of the K-Series engine; it also features a higher rear wing and metallic grey five-spoke alloys. As well as these standard production editions, there were all sorts of series 1 special editions such as the Type 49, Type 79 and GT1. All built in tiny numbers, they were all mechanically the same as the regular Elise models, with the only differences being cosmetic.

2000 Elise S2 arrives in November with the same K-Series as its predecessor but it’s redesigned and slightly bigger, with attention paid to every aspect of its design and construction.

2002 The 156bhp 111 and 111S appear in June, both with a VVC (variable valve timing) K-series engine, the 111S featuring more standard equipment.

2003 Hard-core 135R variant on sale.

2004 The 111R appears, now with 1.8-litre Toyota power.

2005 The K-Series engine is superseded by a 134bhp 1.8-litre Toyota unit – as used in the MR2 – in July and the 111R becomes the Elise R at this point.

2008 The supercharged 218bhp SC débuts in June.

2010 In April the 1.8-litre engine in the standard Elise is superseded by a new Toyota 1.6-litre unit, but still 134bhp but with reduced CO2 emissions.

Driving and press comments

Top Gear magazine’s road testers aren’t easily impressed, but when they drove one of the first Elises they knew Lotus was onto a winner. “Drive the Elise and you cannot help but smile. There’s something magical about the way the scenery glides past and how close you feel to the road… It feels compact and tight, yet thumping along busy A-roads and motorways, mixing it with bigger traffic, it also feels surprisingly safe, stable and not at all vulnerable”.

Testing the car back to back with Renault’s outrageous Sport Spider, the Elise took the spoils for its lower price and more engaging chassis, along with its better usability. It was also sensational to drive of course: “When you drive the Elise you realise you only thought you had driven neutral-handling small cars before. It’s simply brilliant. If you could sneak it onto a kart track you’d clean up. Not only is the steering informative, it’s lightning-fast and direct. With this car you can change direction at the flick of a wrist”.

When the same magazine tried out the heavily revised Series 2 Elise in 2000, any concerns it had about Lotus softening things up too much were proved unfounded. “The instantly responsive, agile feel of the old Elise is immediately obvious. There were fears that Lotus would go soft by fitting the new Elise with lardy extras, destroying its appeal in the process. Not so. This car weighs 765kg, scarcely different from the last one and a noticeable contrast to the 875kg Vauxhall VX220 and the decidedly weighty 975kg Toyota MR2.

“It’s very quick too. The rapidly-shifting five-speed gearbox borrows its low ratios from the outgoing VVC-engined 111S. With such a low overall mass to haul around, the engine picks up well from gentle revs and builds to a heady fervour above 6000rpm. Where in the previous Elise the unpleasant mechanical racket would have left you convinced that the engine was shaking itself apart by this point, here the added sound deadening, tweaked engine brain and (optional) sports exhaust give it a smoother edge matched to a more encouraging bark at the top end”.

When Lotus decided to start selling the Elise in the US it had to adopt a powerplant that could rack up 120,000 miles reliably, to pass Federal regulations. A Toyota unit was chosen and because of American rules, anti-lock brakes had to be fitted too, along with a driver’s airbag.

Evo magazine drove one of the pre-production prototypes and immediately loved it: “The shift action [of the new six-speed gearbox] is wonderfully slick and positive; unlike before, there’s now never any doubt that you have actually selected a fresh ratio.

“Even in a tall gear at low speeds there’s no hesitancy of faltering, just an easy-natured tug that subjectively feels to have a keen edge over the 156bhp K-Series engined Elise. With Toyota power the Elise exhibits a new-found vitality, a punch to go with its poise”.

It’s not lazy journalism when pundits call the Elise a modern day Seven (Caterham) because that’s what it is and scarcely more civilised, but that’s part of the considerable appeal to many owners, a fair wedge who are prepared to use one everyday despite the contortions needed to get in and out and the basic yet effective hood.

Values and marketplace

John Crook runs the sales showroom at Paul Matty Sportscars. He comments: “Whether you’re buying a Series 1 or a Series 2, the start point for a good car is £15,000 – and even then you’ll struggle to find much at this price.

“To secure something nice you really need to be budgeting closer to £20,000, but the best Series 1s are now fetching over £30,000, although good Toyotaengined cars start at £18,000. Mileage makes a big difference to an Elise’s value while most of the limited editions will fetch a premium too, even though most of them offered little more than unique wheels and an exclusive paint job”.

If these prices seem steep, and you’re feeling a bit out of touch, that’s understandable. According to Crook, prices are going up constantly – he reckons values have doubled in the last three or four years, at the top end of the market. However, even average cars are worth significantly more than they were in the recent past.

Crook continues: “Because they’re older, and also because the production run was relatively short, Series 1s are especially hard to find in superb condition; most of the cars we’re offered we turn down because they need too much work. The issues we tend to come up against include tatty bodywork with crazing and stone chips, kerbed wheels and worn seats, although relatively few cars are neglected mechanically”.

Both Series have their dedicated fanbase. The earlier cars are more collectable but not as usable because they’re less refined and more basic, but for many that’s part of the appeal. They’re also smaller and lighter although you’d probably be hard-pressed to tell.

The Series 2 was initially fitted with the Rover K-Series engine but when the Toyota unit came in it brought with it standard anti-lock servo-assisted brakes – which weren’t even an option on the earlier models. These later Elises also brought the option of electric windows and air conditioning, neither of which are unusual fitments. While this might seem to fly in the face of the Elise’s ethos, plenty of buyers like their creature comforts which is why there are plenty of takers.

Cars that have had official Lotus Motorsport parts fitted are usually worth more than completely standard cars. However, an Elise decked out with parts produced by unknown aftermarket suppliers will normally be worth less than a standard car because the quality is so variable.

According to Crook, quite a few Elise owners use their cars every day, especially Series 2 models. It helps that these later cars have far better hoods, much better seals and they’re also easier to get in and out of thanks to wider doors. Priced significantly higher than the K-Series cars, the Toyota-engined Elises tend to feature more options. However, this higher price point is one of the reasons why Lotus sold fewer cars, which is why finding exactly what you want might take some time.

Improvements

Most Elises have been upgraded in one way or another. The stuff that tends to get swapped includes the wheels, brakes, suspension and exhaust. That’s not necessarily a problem because these modifications tend to make the car even more enjoyable to drive and sometimes more usable too.

What you need to be wary of is an engine that’s been upgraded to the point where reliability is compromised or it’s very peaky to drive. Also be wary of major brake upgrades; the standard set-up is excellent so a massive increase in stopping power suggests the car has been absolutely hammered.

The suspension is also pretty good for road use, but definitely needs changes for track days. If you try out a car that’s got ultra-hard suspension, ask how often it’s been taken on the track; the chances are that it’s spent more time going round circuits than it has on the public road.

The best Elises are those that have had a few sympathetic upgrades rather than wholesale replacement of major parts. Also, genuine Lotus upgrades is the best route to take, as some aftermarket modifications can make an Elise much worse instead of better. After all, when the base vehicle is as good as this, you need to be very careful before meddling with the mix.

Exige and 340R - Even harder core classics

The Elise is one of the most driverfocused sports cars ever created, but if you fancy something even more hard-core you’ve got two options. One is to try to track down a 340R, of which just 340 examples were made, or you could go for an Exige instead.

All 340Rs were built in 2000 and they rarely come up for sale thanks to many having been exported to Japan. A bonkers machine with nothing in the way of practicality or comfort, this Elise-derived sportster was so named because it was meant to offer 340bhp per ton, but didn’t quite manage it. That doesn’t matter though because it’s reckoned by many to be the best Elise derivative of the lot when it comes to a sublime driving experience.

Also introduced in 2000, the Exige was effectively a fixed-head Elise with a 177bhp version of the 340R engine, but there was an option to upgrade to 190bhp if the 0-60mph time of 4.7 secs was a bit on the slow side. The Exige also features a close-ratio gearbox and much more downforce thanks to a huge rear wing. Another significant difference over the Elise is the steering, which is more direct thanks to a different steering rack, giving just 2.3 turns between locks.

In both cases the focus is on a scalpelsharp driving experience above all else; comfort and practicality went straight out of the window, not that the 340R has any of those (or doors). With these cars being so rare you’ll have to dig deep to secure one, although prices are hard to pinpoint as they come onto the market so rarely.

Just 583 examples of the Exige S1 were made (499 in 2000, 84 in 2001) and John Crook reckons you’ll be doing well to buy one for less than £20,000 at all, while £30,000 is nearer the mark to secure something that isn’t a liability; 340Rs are priced even higher.

Crucially, mileage is important with these cars because of their highly stressed engines, which often do not last as long as a normal Elise. So before buying a high-mileage example with an untouched engine, make sure you won’t have to fork out for a very costly rebuild any time soon. You might find that the Exige is a bit too extreme so have a good drive in one before you take the plunge!

Three Of A Kind

Caterham Seven

It started out as a Lotus so in theory this is the Elise’s most accomplished ancestor. However, while the Seven is generally even lighter than the Elise, it’s arguably less usable because of its cramped cabin and lack of luggage space. There’s a bewildering variety of Sevens available which means performance ranges from quick to ludicrously fast. There are lots about, but values still tend to be high. Check DIY builds carefully.

Toyota MR2

If you want to trade some of the Elise’s raw thrills for practicality and refinement, for easier touring or just want to use the car more regularly, few cars will do a better job than the vastly underrated third generation Toyota MR2. Using the same Elise power plant, the heavier Jap is not half as quick but still zesty enough for most and the handling is excellent. It looks like Porsche Boxster, from some angles, but you can buy a good for less than the price of a scruffy Spitfire!

Vauxhall VX220

Built alongside the Elise, the VX220 was overlooked when new due to its badge, yet in some ways it’s better. More relaxing to drive, there’s more torque than the Lotus, while the track is wider so the handling characteristics are less edgy. Equipment levels also tend to be higher, while towards the end of production a seriously fast Turbo was offered, with a revised suspension for more predictable handling. Great car, don’t let badge put you off.