Lotus · 1996–2021

Lotus Elise

The Lotus Elise is a sports car conceived in early 1994 and released in September 1996 by the British manufacturer Lotus Cars. A two-seater roadster with a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, the Elise has a fibreglass body shell atop its bonded extruded aluminium chassis that provides a rigid platform for the suspension, while keeping weight and production costs to a minimum. The Elise was named after Elisa Artioli, the granddaughter of Romano Artioli, who was chairman of Lotus and Bugatti at the time of the car's launch. Production of the Elise, Exige and Evora ended in 2021. It was replaced by the Lotus Emira.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Lotus Elan

All Lotus Elise data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Series 1

The 1996 Lotus Elise weighed 725 kg (1,598 lb). Because of this low weight, it was able to accelerate 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 5.8 seconds despite its relatively low power output of 118 bhp (88 kW; 120 PS). Braking and fuel consumption are also improved by the car's reduced weight. Cornering is helped by a low centre of gravity height of 470 mm (18+1⁄2 in). Series 1 was designed by Julian Thomson, then head of design at Lotus, and Richard Rackham, Lotus's chief engineer. Besides the standard higher-performance variants listed below, Lotus also released some limited edition models such as Sport 135 (1998/9) with approximately 145 bhp (108 kW; 147 PS), Sport 160 (2000) with 150–160 bhp (112–119 kW; 152–162 PS), and Sport 190 (190 bhp (142 kW; 193 PS)). These were more competent on track with sports suspension, wheels and tyres, seats according to model. There were other special editions such as the 50th Anniversary Edition (green/gold) celebrating 50 years of Lotus cars, the Type 49 ("Gold Leaf" red and white two-tone), and Type 79 ("JPS" black/gold) which refers to its successful Grand Prix car type numbers. The Series 1 Lotus Elise was assembled from kits on a dedicated assembly line at Proton's Shah Alam factory between 1997 and 2003. The drivetrain was imported complete and initially the bodywork was painted in the UK at Hethel prior to export. The Malaysian-assembled Elise sold for double the price of its British-built counterpart due to local vehicle taxes. The Malaysian-assembled Elise was also exported to regional markets, including Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. The Malaysian spec Elises came with a factory hard top, carpets and air con as standard though the air con was unreliable and ineffective. All cars had MMC brakes as that was what was current

Series 2

The Series 1 could not be produced beyond the 2000 model production year due to new European crash regulations, so Lotus needed a development partner to meet the investment requirement for a Series 2 car. General Motors offered to fund the project, in return for a badged and GM-engined version of the car for their European brands, Opel and Vauxhall. The Series 2 Elise, project code name "Monza", announced on 9 October 2000, was a redesigned Series 1 using a slightly modified version of the Series 1 chassis to meet the new regulations, and the same K-series engine with a brand new Lotus-developed ECU. The design of the body paid homage to the earlier M250 concept, and was the first Lotus to be designed on a computer. Both the Series 2 Elise and the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 were built on the same production line in a new facility at Hethel. Both cars shared many parts, although they had different drive-trains and power-plants. Contrary to popular belief, the VX220 chassis, later used for the Europa S, is not exactly the same as the Elise S2 chassis, the VX220 having a 30mm longer wheelbase and lower door sills. The VX220 also carried the Lotus internal model identification Lotus 116, with the code name Skipton for the launch 2.2N/A version and Tornado for the 2004 introduced 2.0 L Turbo. Fitted with 17 inch over the Elise's 16 inch front wheels, the Vauxhall/Opel version ceased production in late 2005 and was replaced by the Opel GT for February 2007, with no RHD version for the United Kingdom. Basic S2 models had a naturally aspirated 1,795 cc (1.8 L; 109.5 cu in) Rover K-series engine without VVC rated at 120 bhp (122 PS; 89 kW) at 5600 rpm and 124 lb⋅ft (168 N⋅m) at 3500 rpm of torque. 111S. The Series 2 was also available as a 111S model, with the VVC engine Rove

Series 3

In February 2010, Lotus unveiled a facelifted version of the second generation Elise (internal project code name "Anglesey"). The new headlights are now single units; triangular in shape they are somewhat larger than the earlier lights. The cheapest version in Europe had a 1.6 litre 1ZR-FAE engine to comply with Euro 5 emissions, with the same power output as the earlier 1ZZ-FE, 136 PS (100 kW; 134 hp). The face lifted model was also available for Model Year 2011 with the 1.8 litre 2ZZ-GE in naturally aspirated form from the Series 2 111R/R and with a Magnuson R900 supercharger making 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp). For the Model Year 2012 the 2ZZ engine was replaced by the supercharged 2ZR-FE power unit that remained until the end of production in 2021. The 1.6 litre version was discontinued in 2018. US Model. The 2011 model was the last offered for street legal sale in the United States when the waiver from the United States Government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for Lotus to build and sell cars in the US without smart airbags expired in August 2011. It used the Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine Elise R & Elise SC. Two versions of the 2011 model year, similar to the US Elise, were also offered in the rest of world. Both powered by the 2ZZ-GE engine. The Elise R had the 189 hp naturally aspirated unit and the Elise SC was fitted with a supercharged 2ZZ, producing 218 hp. Elise S. For the 2012 model year the naturally aspirated 2ZZ engine was dropped and the supercharged 2ZZ version was replaced by the supercharged 2ZR-FE Elise S. This model remained in production until being replaced in 2015 by the Elise 220 and derivatives. Elise Cup 220. At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Lotus revealed a high performance version of the Elise called the Cup 220. The Cup 220 is

Elise Concept

The series 3 Lotus Elise first appeared as a design study alongside the Lotus Esprit concept at the 2010 Paris Motor Show as the "Lotus Elise Concept" in the autumn of that year, and was set to be launched within the next couple of years. The car was heavier than the production model of that time, and had a considerably more powerful 2.0-litre inline-4 engine. The production model was then unveiled with many changes, including the downsizing of the engine to 1.6 litre and 1.8 litre (supercharged) and a different design with little cues taken from the concept.

Special editions

Sport 220 Sport 190 Sport 160 Sport 135R Lotus Sport 111 (Track based option for Australia, Hong Kong, Japan & Singapore) Type 23 50th Anniversary Edition 60th Anniversary Edition Jim Clark Type 25 Type 25 Type 49 Lotus Sport Edition Type 72 Type 79 Type 99T Sports Racer Race Tech Club Racer California Edition Purist Edition Final Edition Roger Becker SC Exige. The Series 2 Exige comes with the same high revving Toyota 1.8L engine and six speed gearbox as the Elise 111R, replacing the Rover K-series engine of the previous Exige. The Series 2 Exige has been followed by the limited-edition Lotus Sport Exige 240R, incorporating a Lotus-developed supercharger atop the Lotus engine. The US Federalised version with the supercharger fitted is known as the Exige S 240. Zytek Lotus Elise. The Zytek Lotus Elise is an electric sports car that was jointly produced by Lotus and Zytek from 1998 until 2003. Its 70 kg (154 lb) extruded aluminium space frame and lightweight composite body shell are factors in its low kerb weight of 875 kg (1,929 lb). 250 nickel-cadmium batteries provide 300 volts (at full charge) to two Zytek oil-cooled brushless DC motors, which deliver a total power of 150 kW (201 hp; 204 PS) and torque of 100 N⋅m (74 lb⋅ft). These motors are each mated to a single-speed, fixed ratio transmission with an aluminium gear. Its acceleration time from 30 to 70 mph (48 to 113 km/h) is 5 seconds, and from 0 to 90 mph (145 km/h) is 11.2 seconds. The car is governor-limited to 90 mph (145 km/h) to conserve charge. The range per charge is typically 100 to 120 mi (161 to 193 km) and the car can be re-charged within an hour. There is an example of the Zytek Elise on display at the Heritage Motor Centre. Other cars sharing the Elise platform. Hennessey Venom GT Lotus 2-Eleven Lot

Awards and recognition

The Elise has received critical acclaim for its performance and driving experience, including Best Driver's Car 2001 (Autocar), Car of the Year 2003 (UK Horizons TV), Best Sportscar 2004 (BBC Top Gear Magazine), and Icon of Icons at the Autocar Awards 2019 (Autocar). The Daily Telegraph listed the Elise at number 44 of their 100 best cars ever made.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Lotus Elise
Manufacturer: Lotus Cars
Production: 1996–2021, 35,124 produced
Assembly: United Kingdom: Hethel, Norfolk, England, Malaysia: Shah Alam (Lotus Cars Malaysia: Series 1, 1997–2000)
Predecessor: Lotus Elan
Successor: Lotus Emira, Lotus Theory 1
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door 2-seat targa top roadster
Layout: Transverse mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Platform: Lotus small car platform
sp: uk