There were a heck of a lot of different Lotus Elises made over the 25 years between 1996 and 2021. The fact that there were two Final Editions, for example, is a good indicator of just how many specials and limited-run models there actually were. The Motorsport Elise must rank as one of the rarest and most special of the lot. Looks like an Exige, right? This was the car that inspired it. First seen in 1999, the Motorsport Elise was where Lotus’s racing folk believed the little roadster could be evolved to suit competition. There were three prototypes made; their tasks included being on the Geneva show stand, going to retailers and being shown at customer events. Unsurprisingly, everyone loved the look of the Motorsport Elise, and so production was given the go-ahead.
It boasted a proper spec, too, with a Minister-tuned Very High Performance Derivative of the 1.8-litre K Series (so in the region of 200hp), a Quaife straight-cut gearbox, the dramatic new roof and aero parts plus a central driving position like a McLaren F1. In fact, so exciting was the prospect of racing Elises that the Autobytel Lotus Sport Elise Championship became part of TOCA’s BTCC package for 2000 and 2001. In the last year of Super Touring especially, what a weekend of motorsport those rounds must have been. Motorsport Elises also raced in Europe, and a few of the 65 made ended up Stateside as well.
Presumably, a roadgoing version was always on the cards, although the enthusiasm for the Motorsport Elise will only have encouraged the Exige team. That arrived in 2000 and, like the standard Elise, enjoyed a lot of love from all who experienced them over three generations. The fact this is a road-legal Motorsport Elise might have you believe this is an Exige with an identity crisis, but it really is one of the race cars. Just with a very interesting backstory.
See this was one of those very early prototypes, used in fact as a motor show car in Geneva 25 years ago. Having completed its show duties in various locations during ‘99, it went into storage at Lotus until being bought by a specialist in 2002. They recommissioned the car and registered it (ditching the central seat in the process, sadly), making it perhaps the only Motorsport Elise that can be driven on the road. It’s been in a private collection for a while and still boasts just 11,000 miles from new.
Not there’s much to an Elise anyway, but this looks in tip-top condition. It certainly doesn't appear to have been thrashed on track for those miles given the state of the paint, wheels and interior. It’s a fascinating little car, your eyes initially saying Exige then a few details hinting that might not be the case. With the end of combustion Lotuses near, all of the old sports cars with engines can lay claim to being part of the heritage, but they really don’t come much more significant than the Motorsport Elise. The racing is interesting, of course, though imagine the past 20-odd years of Lotus without an Exige. Things definitely would have been very different.
It’d be understandable if the next owner of this simply added it to their collection - Lotuses don’t come much rarer. But with the effort made to get it road-ready, and with some miles under its wheels, it’d seem a shame not to make use of it. Once a new MOT has been attached, of course. Or the Elise could live its best life out on track again, as was always intended. £70k makes it easily the most expensive S1 available, but none can quite claim to be such a notable Elise. Just be ready to explain how it’s not actually an Exige…
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