2000 Lotus Elise S1

Highlights

• Desirable Series 1 model
• Attractive grey paintwork with red contrast roof
• Long MOT to February 2025
• Comprehensive service and maintenance record
• Overall great condition

Overview

Tipping the scales at a bantam-like 731Kg and packing a punchy twin-cam 1.8-litre engine, Lotus’ Series 1 Elise is an exercise in “everything you need and nothing more”. If driving is what you love, and you’re on PistonHeads so we’ll assume it is, then very little comes close to the Elise.

That teeny kerb weight means it offers a power-to-weight ratio of 164bhp per tonne, more than enough to show the vast majority of cars a clean pair of heels on any twisty ribbon of tarmac. Add to that punchy performance the kind of handling and ride that the Norfolk outfit are renowned for, and you have a machine that can rightly lay claim to being one of the finest sports cars ever produced.

This handsomely specified example has been enjoyed as it should be – not locked away in a garage or hammered on a track, but used for road trips and cross-country adventures. Enjoyed and driven, not treated like a trailer queen and hidden away. The owner has lavished many thousands on maintenance and servicing, ensuring it can be enjoyed for many years to come.

And that’s the joy of an Elise – simple, effective, high quality engineering married to handsome styling and a reliable powertrain with great parts supply make them a relatively easy and cost-effective sports car to keep on the road and enjoy regularly.

If you’re looking for something to enjoy the autumn sunshine in, or simply want a great little sports car to use on a daily basis, then this would be an excellent choice. There’s a reason so many experienced drivers and road testers love them – they’re one of the best ways to enjoy a genuinely engaging and exciting drive at road speeds. In fact, for the money, there’s very few cars that can compete.

History and documentation

• First registered 20 October 2000
• Six former owners, current owner since May 2022
• HPI clear (checked August 2024)
• 92,286 miles, verified by the service and MOT histories
• Full document pack, including service book
• Service book features at least 12 stamps, with multiple services recorded on invoices and receipts
• Comprehensive service and maintenance record in a large folder
• Three cambelt services indicated, with the last one completed in August 2022 at 86,080 miles
• Two keys
• Current MOT expires 4 February 2025
• V5 present in owner’s name

Interior

• Black leather seats present well for their age, being finished with the original leather, showing some light creasing and patina
• There is a small tear to the outer bolster of the driver’s seat, but it appears to be relatively limited
• Period Alpine CD/radio sound system fitted
• All of the switchgear and instrumentation looks to be in good order, with minimal wear and no damage we could identify
• A pair of Elise branded floor mats grace the foot wells, with an aluminium foot brace fitted to the passenger side
• There is a small amount of wear to the edge of the driver’s side sill cover
• The vendor reports no faults or issues with any of the cabin equipment aside from the passenger side window which has jumped its runners, though he hopes to have that back in place prior to the sale completion
• There is a small boot area behind the engine cover, perfect for stowing the removable fabric roof or a couple of overnight squashy bags
• The boot area is finished with a dark grey carpet

Exterior

• We love the grey paintwork of this example, it’s a shade that looks great on the S1’s curves, especially with the contrast roof
• Overall the paint is in fairly good condition for its age, with a few of the usual chips and minor blemishes to the front and some micro-blistering to the doors and around the front bonnet vents
• Constructed using a GFRP shell over a bonded and extruded aluminium tub chassis, corrosion simply isn’t an issue
• The shell itself looks to be in excellent condition, with no damage, warping or craving we could discern
• All of the external badging and trim looks to be in place and in nice condition, with minimal wear on display
• The red fabric roof looks to be in overall fine fettle, with a small tear to the driver’s side that has been stitch repaired, and the vendor tells us it is perfectly water-tight
• We’re delighted to see the car riding on its original staggered, split-spoke alloy wheels – 15-inch to the front and 16-inch to the rear – all of which present very well indeed
• The wheels are shod in Dunlop tyres to the front (195/50) and Toyo tyres to the rear (225/45), which all appear to have good tread levels and side walls in good condition

Mechanical

• 1,796cc four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, 16-valve, twin-cam, mid-mounted K-series engine
• Five-speed manual transmission
• 118bhp, all delivered to the rear wheels
• Uprated Janspeed exhaust system and Hurricane induction kit
• The vendor reports a sight brake squeal and occasional squeaky alternator belt when cold, but no notable mechanical issues
• There is an excellent service record, detailing many thousands spent by the current and previous owners on servicing and maintenance
• August 2022 @ 86,080: new cambelt, water pump and camshaft oil seals
• July 2023: new heater return pipe, new fuel pipes, new brake pipes, new brake master cylinder, new exhaust flexi section and lambda sensor
• February 2024 @ 89,610 full service, new front and rear lower ball joints, new off-side front upper ball joint
• The car starts and idles well, with a smooth and bassy exhaust note
• We’re assured by the vendor that the car drives very well

Summary

As our roads get more crowded and ever more watched over, massive horsepower sports cars arguably make less and less sense. Small, light and punchy is where it’s at, and that’s where the Elise is king.

With the kind of handling that feels light it’s hardwired into your limbic system, the intoxicating induction roar of natural aspiration, and those classical sports car curves, there’s so much to admire about the Series 1 Elise. Beloved of collectors and enthusiasts, we think it’s the perfect sports car for Britain’s twisting lanes and tight urban sprawls.

And this is a great example. Sure, it’s no concours special, but then the Elise was made to drive, not to sit polished but unused. With a superb history and deeply attractive specification, we think this delightful little roadster is the ideal companion for anyone who truly loves to just.. drive.

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located near Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire.