2003 LOTUS ELISE

My 2003 Lotus Elise S - A 2003 car but with the later Toyota 1ZZ engine, 6 speed gearbox, limited slip diff, Nitron dampers and bushes, spitfire toe links, ally rad among other bits and bobs, a really well sorted car. 65k miles.

I purchased this car back in early 2019 from Jon Seal Sportscars. At the time it had very limited history, only that it may have been a Lotus development car at some stage. A little bit of research revealed it was one of the original cars Lotus used to develop the Toyota engined cars, then became one of test cars for the USA spec cars too. There’s various pictures of this car when it belonged to Lotus, it even features on the back cover of the Haynes guide to the Lotus Elise!

As a result, although its a 2003 plated car, it’s almost entirely a 2008 spec Lotus Elise S, and has been repainted in Club Racer blue.

During my ownership I’ve replaced the 5-speed Toyota C64 gearbox with a 6-speed box fitted with a limited slip diff (transformed the car, no idea why they never had them from factory). In 2022 I fitted.Nitron Street Series dampers, Spitfire toe links, Nitron rose jointed bushes along with powder coated suspension arms all round, and fitted an uprated alloy rad, along with an Exige motorsports exhaust to make it a bit more throaty. Oh, it’s also got some custom LED halo rear lights.

It’s got a few imperfections here and there, most notably on the drivers door under the mirror, as per pictures. There's a couple of stone chips on the front clam too, but its a 20 year old car and these things happen when you use it properly!

I would trust this car to take me anywhere at any time- last year me and the Mrs took it on a camping trip to Spain via France, 2 up full of camping gear and never missed a beat. It’s ferried me up and down the country for work and pleasure with ease, it’ll even do 50mpg on the motorway! Unfortunately, the road to our current house is pretty shocking so getting it in and out safely isn’t easy, therefore it seems to spend more and more time sat in the dining room doing nothing, and I’m spending more and more time on the motorbikes instead!

Looking for £18,000 - it’s a really well sorted car, aside from the cosmetic bits it wants for absolutely nothing.