Why The Lotus Elise Is A Proper 90s Hero Car
Unlike the other 90s heros picked out by Team CT (Escort Cosworth, Ferrari 355, TVR Cerbera, Toyota Supra) the Lotus Elise is still around today – just about. But the original version, born in the Nineties, is the purest, the best, and the one that can teach modern sports cars the most. Here’s why.
Lotuses are built around one simple principle: lightness. The Series 1 Lotus Elise, launched back in 1994, weighs 725kg. The modern car you can go and buy right now for £28,450 (in bare bones Club Racer spec) weighs 924kg. Just read those numbers again. Yes, the new car has a more reliable Toyota engine, a better-trimmed cabin, more toys and more safety kit. You might say the fact it weighs 10kg less than a VW Up makes it a featherweight. But no. All it does is demonstrate how well-engineered the original was, to weigh 725kg. That’s closer in mass to an Ariel Atom than it is the new Elise.
Series 1 Elises used a 1.8-litre Rover K-series engine. They’re infamous for head gasket failure, but get a good one and you’ll enjoy a linear power delivery, and 118bhp. The modern cars have 134bhp (217bhp in supercharged S guise), but the sheer lightness of the original plays a performance ace card. At 5.8sec to 60mph, it’ll out-accelerate any Ford, Renaultsport or VW hot hatch, and even a standard Porsche Boxster. It’s also 0.7sec faster than the 2013 Elise. #JustSayin...
It’s not just the lightness though. The original Elise had a real honesty about its styling, the simple round lights, small, unshouty engine intakes, and plain alloys. No Elise is ugly, but the original looks best to these eyes – less like a wannabe supercar that’s shrunk – more like sports car nirvana.
One more thing: the lightest, fastest, best-looking Elise is also a bargain. You can get them for £8k now – not bad for something with such a sense of occasion, driver involvement, and downright Nineties era greatness. I love its bare-bones, industrial cool, and will have to own one, one day.
Built: 1996-2001Engine: 1796cc in-line four cylinderPower: 118bhpTorque: 121lb ft0-60mph: 5.8 secondsTop speed: 126mphGearbox: 5-speed manualWeight: 725kg
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