Analogue Automotive previews single-seat Elise

The Elise made its debut 30 years ago today - now Analogue is taking it into uncharted territory

By Matt Bird / Friday, 12 September 2025 / Loading comments

September 12th, 1995 was a huge day in the history of Lotus. At that year’s Frankfurt motor show, exactly 30 years ago today, it showed the Elise to the world. And nothing - for Lotus, for sports cars, for enthusiasts - would ever quite be the same again. That companies like Analogue Automotive are still offering up fresh takes on little Lotus demonstrates what a momentous sports car it was.

Following the Terra seen at Annual Service last month, Analogue now has this: the VHPK. And it’s rather more special than the image might lead you to believe. Because look closely inside: it has a central driving position, just like another quite famous British sports car of the 1990s.

But there’s a proper Lotus link, too as the Elise racers from the Autobytel Lotus Championship (YouTube is your friend for that one) utilised a central driving position. This VHPK ‘places the driver perfectly at the centre of the experience, echoing the DNA of the legendary single-seat Elise’ used in the series.

This being an Analogue Automotive Lotus, too, the interior rework is really just the start of an Elise transformation. There’s the small matter of a 600kg kerbweight, for starters, taking more than 100kg from what was already a famously light sports car; Analogue says that ‘every element is engineered for minimal weight and maximum engagement.’ Carbon wheels and ceramic brakes are the big ticket items, but expect every bit of an Elise to have been redesigned to save kilos. What’s left of the interior is going to be carbon.

Power still comes from the trusty old K Series, which worked to glorious effect in the Supersport, only now it’s even more potent. In the black car, it was 210hp strong; now Analogue is claiming 250hp from a K thanks to more capacity (it hasn’t said exactly how much more yet), as well as forged internals. It’s going to be a very, very special engine by the sounds of it, the ‘K Series taken to its ultimate form’ no less.

Analogue suggests that the VHPK’s unique layout ‘echoes our motorsport intent and pure driving control.’ Given what’s been achieved already with the Supersport, on top of what the central driving position is said to do for the F1 experience, expectations will be extremely high indeed for this new car. Analogue says it’s going to build just 35, with orders opening next year.