Wednesday 3rd January 2018

Lotus 2-Eleven: Spotted

It may hold plenty of appeal beyond the track but, against stiff competition, will the 2 become a classic Eleven?

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Originally dubbed the Circuit Car, Lotus's answer to the Ariel Atom began life as the brainchild of a Lotus employees' 'Saturday Club'. Sharing so much of its DNA with existing Lotus products - what Lotus doesn't? - meant that it took just 11 weeks of out-of-hours tinkering to create, and, having met with considerable enthusiasm upon its Shelsley Walsh debut, it got the green light to enter development.

This process was slightly more time consuming, taking 20 months to arrive at the car we know today as the Lotus 2-Eleven. Underpinned by the same bonded aluminium tub as the original Elise and powered by the same supercharged Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine as the Exige S, it was so far so Lotus. Also in true Lotus fashion, though, the 2-Eleven tipped the scales at a featherweight 670kg - the entire, 13-piece, Coremat bodywork accounting for just 38kg of that. And as for that engine, it was now producing 255hp.

This endowed the 2-Eleven with the ability to hit 60mph in 3.8 seconds, and 100mph in 8.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 150mph. It also made for one of the most engaging and responsive track cars that £41,000 could buy.

For an extra £1,100 Lotus would, as it did in the case of today's Spotted, make the car road legal. This involved the fitment of mundane items such as headlights, a horn, and a catalytic converter, and the removal of exciting ones like the Track Pack's carbon rear wing and enlarged splitter. But it also put the entire 246,000 miles of the British road network at the 2-Eleven's mercy.

In that case, the vision-tunnelling performance of the 2-Eleven might seem a little OTT, which is why, for £32,500, Lotus also sold the car we have here: a naturally aspirated version. Sure, it 'only' does 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, but with 192hp it's hardly wanting for power or pace. This particular example also features a Larini exhaust, a K&N filter and is described as having "beautiful bodywork and an immaculate cockpit."

At £29,995 after 17,000 miles, depreciation could be described as minimal, but it also opens our Spotted up to some fairly compelling competition. For the same money you could have a Caterham 310R with nearly a third as many miles, you're only £3,000 shy of a very nicely appointed Ariel Atom, and KTM X-Bows will be within budget as well. Which one of that lot to buy for the weekend would be a wonderful problem to have, each offering its own appeal, but whether any of them will hold the same classic status as the Lotus is likely to in decades to come is another question. Where would your money go?

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SPECIFICATION - LOTUS 2-ELEVEN

Engine: 1,796cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 192@7,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 133@6,800rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2008
Recorded mileage: 17,000
Price new: £32,500
Price now: £29,995

See the original advert here.

[Turbobanana]

Nice car, rubbish lead photo (and parking, for that matter).

Edit: now changed I see. Carry on.

Edited by Turbobanana on Wednesday 3rd January 15:31

[LindsayMac]

Not too many around for sale, heard they can suffer from cooling issues on-track. Fancy one myself

[Cotty]

I really like this one
https://hexagonclassics.com/cars/lotus-2-eleven-20...

[RobM77]

I loved mine I bought it from PHer 'Stephanie Plum', who had the excellent taste to spec it from new in Lotus 49B colours. It was an original Lotus Sport built one. Three years of track days and occasional road use followed my attempt at quitting motor racing, but after three years I sold the 2-Eleven to go back into racing!

[Frimley111R]

LindsayMac said:

Not too many around for sale, heard they can suffer from cooling issues on-track. Fancy one myself

Not heard that but the fact it does not have wheel arch liners can be an issue.

[Ej74]

I bought mine after going for a drive with Rob in his in the rain

Heatsoak leads to loss of power for prolonged track use - I never really noticed it
The car grabbed attention whenever it was parked up or moving

[hondansx]

I think they look ace - saw one on the road once and it just looked insane being amongst normal cars! That white one looks fantastic.

Did race against them in Lotus Cup though and they don't take well to being tweaked much. Ironically, seemed as fragile as the good ol K Series.

[RobM77]

Ej74 said:

I bought mine after going for a drive with Rob in his in the rain

Yes, that was bad timing. Dry all week and then an absolute deluge when we went out in the 2-Eleven! Still, it proved it wasn't a lairy beast - typically for Lotus it was a very friendly car to drive.

[L100NYY]

They are fantastic things, had many a drive in them but one of the most memorable was an autumnal blast through leafy lanes......had an almost Targa Florio type feel to it with that view over the screen/front wings.

Sold a fair few over the years and every one loved them.

[RobM77]

L100NYY said:

Sold a fair few over the years and every one loved them.

I had originally gone to Bell and Colvill to swap my Elise for an S2 Exige S, but was disappointed at how similar the 4cyl Exige felt to my Elise, and after trying a faster one and then an RGB variant, was stuck. I then drove a 2-Eleven and bought it immediately!

[keo]

I would love one. In fact I spoke to Rob via email when he had his and he was very helpful. Things haven’t really worked out though and I have still got my Elise. Not a bad thing, just not a 211!

[L100NYY]

RobM77 said:

L100NYY said:

Sold a fair few over the years and every one loved them.

I had originally gone to Bell and Colvill to swap my Elise for an S2 Exige S, but was disappointed at how similar the 4cyl Exige felt to my Elise, and after trying a faster one and then an RGB variant, was stuck. I then drove a 2-Eleven and bought it immediately!

Indeed, they do feel totally different to Elise/Exige.

[RobM77]

L100NYY said:

RobM77 said:

L100NYY said:

Sold a fair few over the years and every one loved them.

I had originally gone to Bell and Colvill to swap my Elise for an S2 Exige S, but was disappointed at how similar the 4cyl Exige felt to my Elise, and after trying a faster one and then an RGB variant, was stuck. I then drove a 2-Eleven and bought it immediately!

Indeed, they do feel totally different to Elise/Exige.

Yes, I was surprised by that. It felt (and smelt!) more like a racing car. They're also a lot quicker; I did a track day with some newish Exige V6 Cups at Goodwood and two were let out ahead of me - after the requisite Goodwood pause before I Was released, I charged off and caught them (video on You Tube, but I can't link at work).

[Europa1]

The lovely people at Lotus (thanks, Flo) lent one to the Beaujolais Run a few years ago, and the sponsor that year (Falke/Burlington) paid to have it wrapped in their Argyll check. It was an absolute hoot to drive. Driving it up the to Ritz on the last night with a couple of the other cars from the 'Run was a treat (albeit bd chilly on a foggy November evening).

[Marwood79]

I managed to pick one up last year... after 9 months of hunting as far away as New Zealand (and nowhere near any classifieds btw). One of the original 50
- as denoted by the Yellow and black scheme and without the slightly less fragile Yamaha bike mirrors as seen on this one).

It's been great - the immediacy of the direction change, the fact you are sitting on the deck and the drama of the point-and-squirt performance. I've also had nothing but love from other road users wherever it's been. If anyone else owns one around the Cambridge area i'd like to know...

I have one eye on value, my hope is to keep it long-term and see. I suspect very clean S/C cars already creeping-up just due to the difficulty of ever finding one. But it will always be a small potential market. (My wife hasn't been in it - she refuses to engage on the basis of no windscreen).

Would be interesting to project forward 30 years to when we're all calling up electric cars on demand for A to B transport - is this type of car going to be most in demand for weekend hobbyists on airfields?

I'm also hoping to book onto the Lotus licence course at Hethel this Summer - i'm going to take it with me and see if I can blag it onto the track for a bit... (Note to any instructors reading this - I'll give you a lap for each one you give me) ; )

[TartanPaint]

That's been for sale for a year, I can only guess because the 190 isn't as desirable as the supercharged 260.

[Ej74]

Rob - it was an event !
I have now gone for the luxury of a roof on my track car (GT4)

[HeMightBeBanned]

RobM77 said:

I loved mine I bought it from PHer 'Stephanie Plum', who had the excellent taste to spec it from new in Lotus 49B colours. It was an original Lotus Sport built one. Three years of track days and occasional road use followed my attempt at quitting motor racing, but after three years I sold the 2-Eleven to go back into racing!

Sadly, the chap who bought the car from you passed away last Saturday. Really super guy. I shall miss him very much.

[TartanPaint]

L100NYY said:

Indeed, they do feel totally different to Elise/Exige.

It's like an Elise with everything turned up... to eleven.

[RobM77]

HeMightBeBanned said:

RobM77 said:

I loved mine I bought it from PHer 'Stephanie Plum', who had the excellent taste to spec it from new in Lotus 49B colours. It was an original Lotus Sport built one. Three years of track days and occasional road use followed my attempt at quitting motor racing, but after three years I sold the 2-Eleven to go back into racing!

Sadly, the chap who bought the car from you passed away last Saturday. Really super guy. I shall miss him very much.

Sorry to hear that. The guy I sold it to privately traded it in very quickly and it appeared for sale at Lotus Silverstone shortly afterwards. Are you referring to the guy who bought it directly from me, or the car's eventual owner? The guy I sold it to originally hillclimbed an Elise and was having problems getting in and out through the roll cage due to a health problem.