Rarest (and arguably best) Lotus Elise for sale
Has there been a more thrilling Elise than the one built by Special Vehicle Operations 30 years ago?
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise to discover that a Lotus Elise S1, bar a few exceptions, is now at least a £20k prospect. It’s simply too pretty, too perfect, too significant a sports car to be worth anything less these days. Thirty years after its debut, with nothing like it ever going to happen again, Elises are modern classic royalty. We may have helped with some recent appreciation, too…
That a Series 2 can still be bought for a chunk less than £15,000 demonstrates the difference. Like Kanye West’s Late Registration and The Matrix Reloaded, it was a tremendous follow-up to a groundbreaking original - but exactly because it isn’t the original, the love isn’t quite so strong all these years later.
Back in the mid-'90s, it didn’t take long for Lotus to establish that it was onto a good thing. It couldn’t make Elises fast enough, and demand was soon there for even more extreme derivatives beyond the standard car. Because that’s the kind of crazy thing car people asked for pre-internet. A speedster-style Sprint hinted at the potential, followed up by models like the Sport 135 and Sport 160. The Exige and the 340R are also evolutions of the original idea.
None was quite so extreme as the Sport 190, however, a hugely rare derivative and the ultimate expression of the Elise philosophy. It was built by Lotus Special Vehicle Operations, a raft of upgrades fitted post-build with competition in mind. Homologation for road use was via Single Vehicle Approval rather than the normal type approval, because of how involved the overhaul was.
Most notably, the model’s kerbweight was slashed drastically with the use of expensive materials (see magnesium wheels and polycarbonate rear screen), the engine was hand-built to yield 190hp, and the suspension overhauled, much lower and stiffer with the track in mind.
Even by Lotus standards, the Sport 190 was intense, and just seven found homes in the UK. Only 48 ever existed in total, a tiny fraction of S1 Elises made (and without being an officially offered model in the range). Even with the dozens of special Elises that emerged over the years, there’s nothing quite like a Sport 190.
This one has actually featured on PH before (because there’s nowhere better to sell a Lotus Elise - or rave about them). In the three years since it last appeared, it’s covered a thousand miles (each of them presumably unforgettable), and is now for sale at a couple of grand less than in 2023. Still looks the absolute business, too, slammed into the deck and with the crazy cage splitting the interior. Probably it won’t glide like a standard car, but expect the circuit thrills to be off the scale.
£50k makes it one of the most valuable Elises around, comparable with the final editions of the early part of this decade. Far be it from us to predict the future of British sports car values (can anyone?!), but an Elise this awesome is always going to be coveted by the dedicated few. Should you ever want to get rid of an Elise this awesome, of course. Only one place to sell it, at least…
SPECIFICATION | LOTUS ELISE SPORT 190
Engine: 1,7896cc four-cylinder
Transmission: five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 190@7,000rpm (tuned to 215hp)
Torque (lb ft): 140@5,600rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 16,000
Price new: £33,500
Yours for: £49,995
PH - pedantry matters.
Back on topic:
The sport 190 was a mythical unicorn. But I think the 340R was closer to the original concept of the Elise. A weekend toy for the road and occasional track use. Practicality be dammed.
I didn't know Lotus sold over 35,000 of the Elise model, if this is their most successful selling car you wonder why they don't stick to a winning formula update it as needed and keep making them.
Mazda have done very well over the years with the MX5 so why not Lotus with something similar.
Had many a good run out in it, sure they don't have much power but it could still be hustled at a pace down a twisty b road that many bigger faster cars wouldn't see which way it went
He kept it till he sadly passed away a couple of years back and left it in his will to a lotus enthusiast who promised to keep it and look after it
Great cars, sometimes less is more
I'd love an article just about the special variants of the K Series. An engine designed to be 1.4 litres and make a clean 100 hp ended up screaming out over double that.
Had a basic Elise S1 and traded it in for an Exige S1 as one of the first customers having seen the launch car at Brands Hatch when they had the motorsport Elises as a support race for the BTCC during the final days of the supertourer era. Soon after taking delivery of the Exige Lotus dropped the RRP from £35k to £32K to encourage more sales. Didn't even get an apology from them let alone any cash back. Waited for the 'new Esprit' that never came and didn't particularly like the styling of the S2 or anything they came up with after until the Emira but by then I was out of the flash sports car phase and more into understated modern classics. Hence if I could go back I'd keep the Elise S1 as it was a better road car than the Exige, but back then trackdays were just getting popular so that made me make the change.
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