Lotus Elise 1.8i
Sold/no built 1996-2001/10,619 (all S1s) Engine dohc 1796cc ‘four’; 118bhp @ 5500rpm; 122Ib ft @ 3000rpm Transmission five-speed manual, RWD Suspension wishbones, coils, telescopics f/r Steering rack and pinion Brakes vented discs 0-60mph 5.5 secs Top spe
Time was, you could pick up a tired but perfectly usable S1 Elise for £8k. Unfortunately for those of us who didn’t buy one then, those days are now long gone. But this delightfully original early Calypso Red example – currently at UK Sports Cars for a fiver shy of our upper limit (01227 728190; www.uksportscars.com) – proves that the affordable Elise still exists, though you suspect that it won’t for much longer.
For me, this is the ideal Elise: a bog-standard 1.8i, without even the 25bhp power boost that came with 111S spec. It’s the perfect demostration of the design purity its creators were looking for, a car that can crack 60mph in 5.5 secs from just 118bhp and flows down a country lane better than almost any other. The reason for this ability isn’t black magic, it’s weight: this is a car whose performance can be enhanced by the driver skipping lunch, such is its aversion to a few extra pounds. At launch, it tipped the scales at a scarcely believable 723kg (though this would rise dangerously close to a tonne in later, more comfortable versions) thanks to the Lotus designers sticking rigidly to the principles of marque founder Colin Chapman.
It helped, of course, that those designers – chassis guru Richard Rackham and stylist Julian Thomson – were the best of friends, who set out to create a car that would thrill on four wheels the same way that their matching Ducati 916s did on two. Rackham’s innovative perimeter spaceframe did without welds, its extruded aluminium members riveted and bonded together and clothed in Thomson’s retro shape that gave a nod of respect to the Lotus 23 and Europa – as well as his own Ferrari Dino.
The fruits of their labour appeared in 1995, set a new benchmark for affordable driver appeal, and provided salvation for a company on its knees. It’s still sublime today: with less than 60,000 miles, this 1997 car is a tactile joy to drive, the little wheel writhing gently in your hands, the mid-engined balance impeccable – though they can be edgy on the limit – and the performance incredible for such a compact powerplant. It even rides surprisingly sweetly, though you would be hard-pressed to call this car comfortable – getting in and out with the hood on is a nightmare, and those with a generous posterior (yes, I mean me) will find the seat gets pretty snug on a long journey. Oh, and while we’re being negative, that hood is more of a shower cap, and about as user-friendly as the flapping canvas of an early Elan.
Getting back to the thorny question of cash once again, if you’re completely objective about it then £15k actually seems like quite a lot to pay for something so minimalist. After all, it’s just a bit of shiny aluminium, some glassfibre and a dip into the parts bins of a faltering British car industry. But then, as now, the Elise was always so much more than the sum of its parts. AC
‘The Elise’s performance can be enhanced by skipping lunch, such is its aversion to extra pounds’