1998 Lotus

Est £9,000 - £11,000

This car is in auction on The Market website. The auction is LIVE now and finishes on 5th November. Price is an estimate.

Offered in Mustard Spice yellow and with 73,000 miles on the odometer, this lovely little Lotus Elise has a great interior. It also runs and drives well and would make an ideal all-purpose daily driver-cum-trackday weapon.

Strong, reliable and looking sharp, this is going to be a very easy, cost-effective way for someone to get their hands on a well-sorted Lotus Elise at possibly something of a bargain price…

The bright yellow Mustard Spice coachwork is in great condition, being almost completely free of stonechips, scuffs and the sort of damage that even the most carefully conserved car picks up.

Things generally line up well, the panels gaps are OK and there are none of the sort of spider-web cracks that the model is prone to. In fact, it all looks so good that it has almost certainly had some paintwork in the past to freshen it up but that shouldn’t be a worry because it has clearly been done to the sort of standard that makes it hard to spot exactly what has been done; only its condition (and the overspray underneath) tips us off that it is not all original. (However, we might be wrong. We often are, so why not pop along and take a look and see what you think?)

The alloy wheels are in great shape too, having been professionally refurbished in 2017. They are still free of even the lightest of marks much less any kerbing, scuffs or other damage. They also shod with high-quality, matching Yokohama tyres too.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The Elise comes with both hard and soft-top roofs. The black fabric roof is in good shape but, like every Elise soft-top ever made, is more of a notional roof than a practical one in the level of protection it gives. (There is no yellow hoop to refit once the hard top is removed) It’ll keep most of the rain out, but if you want to qualify for extra style points - and why wouldn’t you if they’re available? - by running it in the winter then you’ll probably want to pop the matching yellow hard-top on.

It’s very clean, both inside and out, and turns the Elise into a genuine, all-season, all-weather sportscar. Snow or winter tyres would keep you mobile in even the worst weather too - and ski-racks are available…

We have photographed the panel behind the drivers' seat as there appears to be some deflection/damage. Please ensure you have made your own investigations into this before bidding. In better news, there are two full sets of keys. The previous owner had also confirmed that he had been told that the front section of the tub, behind the front wheels, shows no signs of damage.

Please note that the text above is just a brief summary of our listing. Please click on the link below, or visit The Market website for the complete description plus at least 100 photos and videos fully illustrating the car and its service history. All bidding occurs through our website, and our website listing is the best place to ask questions directly to the seller.

The vehicle can be viewed with us in Abingdon, South Oxfordshire.

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