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2007 Shannons Sydney Summer Classic Auction
Lot
22

1997 Lotus Elise Roadster

$44,000

melbourne

Sold

Specifications

Engine In-line 4-cylinder, 1796cc
Gearbox 5-speed manual
Body Work Roadster
Colour Titanium Silver
Interior Red
Trim Leather
Wheels Cast alloy
Brakes Discs

Description

This lot is no longer available

Often cited as the model that saved Lotus from oblivion, the Elise was introduced to rave reviews in 1996 and took the Hethel marque squarely back to its roots. With a long tradition of building lightweight, small capacity cars endowed with exceptional handling ability, Lotus conceived the new Elise around a chassis of bonded, extruded aluminium with minimalist fibreglass bodywork styled by the talented Peter Stevens. Powering the Elise was a mid-mounted, tuned version of the 1.8-litre K-series Rover engine, developing a healthy 120bhp in the Series 1 model, and the whole car weighed in at just 720 kilograms. It was no surprise that with these ingredients, the Elise was endowed with truly exceptional handling characteristics, along with superb braking ability and more than ample performance. Creature comforts were minimal, with occupants virtually seated on the floor, while weather protection was almost an afterthought, but the rewards of driving the nimble Elise easily outweighed these considerations and have given it a reputation as one of the purest sports cars on the market.