Lotus Elise

The original Elise was designed as a sports car to be appreciated by real driving enthusiasts, fashion leaders and those who really appreciate technology and innovation. The whole car weighed in at half the weight of an average family saloon. This light weight bestowed the car with phenomenal acceleration and handling.

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The original Elise, called the Series 1 was augmented by a faster edition called the 111S, named after the Lotus type-number of the Elise — M111. Powered by a more powerful 1.8-litre K series VVC engine, this sporty new derivative had a close-ratio gearbox and enhanced handling. The 111S also received some cosmetic changes.

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The 135 had more torque than either the standard car or the 111S. It was also available with a close-ratio gearbox, exhaust upgrade, cast iron, drilled brake discs, headlamp covers, driving lights, corbeau sport seats, racing steering wheel, and Sport 135 body graphics. Lotus modification to the K series engine with mildly ported head.

An improved version of Sport 135, with 160 horsepower thanks to revised engine management and head changes. Performance derivative had fixed valve timing engine. WVTA versions require airbox modification and sport exhaust fitment for full power release. Other features include new engine controller, sport suspension and race wheels.

Sports suspension, VHPD engine producing 190 bhp, no rear grilles, rollcage, faired-in headlights. More competent on track with sports suspension, wheels and tyres. Powered by a factory-upgraded 1.8 liter Rover K-series inline-four mated to a short ratio 5-speed manual gearbox. A race car for the road.

Celebrating 50 years of Lotus cars. Anniversary green with gold wheels, green/raffia leather seats. Floor mats, gold decals, Anniversary decal on rear transom. Limited Edition to celebrate the 1st Lotus ever produced in 1948 by Colin Chapman. A 50 anniversary sticker is just above the exhaust. Seats are in green and beige leather.

A special edition Elise built to commemorate the great Type 49 grand prix car. The Elise 49 was painted with the same livery as the famous Lotus type 49 Grand Prix Formula One car (“Gold Leaf” red and white two-tone). Available based on either standard or 111S versions. All cars have gold painted 111S type road wheels.

Available based on either standard or 111S versions, it was known as the “JPS” black/gold car. Had a black body color. All cars have gold painted grilles as follows; radiator air intake, radiator outlet, engine lid outlet, rear clamshell recess, engine bay intake. All cars have gold painted 111S type road wheels, black and gold Alcantara steering wheel.

Available based on either standard or 111S versions. Atlantis Blue body colour. All cars have blue Alcantara steering wheel pad and sill trim panels, 111S type black leather seats with blue Alcantara centres. Standard versions also have 111S type road wheels, rear wheelarch spats and headlamp covers. A range of dealer fitted accessories.

The open-top 340R began as a concept car in 1998. Like its first-generation Elise brethren, the Lotus 340R adopted a 1.8-liter Rover K-series four-cylinder, which in “Very High Performance Derivative” equated to 177 horsepower and 126 lb-ft. of torque. With very little bodywork it was super light and very fast (0-60 in 4.5 seconds in the year 2000).

Lotus wanted to go racing in Le Mans (stop me if you have heard this one before). Of course in the 1990s that meant at least one of the “racing” cars had to be road legal. Cue the Lotus GT1. The Lotus Elise GT1 utilized a production aluminum chassis with custom carbon fiber body. Out went the four, in came a twin-turbo 6.0-liter (from C4 Corvette).

Series 2 Elise launched October 2000 was an updated Series 1 using a modified version of the Series 1 chassis to meet new European crash regulations. Same K-series engine with new Lotus ECU. Rated at 120 bhp.

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111 and 111S are basically the same car. They include a more powerful 156 hp VVC engine, closer ratio gearbox, new exhaust muffler with round tailpipes and flap valve; intake resonator box; oil/water heat exchanger.

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This car is identical to the 111 but features leather seats and trim, an upgraded stereo and carpets. The VVC engine and the close-ratio gearbox combine to give aggressive power delivery and rate of acceleration.

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In 2004, Lotus took to bold move and brought the Elise overseas to America. At the same time they secured a deal with Toyota to power the new car with the same 2ZZ-GE engine from the Celica GT-S.

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Lotus continued to provide a naturally aspirated Elise producing 189 hp (141 kW). For 2008, the Lotus Elise gets revised gauges and a few new accessories. It has the Lotus-tuned 1.8-liter 4-cylinder that gets variable cam timing and lift tech.

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This is the most powerful production version of the Elise to date with 217 hp. A new non-intercooled installation of the current Elise’s 1.8-litre 2-ZZ VVTL-i engine. It has sharp steering, quick responses, huge grip.

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As the new entry-level car, the Elise S was not fastest Elise but the acceleration, performance and handling was class leading. Lotus shoehorned in a 1.8-liter Variable Valve Timing Toyota engine.

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The 111R renamed Elise R. Part of the US federalization program meant minor changes across the board to update the Elise. Not much to see here in terms of improvements .

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The 135 upgrade kit gives the Elise 135 hp at 6,200 rpm and 175 Nm of torque at 4,850 rpm, 0-62 mph in 5.4 secs, 0-100 mph in 14.9 secs and a maximum speed of 129 mph.

Each S2 Sport 190 car is tailor made by Lotus Motorsport and although not strictly road legal, by deleting certain standard items the car can be made road legal. A real peach of a performance car.

The Elise Type 72 reflects the racing heritage of the Type 72 with the Black and Gold livery. The two gold heritage laurels on either side of the metallic Black bodywork, like on the wing of Type 72.

The Lotus Elise Type 25 commemorates 40 years since the groundbreaking Type 25 won its first Grand Prix changing the racing world forever. Only 50 cars were made so it is super rare.

Developed by Lotus Sport and Performance in conjunction with the Lotus Ride and Handling team, the Lotus Sport Elise 135R has been designed to provide ultimate performance both on and off the track

Lotus Elise Heritage Type 23 this was simply as a new paint scheme and as a limited edition run.

The Elise Sports Racer was a limited production run, across the two colors, of 199 units worldwide. With a modified Honda Celica engine producing a maximum power output of 189 hp.

Limited edition: Only 100 cars (individually numbered) produced for the UK market, cars on sale in Europe and rest of the world are not limited. A unique heritage plate stating the limited edition number of your Type 49.

The Lotus 99T F1 car was the last Lotus to ever win a Grand Prix. Painted in unique ‘Saffron Yellow’ the Elise Type 99T commemorates one of the most recognizable cars in the history of Formula One.

35th Anniversary Commemorative Edition. Collectible Edition memorializes the Lotus 72, the car that the legendary Emerson Fittipaldi proved unstoppable, winning five of eleven races in 1972. 50 made.

Limited edition (50 cars) for Mainland Europe – the Lotus Elise S 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. Based on the entry-level Elise S it commemorates the 40th anniversary of production at Hethel in 2007.

The 2008 Limited California Special Edition of the Lotus Elise features significant bodywork and trim upgrades designed specifically for the lifestyle market. Initially be offered in a limited quantity of 50 units.

In tribute to Jim Clark’s achievements, Lotus, in association with Classic Team Lotus, is produced the Clark Type 25 Elise SC. Limited to 50 units. Draws upon many styling cues from the Type 25 Formula 1 car in 1963.

Lotus took four of the classic color schemes used by Lotus in the ’60s (Elite Yellow, Carbon Grey, Sky Blue and Old English White) and combined them with exclusive Club Racer interior design.

The car weighs 745kg when ready to drive and has 252 bhp from its supercharged and intercooled 1796 cc engine. The 2-Eleven uses a high-sided variant of the Elise’s chassis structure featuring epoxy bonded aluminum alloy extrusions with modified Exige S based running gear.

The 2011 Elise range got a design refresh as well as a number of technical improvements. The highlight was a new 1ZR-FAE 1.6 litre engine with Valvematic and Dual VVT-I technology to optimize the performance and efficiency of the engine and a new 6 speed close ratio gearbox. Several other interior and exterior updates came with it.

Made in celebration the legendary input of Roger Becker (RGB) who retired in January 2010 following 44 years of service. Lotus made a series of Lotus Elise and Lotus Exige sports cars in bespoke RGB Special Edition specification. Come with Touring and Sports packages and available in four colors.

1.8 liter, 4-cylinder engine with 194 hp and 133 ft.-lbs. of torque. The North American model also gets additional updates like the evolution body design incorporating new front clamshell, rear bumper and engine cover and the new 6 speed close ratio gearbox. Also available with Touring Pack and Sports pack. The last US Elise.

The 2011 Elise range for the US and Canadian markets also got the Lotus Elise SC with its 1.8 liter supercharged 4-cylinder engine with 218 hp and 156 ft.-lbs. The sweetest ride and best performing Elise in the range in our opinion. Lots of updates like the R and base Elise also in terms of design and upgrade options.

With only 15 units made, this final edition is rare. It has a supercharged 217 bhp engine, exclusive matte black paint detailing on the rear transom panel, roll hoop cover, hardtop and door mirror housings and an unprecedented level of standard equipment, this “Final” Elise makes a striking statement. Available in only four colors.

The ‘S’ designation now only applies to supercharged models in the Lotus range, and this Elise comes with a suitably blown 1.8-litre engine. The supercharged engine – a Toyota-sourced four-cylinder, as we’re used to with modern-day Elises – produces 1bhp less but 28 lb/ft more than the unit in the previous-generation Elise SC.

The engineers behind the Elise Club Racer took a stripped-to-the-bare-bone approach. For the first time ever an Elise variant comes complete with a Sport setting for the DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) allowing even the less experienced sports car drivers to feel at the top of their game.

At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Lotus revealed a high performance version of the Elise called the Cup 220. The Cup 220 is a more track focused and hardcore version of the standard Elise. A redesigned, lighter, front clam panel with wider apertures for improved cooling, saves 8.7kg and there are lots of other weight saving initiatives.

New iteration of handbuilt Lotus sports car launched with Sprint edition. Sprint adds carbon fiber to cut 41 kg and hit 798 kg dry weight. New front and rear design, and significant interior upgrades. Part of the regular lineup. Biggest weight cut to the car since the introduction of the first-generation Elise. This was one quick car and up there in terms of our favorites.

The engineers behind the Elise Club Racer took a stripped-to-the-bare-bone approach. For the first time ever an Elise variant comes complete with a Sport setting for the DPM allowing even the less experienced drivers to feel good.

The Elise Sport 220 builds on the many celebrated Elise virtues, blending agility, power, balance and communication into one compact expression of pure driving joy. It is the current base model available. The entry level Elise is still near perfect.

Celebratory 20th Anniversary Special Edition Elise. Special edition, based on the Elise S Club Racer, including classic Elise colour schemes, weight reduced by 10 kg and 20th Anniversary decals externally and on dashboard stereo blanking-plate. This model replaces the Elise S Club Racer.

In 2017 Lotus launched their fastest Elise yet, the Lotus Elise Cup 250. Bred for the track but brilliant on the road, the Elise Cup 250 uses highly advanced aero to generate 148 kg of downforce at its maximum speed of 154 mph. 1.8-liter supercharged engine is good for 245 bhp and 0-60 mph in 3.9 secs.

Specifically developed by Lotus’ famous Motorsport division the car has benefited through the company’s ‘Lightweight Laboratory’. A Lithium Ion battery saves 10 kg, carbon race seats save another 6 kg. Ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels as well as other lightweight options abound. Weighs less than 900 kg.

Based on the Elise Cup 250 but featuring a raft of exclusive components as standard. 50th anniversary edition celebrates founding of Hethel site. Hand finished, with lightweight carbon components as standard. 899 kg kerb weight delivers pure and precise driving experience. A gem of a car.

A new version of the Elise’s most popular model, the Cup 250. A massive 23 kg lighter than its predecessor, with lightweight options including a Carbon Aero pack, front access panel, roll hoop cover and engine cover to take this to 40 kg, providing even more blistering performance.

Newest Lotus Elise is basically a race car with license plates. The Elise Cup 260 is an evolution of the 250, using carbon fiber parts and polycarbonate backlit glass to shave nearly 150 pounds for a dry weight of just 1900 pounds. Output from the Toyota-sourced supercharged four-cylinder grows slightly to 250 hp.

It wouldn’t be a proper Lotus celebration without the traditional colours of black and gold, which have been applied to the Lotus Elise 250 Cup GP Edition inside and out. Echoing the Team Lotus 72 F1 car, the exterior has gold, accents and wheels that are set against the black base colour, while in the cabin you’ll find plenty of gold-stitch.