“Simplify, then add lightness.” It was the phrase that encapsulated Colin Chapman’s design philosophy, and served Lotus well years after his passing when it released the Elise. Its engine produces a relatively modest power figure, but the low curb weight makes it a surprise packet. This 1997 Elise recently arrived in North America and is a turnkey proposition in need of a new home. The seller has listed the Lotus here on eBay in Huntland, Tennessee. They set their No Reserve auction to open at $24,999, but have received no bids at the time of writing.
The release of the Elise in 1996 marked a return to its roots for Lotus Cars. The Esprit provided excellent performance, but the company also added luxury features that raised the car’s curb weight. The Elise was a more basic offering, providing hard-edged performance from a vehicle with modest engine power. This 1997 example presents nicely in Azure Blue, having recently arrived on local shores from its first home in The Cotswolds. The seller indicates that the soft-top has a couple of small, repairable tears and is missing a few of its snap fasteners. However, addressing those issues shouldn’t cost a fortune. Close inspection reveals a wide range of minor chips, but it is worth noting that the seller markets this classic as a survivor that has been driven and enjoyed by a Lotus enthusiast. The fiberglass panels are in good order, and there are no corrosion issues with the vehicle’s aluminum frame.
The interior best demonstrates how Lotus returned to its original design philosophy with the Elise. The body-hugging seats look comfortable, and the dashboard houses a CD player. When it comes to the subject of creature comforts, that’s all you receive beyond a heater. The term “bare-bones” seems appropriate, but luxury wasn’t the aim of the exercise when Lotus developed the Elise. I would describe this car’s interior as serviceable, because it shows wear on surfaces like the seat leather, the wheel, and the driver’s door trim and paint, where the window regulator handle has rubbed. The buyer could address many of the faults relatively cheaply, although the outer seat edge wear may prove more expensive if a leather specialist can’t weave their magic.
The Elise is a mid-engined sports car, a common Lotus approach. The 1,795cc Rover K-Series four produces a factory-quoted 118hp, which is fed to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transaxle. Four-wheel independent suspension and disc brakes on all corners allow the Elise to handle and stop superbly. The engine power is modest by any standard, but with a curb weight of a mere 1,520 lbs, the Lotus is a spritely performer that shines on winding roads. The seller indicates that this classic recently received a new exhaust, suspension components, and new tires. It runs and drives perfectly, as demonstrated in this YouTube video.
With an extraordinarily low curb weight, this 1997 Lotus Elise should provide its new owner with something approaching the ultimate driving experience if they point it at a twisting piece of road. The seller’s opening bid may be slightly optimistic for an Elise of this caliber, as the interior shortcomings will negatively affect its potential value. That said, the listing statistics suggest it has attracted attention. However, this is the seller’s third attempt to find it a new home since the start of December. The No Reserve factor could allow someone to secure this British gem with a single bid. Are you tempted to make that happen?
What a great color!! And RHD.
I entered and raced a Sport 190, very similar to this car, competing in an endurance race. I had removed the small window in the rear, there under the ‘roll-hoop’. I was carbon monoxide poisoned due to the fumes that trailed forward along the tail of the vehicle.
Just a warning to whomever ends up buying this or one like it.
Really nice go-kart! 700 (!!!) lbs lighter than our Miata, with only 10HP less (stock), this must be a fun tossabout!!
I love these cars, but they can be a bear to work on
They first came to Canada in 2005 (S2). I went straight to the dealer and picked one out of the showroom. Daily driver (summer only) for 7 years. The S2 was better equipped than this car (power windows, AC – but marginal AC at best). Over all of that time, the car missed a beat only once. There had been a US recall on an oil cooler line that was not extended to the Cdn market. Yep, the fitting failed and sent 5 litres of oil everywhere. Easy fix, dealer didn’t charge for it.
Other than that, and absolutely brilliant car to own and drive – I only sold it (along with a lot of other stuff) when I got my cancer diagnosis and in the unlikely event I didn’t make it (I clearly did!) I didn’t want to burden my wife with trying to sell it and a formula B car and an S2000 and a couple of formula fords…….I wish I had the car back – these are just sooooo good to drive.
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bt
I WANT IT! I don’t care if it’s not a “real” sports car, it’s sporty enough for me. It reminds me of a Porsche 914, perfect for Southern California’s mountain roads on a summer day.
First, it looks like a go kart. Second my Harley Davidson has more CCs and more HP. Third, you gotta be less 5’6” to get into one. Oh, it’s beautiful and I bet it’s pretty good for Auto-Crossing. But on Mid-Ohio or Sebring?! Fuhgetabowtit!
I drove a friend’s Elise one time and it was memorable! I wanted to get one right away, but stuck with my Corvette. Same color as this one, very handsome car.
That high-revving engine just behind your head and the owner in the passenger seat egging me on to wind ‘er up and get her screaming. It was exhilarating. Just the right amount of HP, and more than enough to get you into trouble,
At 6 feet, I fit into it just fine – getting out without grabbing the fragile windshield frame was a challenge.
Chalk and cheese comparison to your HD – what is your point, exactly?
I’m 6′ tall and fit just fine. And I tracked the car at Mosport several times (the former F1 circuit) and pulled everything except a Ferrari 360. Admittedly, I had probably done a hundred race weekends at Mosport in Formula Fords by that point, but whatever.
The car would be awesome at any road coarse you care to take it to.
As an aside, the dealer provided a hardtop with each of these, and I never needed/wanted it. Sold it to a local fellow who was trying to buy a slightly used red one. Ultimately he bought a new one from the dealer in yellow, so ended up with two hardtops. Again, this was in 2005/2006. So last February, on a cold an snowy night, I’m walking to my truck out of Home Depot and I see a yellow Elise in the parking lot just starting up. I walk over, and it is the guy I sold the roof to. He had well over 300,000km on his Elise, drove it all year round, and had never been left on the roadside by it.
bt
Hey Bill – I guess I should have put or LOL after my Harley comment. It really was tongue in cheek – even if it’s true. I like your story about Mosport and also the yellow Elise that you saw later. It’s funny about the different cars. I was autocrossing with my Porsche club and this guys shows up with a Subaru wagon. We teased him asking where the Domino’s Pizza sign was for the roof. I have no idea what was under the hood and he wouldn’t show…..but he ran seriously strong!
Fair enough Don! As a serial Lotus owner, I guess i get a little tired of the teasing :).
So, at one of the Mosport track days (I had never done one before), as I was a newbie (nobody knew me or my racing background) I had to start in the “slow” group. After about 25 minutes, we came in and the organizer walks over and says “So. How much racing have you done?” . But those track days are Porsche heavy as you know, and I spent the rest of the session taking out a few Porsche drivers because they wanted to see what this new little car was all about. One of them was a serial Targa 1000 competitor in a tricked out 911 (older gentleman). When we got out of the Elise, he looked at me sorta sad and said “Well, you’ve gone and ruined Porsches for me. I’ve never seen such fast and responsive steering in my life – its like you barely moved your hands”.
They really are that good.
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bt
Love the story Bill. As for the teasing, I hear you loud & clear….”Porsches are just fancy Volkswagens”. I hear that trash way too much on this site. So not to carry this on too far but curious how your Lotus matches up to a Boxter? Similar in size and center of gravity and cornering like a beast!
Oddly, I’ve never been in a Porsche (not on purpose, it just hasn’t happened yet) so no real way to make a comparison. However, I am one of those guys who just loves a 914 – I see one of those in my future!
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bt
As I mentioned above, the buddy who let me drive his Elise said that he had never tracked a car until the Elise came along. It is one of those cars that you really can’t realize the potential – both in handling and fun – until you are on a track.
He said that was most of the fun of owning it.
This is a very fair point. It wasn’t until I did the first track day that I could determine the car needed a little more tire upfront (at the limit, you’d get understeer). So I went up to Exige wheels, with the slightly wider tire, and that made the car pretty much neutral at the next track day.
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bt
Ended no bids. Most of the time when something is no reserve the bids start at 0 or $1.