Produced from 1996 to 2000, the Series 1 Elise was the car that rescued Lotus. Offering a rear-drive, mid-engined driving experience twinned to a low kerbweight (just 725Kg) and punchy 118bhp K-series engine, it was a massive success.
This car has a really interesting history. It left the production line in Hethel on 28th January 1998 (the VIN confirms this is a Hethel built car, not a Proton assembled one), and was despatched to Churchill Insurance in March 1998.
It was to be a prize in a competition run in Scotland. The winner was an older gentleman who had only entered the competition on a whim and found he couldn’t drive the car as much as he wanted.
So it spent most of its life dry-stored in a garage, only coming out for the occasional drive in fine weather and for its regular servicing. Eventually he realized he’d have to let the car go, and that’s when the current owner acquired it in 2018.
In the care of the current owner, the car has been kept in a heated garage and maintained to the same high standard.
Again, it has only been taken out in good weather, and has covered less than 800 miles since 2018. Quite a chunk of that mileage was in 2018, when the car was invited to take part in Lotus’ 70th anniversary celebrations in Hethel.
In fact, the entrance sticker from the event is still present in the windscreen. The only reason that the owner is considering parting with the vehicle is that they find they’re not able to use it as much as it deserves.Dq6SbWN4pHE4WHKxGIkvn1HxPYPPoybP6rqHjSPo.jpeg186.45 KB
The Paperwork
With such low mileage, you’d expect the vehicle to have very little paperwork with it. However, the car’s file is quite extensive and very interesting.
Obviously the V5 is present and correct, as is the previous V5, the original handbooks in their leather wallet, previous MOT certificates and some service receipts.
More interestingly, the current keeper has acquired a Certificate of Provenance from Lotus Cars, which confirms the car’s history and originality. It notes that the car was 6/32 UK Lotus Elises produced in Metallic Azure Blue with the optional Raffia Leather trim in 1998.
It also confirms the factory-fit options the car has, including a radio kit, auxiliary lights, Cobra alarm, black cloth soft top, passenger footrest and interior/boot storage kits.
For peace of mind, there is also a HPI “clear” certificate from August 2018 when the current owner purchased the car, as well as a Workshop Manual on CD.
The maintenance record is complete, with 12 stamps (despite the car’s low mileage). The last service was carried out by a specialist in November 2020 at 5,328 miles – so it’s only covered 20 miles since then!
Of particular note is the original factory production checklist and dispatch record, something you rarely see in any car’s paperwork file.
There are two sets of keys with the vehicle. It should also be noted that the car does not currently have an MOT as it’s been kept indoors throughout the winter months, but the owner will be putting a fresh MOT on it before the sale.59sAiNEJCeJMABjgkQEZAXJWaNBURJJZI832r0g0.jpeg317.31 KB
The Interior
Inside, the car is almost as fresh as the day it left Hethel. Elise’s have never been luxuriously specced, this would miss the point of a lightweight sports car somewhat.
But this really is a lovely place to be. The Raffia leather trim is in superb condition, the leather feeling soft and smooth to the touch and displaying no signs of wear at all – even on the steering wheel.
As the car had the radio kit option fitted from the factory, a Clarion Radio/Cassette player has been fitted, should you tire of the lovely soundtrack coming from the inline-four behind your head.
The current owner has also purchased fitted bespoke ‘Elise’ cabin mats. Behind the seats there is a storage area with cargo net for the fabric roof or to secure small items of luggage.
All of the switchgear, the door trim, controls and clocks are in excellent condition, with everything functioning perfectly. The floors, sills and door shuts are likewise in as-new condition.
Thanks to the mid-engine layout, the little Lotus is surprisingly practical too. As well as the storage net behind the seats, there is a good sized trunk area at the back - certainly big enough for a weekend bag.
Series 1 Elises have always been great looking vehicles – the swooping bodywork and dainty proportions are very well judged.
This car’s Metallic Azure Blue paintwork really does suit the car perfectly, looking deep and wonderfully glossy. As you’d expect from a car with such low miles, the paint is in excellent condition. In fact, we’d go so far as to say it’s flawless.
We spent a long time trying to find a blemish, swirl or scratch and honestly couldn’t. It looks as good as the day it rolled off the factory floor.
It’s also equipped with a black fabric roof, which can be removed and stowed in a couple of minutes in the dedicated bag. As with the rest of the exterior, the roof is in excellent condition with no evidence of any damage, or even wear and tear.
The fiberglass shell is in perfect condition, and all of the external trim, lights and rubbers are in superb condition. Wheels are the standard factory-fit 15” 5 spoke alloys and are in excellent condition.
They’re even still shod with the original, factory-fitted Pirelli tyres, which are date-stamped and look to still be in very good condition, with no evidence of cracking or age-related wear that we could see.
Underneath, the bonded aluminum chassis and flat underside tray all look in near perfect condition too. To the point where it’s hard to believe the car has ever been driven on the open road.
Both owners have clearly spent a lot of time keeping the car in as good a condition as possible.
One of the highlights of the S1 Elise is its mechanical simplicity and reliability. The 1,796cc K-Series is a cracking little engine – revvy and pushing out a healthy 118bhp.
More than enough in a car that weighs less than 750Kg. In fact it means the car is good for a 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds. The engine in this vehicle sounds superb and is in excellent condition.
It’s benefitted from 12 services but has covered less than 5,500 miles, so you can be confident that it’s in tip-top condition.
Mated to the naturally-aspirated four-pot is a manual 5-speed gearbox with legendarily good feel and a short, snickety throw that’s truly satisfying to use. The drivetrain as a whole appears to be in as-new condition.
Due to the low mileage, the car still has its original Koni dampers fitted. The chances of finding another Elise still running the original suspension set-up are slim to none, so this is incredibly rare.
It also features the original Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) discs and pads, which look almost new.
If you’ve not already figured it out – we adore the Elise. If you’re after a proper driver’s car, one that encapsulates Colin Chapman’s “simplify and add lightness” mantra, but is still usable and reliable even as an everyday car, it’s the only sane choice.
The howls of sadness from the car community when Elise production came to an end in 2021 tell you everything you need to know, this is a car that’s almost universally respected and adored.
And there are many good reasons for that. The drivetrain is engaging and powerful enough to trouble serious exotica on a track day, but still offers excellent reliability and relatively cheap running costs.
The bonded, extruded aluminum tub chassis combined with the fiberglass shell makes the car light and rigid, offering the kind of razor-sharp handling you expect from a racecar, but with the cosseting ride Lotus have made their callsign.
Which brings us to this particular Elise. To say it’s a ‘time warp’ car is to understate things somewhat. This is an engine bay valet away from being a full-on concours car.
It’s in mind-bogglingly good condition. We’ve certainly never seen an Elise this original and factory-fresh.
We’d bet that, outside of Lotus’ heritage collection, we never will again either. From the sublime Azure Blue paintwork (the best color for an Elise) to the gorgeous light-tan Raffia leather interior, the specification is perfect and everything is just in the best possible condition.
As we all know, when it comes to classic cars, originality is everything, and this joyous little sports car is as original as you can get. The fact that it still wears its original tyres and MMC brakes – and that they all look in near perfect condition – is astounding.
The Elise has long been a sought after car, both for collectors and track day enthusiasts, and now that Lotus have taken the car out of production, these will become an ever-rare sight on our roads.
Especially so for the Series 1 cars, as they have been out of production now for 22 years. So to find a 24 year old example in this kind of near-showroom condition, with a genuinely interesting history, flawless maintenance record and choice specification is proper ‘unicorn’ stuff.
We’re willing to stick our necks out and say that this is the cleanest, most original S1 Elise in the country.
This delightful little car is a thing of wonder, and we’re sure the new owner has many, many years of thrilling, joyous motoring ahead of them.
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