1998 Lotus Elise S1

Everyone knows how revolutionary the S1 Elise was, with its extruded aluminium backbone and Colin Chapman’s mantra played out to the nth degree – just adding lightness, there are very few road cars that can claim a kerb weight of 675kg! It shows too, it’s just so agile, smooth, compliant and therefore fast! You don’t need a lot of punch to move such a small amount of weight, so 116bhp, although by modern standards seems microscopic, punches the S1 to 60mph in only 5.9 seconds. Which isn’t slow for a car of its age, but it’s not the straights that Hethel designed it for, turn that steering wheel and wow, then the beautifully balanced, lightweight mid-engined whippet truly comes alive.

 

As per the photos, this car belies its age and mileage, purely because of the care lavished upon it by the previous owners. It has had so much love and are that it has 2 service books, 22 stamps and more! So not only does it present well, it has had all of the big jobs taken care of, so this car shouldn’t cost much to run in the next few years! The gearbox had been rebuilt, the clutch replaced, cambelt done, new tyres and three oil services in the last 1000 miles alone. It does show on the road, as it really is sublime. Bridgestone tyres and the upgraded S2 style Bilstein dampers also take the already brilliant handling to another level!

 

The epitome of lightweight sports cars, this S1 ticks all of the boxes, with a classy spec from the factory and the classic Lotus yellow paintwork that just suits this shape to a tee. It has only been enhanced by the damper upgrade. Rated 5 stars by Evo magazine, it’s easy to see why when driving an example as good as this one.

Rarely do we see modern classics with as well-kept history files, this car has two Lotus service booklets, as the original was totally full. The owners detailed, the history folder in date order and every service listed, all 22 of them! We think you’d be hard pushed to find a better example even with half the mileage. Having had every conceivable job done and upgrades in the right areas, this being an early model is a desirable thing indeed! With the cloth cap and early boot space, this is one for the Lotus purist. Looked after by Lotus specialists all of its life (most recently Bell and Colvill.

 

The paintwork is in good order all round, with only one very small spider crack at the top of the passenger door, besides that, the car is one to be very proud of indeed, not like some that will require TLC and money spending the moment you collect them, like all of our cars, this one has undergone our full inspection and preparation in the workshop, therefore the new owner can turn the key and go and attack the B-Roads, just as Lotus intended. We all know the phrase; “don’t judge a book by its cover” – this is the automotive equivalent! Don’t judge a car by its mileage!

 

This particular car is so good in fact, that it hasn’t been featured in a magazine just once, but twice! Firstly, in Classic Car Buyer in 2021, showing what a great example it was at that stage, prior to the clutch and gearbox rebuild and belts being done too. It was then featured in Chicane, the Lotus Driver’s Club magazine written by the latest owner in 2022 telling of how enjoyable the car was and how it fitted the bill in re-igniting his Lotus passion and replacing his original Elan. The reason it is for sale today? He bought our lotus 7 Series 2 and only has one garage space! So to summarise, it’s a cracking car, owned and cared for by a true enthusiast and is ready to go and tear up the tarmac once again!

 

 

 

TOTAL NUMBER OF PREVIOUS OWNERS: 5

TRANSMISSION: 5 speed dogleg manual

ENGINE CAPACITY: 1,796cc

ENGINE SPECIFICATION:

Inline 4 cylinder

Maximum speed  126 mph

Power   116 bhp

Torque  165 Nm

0 – 60 in 5.9 seconds

PRICE: £21,995.00 - ONO