1998 90s yellow Lotus Elise 1796cc roadster, en-route to Capesthorne Hall classic July car show, Cheshire, UK
The Series 1 Elise arrived in mid-1996 and at its heart was the Lotus-designed extruded aluminium chassis that was glued, rather than welded, together. The car was powered by a transversely mid-mounted 1796cc Rover K-series engine with a 16-valve DOHC aluminium head. Its 118bhp output may have sounded somewhat paltry, but with just 731kg to shift, the Elise was quick (0-60mph in ) and beautifully balanced. Power was transmitted through a five-speed manual ’box, suspension was via double wishbones all-round, and the lightweight theme was even carried over to the brakes, which utilised Metal Matrix Composite aluminium discs. Bar a couple of minor updates – such as introducing a removable hard-top – the Elise remained more or less unchanged for its first couple of years. However, there was a track-only Elise Sport 190 in 1997, which featured a VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) version of the K-series, good for 187bhp. An even lower weight (just 670kg) ensured it was blisteringly quick (0-100mph took just ), but the Sport 190 was never officially homologated for road use.
Size: 4744px × 3162px
Location: Congelton, UK
Photo credit: © ZarkePix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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