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Bigger, better 300bhp Elise is imminent
If you've been waiting with a packed wallet for a new powerful Lotus then you may find the weight of those readies is becoming a bit tiresome.
There are no new Esprits to be had in the UK and despite the talk of a replacement it's a long way off yet. The M250 was still-born and without the Exige we're simply left with numerous special editions of the Elise S2. Whilst Chapman's principles of low weight make the Elise fun, there ain't no substitute for cubic inches and a high powered Lotus is desperately needed to beef up the 'range'. To date that gap in the market has been filled by the Noble M12 which whilst a massively capable car misses that one vital ingredient - a Lotus badge.
That chasm in the Lotus range was something that bothered Simon Scleater. Excited by the idea of a more powerful Elise along the lines of the GT1, Simon left Lotus's Motorsport Division in April 2002 and set out to build his own.
Bigger and Better
The result is the Elise S Sport. To some the idea of taking an Elise and lengthening and widening it will be sacrilege. Wait until you see it though, before you dismiss the idea. An extra 200mm has been grafted into the wheelbase and the car has been widened by 200mm too. The result is remarkably subtle. Looking at the Elise S Sport in isolation, you'd certainly appreciate that the car has more presence, but the proportions of the car remain very close to the original so you could be forgiven for doing a double take before clocking what was different.
Upon that second glance you'll appreciate that the bigger car has a lot more presence. The beefed up Elise looks like it means business - and it does. One of the reasons for stretching the car by 200mm was to allow the fitment of a new rear subframe to hold the 3 litre V6. A V6 with 315bhp. Now do you get the picture? Finally we have a powerful Elise that looks the part.
The choice of V6 is an unusual one. The unit is Vauxhall's along with some fettling from Swindon Race Engines. New cams of a proprietary design are used along with a double roller barrel throttle and some sexy looking carbon trumpets.
Why Vauxhall? Because GM are happy to sell these units to anyone who wants one. Future cars will make use of the newer 3.2 litre unit so we can expect a little more power - as if 315bhp isn't sufficient. Power is transmitted to the wheels via a brand new Audi gearbox with a choice of five or six ratios.
Looks
To go with the butcher looking styling, Simon selected 17 and 18 inch wheels at the front and rear respectively. These are mounted on five bolt hubs on new CNC machined alumiunium uprights. New, tougher wishbones and ball joints have been used in anticipation of hard usage. There's a revised Koni/Eibach suspension set up all round too. 310mm disks and four pot calipers take care of the stopping.
The prototype we saw this week was based on the S2 show car and uses a new clamshell, new front wings, new tail panel and the roof from an Exige. Simon hasn't limited his project to the S2 though. Exactly the same formula has been applied to an S1 Elise (and could be for an Exige). For us that that was the more exciting option. Find a tired series one Elise or better still one with rear crash damage and the £18K conversion looks a very attractive proposition. That's with a brand new engine and gearbox too.
The Elise S Sport is a very welcome addition to the Elise world. For anyone loving the looks of the Elise, but wanting more power, options have been limited to buying an Exige, squeezing the K series or opting for the VTEC conversion. The S Sport offers an exciting new option - an Elise with the looks to match its power. Finally we have the wolf in wolf's clothing.
