2014 Lotus Elise S3 Club Racer Edition

Highlights

• Desirable Club Racer edition

• Some choice upgrades

• MOT to May 2026, excellent record

• Good service record

• 70,216 miles on the clock, verified

Overview

If you live for clipping apexes, going purple, trail-braking and a bit of slow-in / fast-out, then you already know you’ll love this car. Because when it comes to track driving, or serious fast road driving, nothing comes close to the Elise as an all-round proposition. 

Of course, your Bac Monos and top-end Caterhams will be quicker, but they’re also many multiples the price of an Elise and nowhere near as practical. Yes, that’s right, practical. If you’re enough of a hero – or as some would have it, mad as a box of frogs – then you could genuinely daily drive an Elise. Even a Club Racer edition. We know a few people who have done this, and it’s perfectly possible. There’s a boot for some things, a stereo to listen to the Today Show, a reliable and well-powered Toyota-sourced powerplant and even a hard-top roof to keep the elements at bay. See? It’s practically a Rolls Royce.

Except for the fact that it isn’t. Because if you tried to do in a Rolls Royce what this manic whippet of a car can do on track, then you’d have the world’s biggest accident followed by a very awkward conversation with the nice folks at Goodwood.

You see, the Elise CR doesn’t so much work with physics as much as defy them entirely. That fabulous little 1.6-litre naturally aspirated unit may only put out 134bhp, but the Elise is a featherweight. We’ve worn heavier hats. So it punches well above its weight, particularly in the field of maintaining momentum, offering incredible handling and steering feel, decimating track machinery that costs ten times its price and generally being a proper little fighter of a car.

This particular example has been well maintained by specialists, has a superbly clean MOT history and a few choice upgrades to make your track days and B-road obliterations that little bit more satisfying.

If you’ve ever wondered what all the hype is about when it comes to the Elise, then this is the car to try. The ultimate antithesis of the modern hybrid supercar, with all its weight, safety systems and electric nannies, this is as pure and feelsome as driving gets. 

History and documentation

• First registered on 28 October 2014

• 3 former owners, current owner since July 2022

• 70,216 miles on the clock, verified by the MOT and service history

• Current MOT with no advisories expires 30 May 2026, excellent MOT history with no advisories since 2019

• Stamped service book with services as follows: Nov 2014 @ 1,039 miles, Jun 2015 @ 9,092 miles, Nov 2015 @ 15,997 miles, May 2019 @ 26,493 miles, May 2021 @ 32,697 miles, May 2022 @ 36,832 miles, Mar 2023 @ 46,165 miles, Dec 2023 @ 54,571 miles, Nov 2024 @ 63,852 miles

• Full document pack

• Collection of invoices for servicing and maintenance

• Two keys

• V5 present in owner’s name

• HPI clear

• Currently on a private registration, which will be removed before sale

• London ULEZ compliant

Interior

• Ultra lightweight bucket seats with strategic padding – seat frame finished in colour-coded red

• The seats look to be in good condition, with a little staining to the seat pads

• The dashboard and sill covers have been retrimmed in grey fabric, which is in need of some work to tidy

• Bright red Lotus branded floor mats

• Electric windows (the height of hedonism in an Elise)

• Pioneer CD/radio system with USB connection

• The driver’s door has been signed by Philip Robinson, believed to have been a previous owner of the car, and a car/motorbike racer in the 1950s and 1960s who drove Lotus cars in Formula Junior

• AIM digital dash with reversing camera

• Overall the interior is in good condition, with some light wear and tear consistent with the car’s age and mileage, but noting that would concern us

• At the rear there is a small but handy boot space, which is neatly trimmed with black carpeting and also contains a small tool pouch

• No issues are reported with any of the cabin controls or features

Exterior

• Lovely bright red paintwork, which has been detailed and polished before having PPF applied

• There are a small number of marks or stone chips, and a couple that have pierced the PPF, but overall the paintwork appears to be in very good order

• The GRP bodywork shows well, with no cracks, damage or spidering that we could identify, and all of the panels look to align and fit well

• The rear panel is finished in satin black, which looks a treat against the red paint

• Black soft top is present and correct, with no rips, sagging or notable UV damage we could discern

• There is also a hardtop included, which shows very well and offers excellent protection from the less friendly aspects of the British climate

• Aftermarket Cup spoiler fitted at the rear

• GRP carbon fibre wing mirrors, finished in colour-coded red

• Aero style fuel filler

• ‘Stow and show’ registration plate holder

• Red painted brake calipers offer a striking pop of colour against the black finished wheels

• Wide rear diffuser

• Underneath the car looks very clean and straight, with no obvious damage

• The alloys are black finished multi-spoke Lotus items, 16-inch at the front and 17-inch at the rear, and show well with no apparent kerb damage or lacquer peel

• The wheels are shod in a matched set of Yokohama Advan Sport tyres, fitted in August 2024 and with plenty of wear left in them (195/50 front and 225/45 rear)

Mechanical

• 1,598cc 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine from Toyota, mounted midships

• Factory rated at 134bhp and 118lb-ft, offering 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 127mph

• The engine bay is nice and clean, with no signs of leaks or any other issues we could see

• 6-speed manual transmission

• Rear wheel drive

• Sport mode

• Factory fitted immobiliser

• Upgraded 2Bular sports exhaust

• K&N performance air filter

• August 2020: rear dampers refurbished by Bilstein

• May 2024: brake pads replaced

• The vendor assures us that the car drives very well indeed, with no mechanical issues or problems reported

Summary

As light and nimble as a particularly fit hornet and about twice as angry, this delightful little weapon of a car really does need to be experienced. It’s a cliché to say “they don’t make them like this anymore”, but in the case of the Elise, they quite literally don’t. Lotus seems to have turned its back on the lightweight sports cars that it became renowned for, and no other manufacturers have really stepped into the breach.

This could well be that last great hurrah for the small, lightweight, naturally-aspirated roadster. As sad as it would be if that were the case, we can’t think of a better car to sign things off in.

Presented in great overall condition, with a solid history and long MOT, we reckon it’s the perfect car for track days and winding country drives this summer. Those fancy sorts in their supercars won’t even see which way you’ve gone.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.