The world needs stripped-down, no-nonsense cars. Vehicles that provide us with a raw, back-to-basics driving experience. Cars designed and built purely for the way that they can make us feel. Cars that make us smile, not because they have the latest tech, or they look amazing, but because they simply excite us.
One such two-seater roadster that does meet this brief is the Lotus Elise.
So, what’s so special about these little British sports cars? What makes them a must-drive for every car enthusiast? Let’s take a closer look, and consider three reasons why, in the words of Tina Turner, we think that the Lotus Elise is “Simply the Best”.
The Lotus Elise Is Sensational To Drive
You have to get behind the wheel of the Lotus Elise to appreciate what this tiny sports car has to offer. Okay, getting in might be a bit of a squeeze. It’s not the most comfortable ride, and it doesn’t have all the latest bells and whistles that most modern cars have today. But, it handles like a dream.
Can you recall the first time that you climbed into a motorized Go-Cart? That feeling of apprehension, not fully knowing what’s going to happen next. The build up of adrenalin when you engaged the cart's gear, and hit the gas pedal for the first time. Wondering how fast it was going to take you. The Elise invokes that feeling. It’s stripped down, visceral feel, is amazing.
You can have some fun with it on the road, but it's on the track that it really comes alive. The Elise’s steering is so responsive, you just flick the wheel, and its lightening reflexes will react. The car's aluminum space-frame chassis, and low center of gravity provide the recipe for a sensational ride. A ride that you could easily hire out for those special red letter days, where ‘fun’ is the main priority.
You can easily forgive it for its cramped cabin, non-adjustable seats, firm suspension, and poor visibility. Because it weaves through traffic, and changes direction, like a freshwater fish swimming along a river. The Elise’s clutch is as light as a feather, and its six-speed manual gearbox, is pleasure to change from cog to cog.
Lotus have focused on keeping the car’s weight down, the Elise weighs in at around a very light 2000 lbs. And because it has such great weight distribution, it wants you to throw it around, and drive it hard at the track.
As we’ve already alluded to, this blisteringly fast two-seater is pretty much stripped down to the bone. The English carmaker doesn't build these cars for office workers that have long daily commutes. The Elise doesn’t have the usual creature comforts that standard sedans and SUVs provide. It’s a track toy. It’s a car that wants to make you smile. The type of car that you pull out of your garage on a Saturday morning, when you need a bit of cheering up.
The Elise feels like a young teenager. It has boundless energy. It’s like an athlete that’s been training hard for the Olympic 100-meter sprint, waiting for the opportunity to show how it can perform. And boy, it doesn’t let you down.
Off of the starting blocks, it’s incredibly quick. It’s so agile, it feels like it can negotiate any twist of tarmac. The amount of grip provided by the Yokohama tires is phenomenal, so you don’t need to worry about understeer or oversteer. The Elise's low driving position fully engages the driver. It intensifies the ride, and magnifies the speed, for an unforgettable experience. You simply have to try it for yourself.
The Lotus Elise Is Fast
Lotus made quite a few different variants of the Elise during its production run, between 1996 and 2021. The acceleration time of this car varies by model of this future classic, but ranges from 6.5 seconds, down to 3.8 seconds.
There are six different models, but Lotus only offered two engine choices. A 1.6-liter, four cylinder variant with 134 hp. Or, a 1.8-liter supercharged offering, which can bolster up 250 hp. And, its this 250 hp engine configuration which they put in the Cup 250 model, that is the fast one. This Elise can charge to 60mph in 3.8 seconds, and it has a top speed of 154 mph.
The Lotus Elise Has Excellent Heritage
Lotus is a pedigree racing car brand. Since it formed in 1948, the company has been building high-performance race cars. They first entered Formula One in 1958, and they've had some cracking drivers. Stirling Moss drove a Lotus to F1 victory in the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix. In 1963, Jim Clark won Lotus its first F1 constructors' championship. And in 1968, Graham Hill also took first in his Lotus F1 car.
The seventies proved to be another good decade for the Lotus F1 team, with Emerson Fitipaldi and Mario Andretti taking numerous wins. In the mid-eighties the mighty Ayrton Senna drove for the team, taking multiple wins and achieving 17 pole positions. After winning 79 Grand Prix races, the company's last Formula One race was in 1994. And remarkably, they were the first marque to achieve fifty Grand Prix victories.
There is so much to thank this small company for; they pioneered the mid-engined layout, using the engine as a stressed member, created the first monocoque F1 chassis, simplified trans-axle design, and invented active suspension.
Today, Lotus continues to produce some amazing sports cars; the Evija, Emira and Eletre. The Emira is sadly the last of a long distinguished line of combustion engine cars, replaced by the electric Evija.
So, if you do consider yourself to be a bit of a gearhead, and you love cars, you need to try out one of these amazing little track cars, because it won't disappoint. The Lotus Elise is truly a bucket list worthy automobile for any gearhead.