The Lotus Elise was first launched in 1996 and is arguably the best Lotus ever produced. In all variants - there are many - it's fast, light, agile and handles superbly. The Elise is also practical (well sort of) and reliable - not something that can often be said about earlier cars made by Lotus!
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Many different versions of the Lotus Elise and Exige have been produced and it can all get rather confusing. Some are little more than styling exercises, whereas others offer real differences. What follows are brief notes on the main models.
To start with there's the Series 1 and Series 2.
Series 1 Lotus Elise and Exige
Produced from 1996 to 2000 and all have the Rover K series engine. In the standard version this produces 118bhp and although not huge amounts of horse-power, the very light weight of the car (725kg) means performance is excellent with 0 - 60mph being possible in 5.6 seconds.
For those craving extra power, which the superb chassis is well able to handle, the following derivatives are available:
Sport 135 - an extra 17bhp takes the power to 135bhp, and there's stiffer suspension and a close ratio gearbox
111S - the most popular of the uprated Elises, this has the 'VVC' head offering variable valve timing, better breathing at high revs and 143bhp. There's also a close ratio gearbox, revised springs and dampers and fatter rear tyres.
Sport 160 - thought by some to be the best Series 1 Elise, the engine puts out 158bhp and there's uprated suspension, close ratio gearbox and a taller rear wing.
340R - the most radical Elise derivative on them all. No roof, no doors, cycle wings and minimal bodyshell. A weight of only 675kg and a 177bhp (or optional 190bhp) engine provides stunning performance (0 - 60mph in 4.6 seconds). Rare and now appreciating in value.
Exige - a fixed head car, designed for the track but still very at home on the road, and available with either a 177bhp engine or the 190bhp VHPD (very high performance derivative) engine. Front splitter and raised rear wing create significant extra downforce to allow this variant to corner harder and faster than any other.
Series 2 Lotus Elise - Rover Engine
Launched in 2000 the Series 2 Lotus Elise has restyled body interior and hood, lower sills to allow easier access, revised suspension for even better handling, better brakes and an extensive list of other changes.
The standard Elise comes with basically the same K series engine as in the Series 1 albeit with a slightly different ECU. A little while after the launch of the Series 2 Elise, a 111S version was introduced, once again employing the VVC engine and this time producing 156bhp.
Two option packs are available, Sports Touring and Race Tech. Both feature cross-drilled brakes, different wheels, metallic paint and a number of other internal and external styling features. The Race Tech version uses Alancatara for interior trim items, whilst the Sports Touring version uses leather and also had a carpet set.
Other key models are:
135R - a limited edition model using the K series engine with reworked cylinder head ports, different throttle bodies and exhaust and re-programmed ECU provide 135bhp. Other changes include sports suspension, OZ Racing 16 spoke alloys, cross-drilled brakes.
Series 2 Lotus Elise and Exige - Toyota Engine
In 2004 Lotus started using Toyota engines - powerful, lightweight and ultra reliable. So in other words, ideal! Two engines are used, the 1ZZ and the 2ZZ, with the latter being either normally aspirated or supercharged.
111R - this has the Toyota 1.8 litre 2ZZ engine with 6 speed gearbox. Power is a useful 189bhp and gives a 0 - 60 mph time of 4.9 seconds. There's also revised suspension and track-tuned ABS brakes with servo assist.
Exige & Exige S - both of these employ the 2ZZ Toyota engine as used in the 111R. In the Lotus Exige S however, the engine is supercharged, making it good for 218bhp and a 0 - 60 mph of just over 4 seconds. Changes compared to the 111R include uprated suspension, re-styled front and rear clamshells, fixed roof and strut mounted rear aerofoil.
Elise S - this was introduced in 2006 and became the entry level Elise. It uses the normally aspirated 1ZZ Toyota engine producing 134 bhp. Although down on power compared to a 111R, the spread of torque is wider and so the car feels more flexible to drive.
Elise SC - launched in 2008, this model has a supercharged version of the 2ZZ engine (using a different supercharger to the Exige) and is good for 217 bhp. The extra power, combined with peak torque coming in much lower, makes it a significantly faster car on road and track than the 111R.
