Power is just a number. That’s what some Series 1 Lotus Elise owners have crammed down the throats of individuals who put forward the ‘but it only has 120hp’ jibe. Philistines. Obviously, It’s all about the setting. A seven-tonne lorry with 120hp would be utterly useless, but in a sports car that tips the scales at just 725kg – it’s unadulterated magic. That said, it’s hard to turn down an extra helping of oomph when the opportunity arises.
After gracing the car world in 1996 with the original Elise, Lotus set about ways trying to make its spartan sports car even faster. It’d nailed the formula from the get-go, now it all it needed was to refine the formula. That initially came about with the Sprint: a speedster-style track car that opened the door for the Elise in motorsport. However, the Sprint was deemed too expensive to make it viable for production, so Lotus decided to retain the standard Elise form – windscreen included – for its first track-focused variant. And by track-focused, I mean not entirely road-legal. The Sport 190 wasn’t an off-the-shelf product, rather a regular Series 1 Elise that was converted post-sale to 190 spec by Lotus Special Vehicle Operations.
The standout upgrade was, of course, a considerable hike in power. It retained the same 1.8-litre K-Series engine as the base car, only with an upgraded cylinder head, pistons, valves, crankshaft and flywheel. That lifted peak power all the way up to 190hp – a whopping 58 per cent increase over the standard car - at a screaming 7,000hp, with the redline arriving just 1,000 revs later. Again, it’s not like the Elise was lacking in punch, hitting 60mph from a standstill in 5.5 seconds, yet the Sport 190 upgrade slashed that to just 4.4 seconds. The semi-slick Yokohama tyres would have also helped here, but it’ll surely silence those who lambaste the Elise for being ‘underpowered’.
The mods go far beyond a bit more grunt and sticky tyres, though. Lotus employed lighter glass fibre for the car’s skin, a lightweight dashboard and race-spec Corbeau seats, slashing weight to just 670kg dry. Any lighter and it’d need guy ropes. A close-ratio gearbox should make it feel extra barmy under acceleration, while AP Racing front callipers provided ear-bending stopping power. Factor in fully adjustable Koni dampers and it’s clear why Lotus didn’t fancy going through the type approval process.
Which is where things get a bit hazy. With the Sport 190 being somewhat of a ‘grey area’ in the Elise production run, it’s hard to nail down production numbers. Feel free to correct me below, but the ad for the car here suggests that 48 were produced in total, though only seven were destined for the UK. Furious internet searching suggests they were popular in the US (one of the few places where an Elise would feel underpowered), though, as far as I can tell, the Series 1 was never officially sold Stateside.
Either way, what you’re looking at here is a mighty rare car. Whether it’s the ultimate Elise experience is up for debate, but it’s certainly the rawest offering of the original Hethel hero short of the bonkers 340R – and this would still be quicker. Especially as this one’s been lightly upgraded to 215hp, plus an ECU upgrade to improve driveability after a few seasons of racing. That’ll hopefully make the asking price of this 1998 example slightly more bearable at £52,000, and the fact that it’s only had one owner for the last 25 years should bring peace of mind – which will be scrambled the moment you hit your nearest B road.
SPECIFICATION | LOTUS ELISE SPORT 190
Engine: 1,7896cc four-cylinder
Transmission: five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 190@7,000rpm (tuned to 215hp)
Torque (lb ft): 140@5,600rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1998
Recorded mileage: 15,000
Price new: £33,500
Yours for: £52,000
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