Tickles Lotus Elise S1 111s
Discussion
I wanted to go to North Wales some time over the bank holiday. Weather reports were mixed but six hours into the weekend I took a chance and went at the crack of dawn.
The weather was typical bank holiday, a mixture of rain, sun and cloud! The surfaces were dry though and as always the roads and views stunning.
My decision was on/off until the last minute so the gopro wasn't charged for any driving stills, just the obligatory parked up ones.
I did however manage to get some pictures from the middle of the road due to Infinity filming an advert for a new car. Some temporary lights cordoned off a section of the best bit of tarmac on my route... and the cafe I wanted a coffee in!
Car ran and felt perfect, hope there are many more mornings and evenings like this now through the Summer into Autumn.
The weather was typical bank holiday, a mixture of rain, sun and cloud! The surfaces were dry though and as always the roads and views stunning.
My decision was on/off until the last minute so the gopro wasn't charged for any driving stills, just the obligatory parked up ones.
I did however manage to get some pictures from the middle of the road due to Infinity filming an advert for a new car. Some temporary lights cordoned off a section of the best bit of tarmac on my route... and the cafe I wanted a coffee in!
Car ran and felt perfect, hope there are many more mornings and evenings like this now through the Summer into Autumn.
Edited by Tickle on Saturday 28th May 16:07
Another productive weekend with the 111s.
I managed to get hold of some genuine Lotus S1 111s mats for the Elise, very rare items...and expensive if bought from Hethel. I just need to punch the holes in for the holding lugs... very carefully! I could do with a clear heel pad too as they don't have a rubber one incorporated.
The steering wheel was starting to look its 16 years, pictures make it look worse but it had faded/worn in the centre and the rim had become very shiny. 30 mins or so with some de-greaser (surfex) and then warm soapy water and a magic sponge had the rim looking like new. I finished the centre by wet n' drying, prime (thin layer) and a coating of satin grey (thin layer) had it looking better then I expected. For the centre colour I had Abarth campovolo grey mixed for no other reason than I like it
Before the wheel got refurbed I had an early run out to Wales, seeing as it was dry and I woke up early. Great way to kick off the weekend
I managed to get hold of some genuine Lotus S1 111s mats for the Elise, very rare items...and expensive if bought from Hethel. I just need to punch the holes in for the holding lugs... very carefully! I could do with a clear heel pad too as they don't have a rubber one incorporated.
The steering wheel was starting to look its 16 years, pictures make it look worse but it had faded/worn in the centre and the rim had become very shiny. 30 mins or so with some de-greaser (surfex) and then warm soapy water and a magic sponge had the rim looking like new. I finished the centre by wet n' drying, prime (thin layer) and a coating of satin grey (thin layer) had it looking better then I expected. For the centre colour I had Abarth campovolo grey mixed for no other reason than I like it
Before the wheel got refurbed I had an early run out to Wales, seeing as it was dry and I woke up early. Great way to kick off the weekend
I see you had an S2 previously, what made you go for an S1 this time?
I had a 2002 S2 111S from new for three years and loved it. However when me and a mate started looking for an Elise, we were drawn to having an S1 due to the simplicity of the design.
Fortunately we've bought a good one it seems & I enjoy driving it more than pretty much anything I've owned over the last 15 years
They're just great aren't they!
I had a 2002 S2 111S from new for three years and loved it. However when me and a mate started looking for an Elise, we were drawn to having an S1 due to the simplicity of the design.
Fortunately we've bought a good one it seems & I enjoy driving it more than pretty much anything I've owned over the last 15 years
They're just great aren't they!
MrVert said:
I see you had an S2 previously, what made you go for an S1 this time?
I had a 2002 S2 111S from new for three years and loved it. However when me and a mate started looking for an Elise, we were drawn to having an S1 due to the simplicity of the design.
Fortunately we've bought a good one it seems & I enjoy driving it more than pretty much anything I've owned over the last 15 years
They're just great aren't they!
Yes, I had the S2 a few years ago. I used it as my daily, it did prove tiresome as a daily hack… although it took me two years to realise this . Putting up with its flaws as a daily put me off using it as a tool for driving on a weekend. Reluctantly I got rid and replaced with a succession of excellent hot hatches over the following nine years (DC5, Clio Trophy and a 200 Cup). However competent the hatches were, none came close to the Elise for driving.I had a 2002 S2 111S from new for three years and loved it. However when me and a mate started looking for an Elise, we were drawn to having an S1 due to the simplicity of the design.
Fortunately we've bought a good one it seems & I enjoy driving it more than pretty much anything I've owned over the last 15 years
They're just great aren't they!
Fast forward a few years and I can run my S1 as a second car alongside my Aygo for the morning run to the station and Mrs Tickle has the family car.
My old S2 was an early K car so for rawness it was similar to my 111s; proper wind down windows, non-servo brakes, no soundproofing etc. I opted for an S1 for a few reasons. I liked their compactness, the look has aged very well and as a young engineering student back in 1996 I watched the documentary ‘Lotus Elise – The inside story’ which planted to the seed that I must have one.
I don’t intend to track the car so I went for a 111s over an S160 although my car certainly has the look of a S160 with the wheels, spoiler blocks and geometry. It’s a great car for driving and I feel the set-up is spot on for the roads I drive on with the short 111s B4BP CR box, 160 geo, AD08-r’s and S2 bilsteins. I know set-up on these is very personal though so it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
I did look at the S2 111s like you previously owned and also the 111r, I did prefer the 111s over the 111r but the S1 felt the better car for me. I should add that the S2’s were good though.
How are you finding the S1 compared with your old S2?
Finally, yes they are great!
It seems not a lot slower than the 111S which is odd - 118 Vs 156 bhp....however the S2 weighed a bit more obviously.. I think it's also because we have a really torquey engine - took it to Steve Guglielmi last week to have some new seats fitted and he said he was surprised at how well it pulled.
Had the GEO sorted as well, the car flows through the bends beautifully..just love it!
Had the GEO sorted as well, the car flows through the bends beautifully..just love it!
As a Father's day present I had a custom '111s' gear knob made up.
Really pleased with it to be honest, not to sure how much faster the gear changes will be though
I got round to fitting it earlier too. Note; the blue 'Daddy Pig' socks were also a Father's day present.
Hoping to try it properly over the weekend if it stays dry
Really pleased with it to be honest, not to sure how much faster the gear changes will be though
I got round to fitting it earlier too. Note; the blue 'Daddy Pig' socks were also a Father's day present.
Hoping to try it properly over the weekend if it stays dry
Since I have had the 111s it has always had two small scratches on the front that are about 10mm in length, these bug the OCD in me! 
Getting a quote in the morning for the scratch repair and the hardtop repainted too. The hardtop has some of the dreaded micro-blisters in one corner, this has put me off using the hardtop in the winter... again because the blisters bug me.
Not got a clue on prices for a hardtop respray, so if any one has a ball park figure it would be appreciated to compare what my spray guy comes back with.
Getting a quote in the morning for the scratch repair and the hardtop repainted too. The hardtop has some of the dreaded micro-blisters in one corner, this has put me off using the hardtop in the winter... again because the blisters bug me.
Not got a clue on prices for a hardtop respray, so if any one has a ball park figure it would be appreciated to compare what my spray guy comes back with.
daqinggegg said:
Mr. Tickle your Elise looks stunning and very capable. I really like the simplicity of the interior and the choice of colour just looks so right, I would be very chuffed if l owned that. One of my favourite cars on PH
Thank you. Yep, the interior is just right for this type of car, no clutter. I do need to invest in a personal DAB radio for any stretches of motorway though, only having 5 very short gears is not the greatest on your ears on the motorway.Edited by Tickle on Sunday 3rd July 15:02
As intended the 111s has been getting used this summer and lately I have been joined by a little passenger; my daughter, she still finds too much Lotus talk boring though! 
North West Lotus Owners Group (NORLOG) had a good run out to North Wales a couple of weeks ago; sadly no Gopro stills as I was running late for the 06:00 meet up due to the horrible thing that is Runcorn Bridge and its associated road works!
The NORLOG run was good with a nice mix of different versions of Elise, a total of four S1's turned out too so a bit of a rare sight I guess. Great to see the 'old' S1's mixing it with the newer cars. One thing that became apparent was how crap the S1 headlights are! The route we took was deep into Snowdonia and into a wall of mist and drizzle. MY lights were shocking and the newer or upgraded lights on the older cars really made a difference.
After a bit of digging and forum questions I now have a HID kit and white LED side-lights. The HID kit has not been installed yet, the side lights however are. I had a test run of the lights early this morning, they look good and will match the HID white dip/mains once they are installed... well that's the plan.
The early run this morning also doubled up as pre-MOT warm up for the cat, which seemed to work as it passed
Next up is to fit the HID's if the weather cooperates next week.
North West Lotus Owners Group (NORLOG) had a good run out to North Wales a couple of weeks ago; sadly no Gopro stills as I was running late for the 06:00 meet up due to the horrible thing that is Runcorn Bridge and its associated road works!
The NORLOG run was good with a nice mix of different versions of Elise, a total of four S1's turned out too so a bit of a rare sight I guess. Great to see the 'old' S1's mixing it with the newer cars. One thing that became apparent was how crap the S1 headlights are! The route we took was deep into Snowdonia and into a wall of mist and drizzle. MY lights were shocking and the newer or upgraded lights on the older cars really made a difference.
After a bit of digging and forum questions I now have a HID kit and white LED side-lights. The HID kit has not been installed yet, the side lights however are. I had a test run of the lights early this morning, they look good and will match the HID white dip/mains once they are installed... well that's the plan.
The early run this morning also doubled up as pre-MOT warm up for the cat, which seemed to work as it passed
Next up is to fit the HID's if the weather cooperates next week.
Edited by Tickle on Saturday 30th July 21:22
The plan was to fit the HID's and touch a scratch up but the weather looked too good an opportunity to miss, so impromptu trip to Wales was organised.
As always the roads were fantastic and I was also joined by a Europa S for the run, great car and a very rare one too.
Back to the scratch, my front clam has a couple of small scratches of about 8mm each. Nothing too bad but something that I have been meaning to get sorted for a while.
After ringing a few body-shops and 'smart repair' centres the theme seemed to be that it would need a front re-spray as there was nothing to blend up to and halo'ing would be a problem. One of the garages advised a touch up kit may be the best option, he even offered to do it if I got the kit. After some googleing I bought a kit from The scratch doctor.
The kit looks decent, even if it does say 'Lutus' the paint code was right! Paint, lacquer, alcohol wipes, fine wet & dry and some sort of ear-budd type tools were included in the comprehensive little kit.
I shall post my attempts up later this week.
As always the roads were fantastic and I was also joined by a Europa S for the run, great car and a very rare one too.
Back to the scratch, my front clam has a couple of small scratches of about 8mm each. Nothing too bad but something that I have been meaning to get sorted for a while.
After ringing a few body-shops and 'smart repair' centres the theme seemed to be that it would need a front re-spray as there was nothing to blend up to and halo'ing would be a problem. One of the garages advised a touch up kit may be the best option, he even offered to do it if I got the kit. After some googleing I bought a kit from The scratch doctor.
The kit looks decent, even if it does say 'Lutus' the paint code was right! Paint, lacquer, alcohol wipes, fine wet & dry and some sort of ear-budd type tools were included in the comprehensive little kit.
I shall post my attempts up later this week.
Edited by Tickle on Sunday 7th August 20:46
Tickle said:
The new screen has now been fitted with a smaller rear view mirror, not to sure where Lotus sourced the original but I think it may of a been a wagon!
You can see the size difference to the new one, pleased that the lever/suction mount does not wobble either.
Do you have a source or link for the new mirror?You can see the size difference to the new one, pleased that the lever/suction mount does not wobble either.
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