1999 Lotus Elise 111S

Highlights

• Comprehensively overhauled after a 12-year lay-up
• Head gasket replaced
• 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds
• Three owners with known history and 22k miles warranted

Overview

Sometimes, drinking in the last chance saloon can be the source of the greatest ideas. That was certainly the case for Lotus - ditched by GM in the early 1990s and in the ownership of Italian businessman and Bugatti chairman Romano Artioli, Norfolk’s famous sports car brand was once again duelling with bankruptcy (as was Artioli himself, but that’s one for a different day).

The front-wheel-drive M100 Elan had lost Lotus its finest shirt and with very little left in the development pot, there was just one opportunity to get things right. Luckily, Hethel’s engineers scored a bullseye with the first throw, creating a car that is rightly regarded as a Pistonheads legend.

The tiny Elise used a mixture of alloy and composite materials to keep weight to a minimum – the same principles that Lotus founder Colin Chapman had insisted on with the original Lotus Seven. Meanwhile, up the road in Birmingham, there was a new lightweight 16-valve twin cam engine developed by Rover and the much-maligned (but arguably brilliant) K-Series was perfect for the job. Lotus was back! The new Elise not only saved the company but was its best car yet.

But Lotus wasn’t done yet. A year after the basic Elise appeared along came the 111S, named after the Elise being the company’s 111thcar. It used the 143bhp VVC engine from the MGF, with Variable Valve Timing on the cams and more low-range grunt – and it flew.

But don’t take our word for it as you don’t need to. Instead, here is the perfect opportunity to see for yourself, courtesy of this racy red example, which with its tan leather upholstery could almost pass for a mini-Ferrari. Whisper it, but it’ll also beat a 308 GTB away from the lights…

History and documentation

• UK V5C
• MOT September 2024 – no advisories
• Genuine 22,000 miles from new
• Two keys
• Original handbooks, dealer directory and manuals
• Three owners and all history known
• Elise 111S Sales Brochure,
• Rover K series Engine General information article
• Story of the development of the Elise
• Recommissioned by the owner after being laid-up in storage for 12 years
• Recent invoice documenting over £4k in recommissioning work

Interior

• Gorgeous beige leather upholstery
• Seats in great order
• Some minor scuffing to driver’s side sill leather
• Green Lotus factory 111S mats
• Sony head unit and 10 disc CD autochanger, believed to have been in place since the car was new
• Very well-presented, low mileage car in original order

Exterior

• Original red paintwork in great overall order

• A few minor marks and scuffs and some road rash on rear arches, as commonly seen on Elises

• That said, there is reportedly extensive stone shield treatment covering the front, mirrors, roll bar, and the sides of the car in front of rear wheels

• There is a little dirt under the stone shield protection on the driver’s door mirror where it has lifted and there are several areas the edge of the protection has lifted and picked up dirt

• Superb overall condition alloys with new Yokohama Neova tyres

• Correct period 111S badging

• Black canvas roof in good order

• Elemental shower cap (nearly new)

• Appears sound underneath

Mechanical

• 1.8-litre 16v twin cam four
• 141 hp
• MOT until September 2024 – no advisories
• Rear-wheel-drive
• Five-speed manual
• Genuine 22k with known history
• Service history up to when the car was laid up in 2012
• Recent £4k bill for recommissioning
• New head gasket fitted as a precautionary measure
• Four new brake discs
• New Yokohama tyres
• New brake pads all-round
• New clutch
• According to the vendor the Elise is great to drive and has no known or apparent mechanical issues

Summary

The first-generation Elise was an absolute masterstroke – Lotus at its engineering finest. The 111S even more so as the extra 25bhp over a standard model makes it devilishly fast. Indeed, driving thrills don’t really come with a better value price tag.

This one’s a little gem – it’s in lovely condition outside and the interior is divine with its unusual tan leather colour scheme. It’s a deeply desirable example of Lotus at its absolute best.

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Leeds, West Yorkshire.