From 1996 to 2021, the world was blessed with a diminutive, lightweight, pure sports car called the Lotus Elise. The antithesis of large American and German horsepower monsters, the Elise was meant to offer thrilling performance via Lotus' founder Colin Chapman's philosophy of 'simplify and add lightness.' Three generations, or series, were produced, and this 2005 Lotus Elise hails from the Series 2 era, which ran between 2001 and 2011. With 25,000 miles on the clock, we've been informed that it bears some modifications. Read on and find out everything you need to know about this car, and you'll definitely want to buy it as your weekend driving machine.

Exterior and Interior

The Elise looks best in bright colors, such as the Chrome Orange paint job on this particular 2005 Lotus Elise. Contrasting five-spoke black alloys wear Bridgestone Potenza performance tires, and a spoiler adorns the rear deck of this car. We also observe Wilwood brake calipers lurking behind aforesaid wheels. At the front, the tow hook has been picked out in red, and the current owner reports that LED lighting is present too. Yes, the Elise is fully road-legal and can even be your daily driver if desired. Inside, you'll find quite an intimate cabin with two black supportive seats and a gear shifter surround picked out in body color. The Elise is meant to be a driver's car, and the shape of the structural tub means that the driver is endowed with more legroom than the passenger. A fire extinguisher further reduces passenger footwell space. We find a ventilation system in the center console and a plaque informing us that this is a 111R model. This plaque sits where a radio can be fitted, so it's your choice. You'll also receive a dinky luggage compartment at the rear with a maximum payload rating of 50kg, so it's more than enough for your shopping, although engine heat means we don't recommend placing frozen items there. However, a roast will be nicely warm by the time you get home.

Engine

This 2005 Lotus Elise, being of the 111R variant, has a 1.8-liter Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine with a Yamaha-developed head that was able to churn out 189hp when new. It sends drive to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, and Lotus timed zero to sixty at 4.9 seconds. However, this car has a Katana2 supercharger strapped on, and no doubt makes much more power. We don't know how much, but what we do know is the Silent Touch exhaust means you won't be too noisy when driving around in this street-friendly track machine.