Lotus has been around since 1948, and since then, the brand has done an impressive job of building incredible lightweight cars renowned for their handling. The Lotus Elise is a perfect reflection of this and it has been a fan favorite for a very long time. The first generation was launched in 1996 and the nameplate has been around for 25 years now which is a long time for a vehicle. Indeed, it has captured the hearts and minds of many enthusiasts and it has gone onto be one of the best British cars ever made.
The Elise is a beautiful car to look at and it is a great one to drive, and it is no surprise that it is such a well-received vehicle. Because it has been around for so long, it is time to start looking at reasons why the Elise is going to be a future classic car, especially a future classic that will become more desirable as time goes on. This list will find reasons for why it is a future classic car and one any car collector will be happy to get their hands on.
8 Lightweight
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Throughout the three generations of the Lotus Elise, all of the cars have been incredibly lightweight. The heaviest car available is in the S3 model, weighing 2015 lb. This still isn't a huge amount, but the lightest model, the Lotus Elise S1 model released in 1996 weighs just 1664 lb.
The cars being so lightweight means that it is perfect for being nimble and easy to drive compared to other, heavier sports cars. Indeed, the lightweight appeal is what makes the Lotus brand so well known too, with its other cars being just as weight-focused. The Elise comes in as a future classic because of this as it is so ready to be taken on a track and it is so versatile that it can be driven just about anywhere with its lightweight appeal.
7 Excellent Handling
Perfectly in line with just how lightweight the Lotus Elise is, the excellent handling really made it stand out during its production run. Indeed, Lotus is renowned for making cars that offer great steering and handling, and the Lotus Elise was no different. It is incredible to handle through the responsive steering and the driver can easily feel feedback when driving enthusiastically.
All of this is centered on the fact that the Elise is so balanced, making it so rewarding to drive. Indeed, the ride quality of the Lotus is outstanding and that is largely felt in the handling. For this reason, the Lotus Elise is a definite future classic as enthusiasts love its handling and because it is just so easy to drive.
6 Clever Construction
The construction of the Elise was very clever. Lotus focused on keeping production costs low when making the Elise, and this only pushed how clever the car was constructed. The car comes with a fiberglass body shell and an aluminum chassis. The aluminum chassis especially makes the car structured enough to hold the platform for the suspension.
Indeed, the chassis was very much a revolutionary development for Lotus. The extruded aluminum is perfect for making a single piece for the chassis and it makes it easier to save weight as well as being cheaper to produce the car. As such, its clever construction was an important aspect of the Elise and it pushed Lotus into high levels of success at the time of release and beyond. This only adds to the appeal of the Elise as a future classic for car fans around the world.
5 Nameplate lasted 25 years
The Lotus Elise nameplate is very famous as it has lasted 25 years over three generations. This isn't an easy feat and Lotus managed to keep the vehicle marketable throughout this entire period. As such, it is no surprise that it is a fan favorite. Also featuring special editions like the 340R, 111R, and the Elise Cup 220, the Elise nameplate has been attached to some iconic cars.
With the nameplate being so iconic in its production life, the Lotus Elise is a definite future classic. Many love to see how the vehicle has evolved and has been launched as a high-performance car in some instances, making it an incredibly versatile vehicle and one that has kept up with the times. Not every car nameplate can go on for this long and not every nameplate can be as successful in evolving so well.
4 It was affordable
The Lotus Elise was very affordable, making it a fantastic car for people of many different incomes to buy. It wasn't a vehicle that was only available for the rich, but it was instead available for people who genuinely loved to drive a lightweight and well-balanced vehicle and they didn't need to break the bank to own one. While the car wasn't sold in the US for the most part, in terms of conversion rates that Elise S1 when new would have cost around $27,000 in today's money at the same time. This was very affordable for a sports car with fantastic drivability.
Not only was its price great, but despite the production of the car is so affordable too, the vehicle was very well made and it reflects just how brilliant Lotus is in making vehicles. As such, because of its original affordability, it will go on to be a future classic as it will be remembered as a fair-priced sports car that is still fairly affordable nowadays too. Indeed, its history is very important in it becoming a classic in the future.
3 Spawned other vehicles
Not only did the first-generation Elise spawn the later generations, but it also went on to inspire other Lotus cars and vehicles from other brands too. In terms of inspiring future cars by Lotus, the Elise helped spawn the incredible, track-focused Lotus Exige. The Exige is a perfect example of a lightweight sports car that was more of a hardcore sports car than the Elise. Indeed, the Exige has been so successful that it is only ending production in 2021 after being in production since 2000 and it came in many different generations.
Other vehicles spawned through the inspiration of the Lotus Elise include the original Tesla Roadster and the Hennessey Venom GT. The first generation of the Tesla Roadster launched in 2008 and it was based on the Lotus Elise chassis and there is now the second generation in development. The Hennessey Venom GT is also based on the Elise and Exige cars. With its inspiration for other brands, the Elise is definitely a future classic as it is so well known and it is so important in the development of vehicles that also want to be lightweight and agile.
2 Saved Lotus Financially
The Elise is the car that saved Lotus financially after it was going through some economic troubles. This makes the Elise quite an important car in the history of the brand, and it definitely makes it an icon as it was strong enough to help Lotus financially, a company that had repeatedly faced bankruptcy in its history.
Its sales were high. Between 1996 and 2000, Lotus sold 10,000 S1 Elise vehicles which made the car the best-selling Lotus ever. As such, it was a huge success and it was clear that the public and enthusiasts loved it. For this reason, because of its important history and status in Lotus history, we expect the Elise to become a future classic, being one that remains important to enthusiasts as it is so important in the success and continuation of the Lotus brand.
1 Motorsport Success
The Elise had a considerable amount of motorsport success. The Lotus Motorsport Elise car was released in 2000 and this car is very rare. It came with a 1.8-liter Rover K Series engine and lightweight aluminum wheels. It also came with racing seats and an adjustable carbon-fiber rear wing. As such, the Motorsport Elise car was fully kitted out to be a brilliant race car. It was perfect for taking on a track with its well-balanced handling and responsive driving experience.
The more extreme Elise GT1 race car may not have been a major success but it was an interesting car. On a more amateur level the Elise excels too, the track-focused Sport 190, in particular, has had reasonable success in amateur racing events.