This Stretched, V10-Powered Lotus Elise Build Will Blow Your Mind

Check out this astonishing three-year build, placing an E60 BMW M5's V10 engine into a thoroughly re-engineered chassis, by someone who clearly knows what they're doing
Posted by Dustin Anthony on Monday, May 28, 2018

Some car guys dream bigger than others. You’re looking at a stretched Lotus Elise powered by the F1-derived 5.0-litre V10 engine from the E60-era BMW M5. We’re going to need a minute, over here, and possibly some fresh underwear.

This incredible build is the brainchild and work of Dustin Anthony, owner of custom supercar-builder Monivetti Automotive. Called the Monivetti Era, it’s effectively a prototype for a whole series of builds aiming to envisage Dustin’s perfect future. If it contains angry V10s stuffed into lightweight chassis, sign us up.

This Stretched, V10-Powered Lotus Elise Build Will Blow Your Mind

The story of the build is far too long and detailed for us to cover in a single news story, but the gist is that a red Lotus Elise was chopped out from the bulkhead backwards and lengthened. The whole rear of the car is now centred around a custom tubular space frame and a Porsche transaxle, not to mention the small matter of that whacking great V10 and a gorgeous Pagani-style high-level four-exit exhaust.

This Stretched, V10-Powered Lotus Elise Build Will Blow Your Mind

The build has lasted almost three years and involved a huge amount of engineering and re-engineering, both for the custom parts and making sure that the overall concept would function as intended. It already sounds stunning, as you’d expect - hit the video at the top if you haven’t already.

This Stretched, V10-Powered Lotus Elise Build Will Blow Your Mind

To give the platform the rigidity it needs, Dustin, who also owns an original Honda NSX, extended the tubular frame over the open cabin and gave the car a roof. Massive rear tyres handle the traction as part of a much wider rear track, and it looks to us like the front track is also wider, with fatter, larger tyres.

This Stretched, V10-Powered Lotus Elise Build Will Blow Your Mind

In case you’re wondering whether the whole thing will just disassemble itself the first time it’s driven in anger, fear not. Dustin says that everything designed and built for the car has passed Finite Element Analysis tests with Solidworks, a virtual laboratory for testing designs in real world-accurate ways.

This Stretched, V10-Powered Lotus Elise Build Will Blow Your Mind

The wider bodywork is all bespoke for this car. All-in, there’s over $70,000 in parts spend and around $200,000 worth of his time, Dustin says. The detail seems to be incredible, like the headlights he built from scratch along with the wiring and harnesses to mount and operate them.

Brakes: size XXXL
Brakes: size XXXL

There’s no forum build thread, as such, but you can follow the latest updates on the Monivetti Automotive Facebook page. Dustin tells us that there’s a proper promo video coming in the next month or two, and we can’t wait.

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Comments

Anonymous

THAT. LOOKS. INSANE

05/29/2018 - 15:45 |
2 | 0
Simon Wyatt (four arm squad)

Holy crap! that is incredible!

05/29/2018 - 15:53 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Finally, a lotus Elise to surpass bitter GT1, which had a oreca viper V10 under the hood

05/29/2018 - 16:23 |
4 | 0
Robert Homann

Pagani?

05/29/2018 - 16:31 |
0 | 2

Did you read the article? At the end of paragraph three, it says “ and a gorgeous Pagani-style high-level four-exit exhaust.”

05/29/2018 - 23:21 |
8 | 0
Hawkoga

Looks like a meaner Venom GT imo…

05/29/2018 - 16:44 |
0 | 2
Anonymous

I can imagine he has had some inspiration from the venom gt. However it amazing that it has a high reving v10 in the middle.

05/29/2018 - 18:29 |
0 | 0
Sammy Loehnis

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

It’s a Lotus Elise with a V10. The Venom is an Elise with a twin-turbo V8

05/30/2018 - 07:34 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Hennessy is calling, they want their front end back.

05/29/2018 - 19:08 |
0 | 2
Destroya

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Actually, Hennesey built the Venom off of a Lotus Elise so it’s the other way around

05/29/2018 - 21:43 |
4 | 0
Chris Gregory

Properly looks like the Hennessey Venom GT

05/29/2018 - 19:23 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Everyone comparing this to Hennessey… yes it is a similar concept, but it’s also totally different, and Dustin has done all this HIMSELF, in his garage.

That is something that 99.999% of the population cannot ay.

Please stop comparing it to Hennessey and appreciate the absolutely phenomenal thing Dustin has achieved, in his garage.

05/29/2018 - 20:32 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

We can compare it to what we want, and a Hennessey is the best comparison

05/30/2018 - 00:15 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Whoever made this had to of based it off of the Venom GT…oh wait the venom is an Elise 😂. Never the less super cool.

05/29/2018 - 21:12 |
0 | 0