At its introduction in 1996, the Lotus Elise represented a return to Colin Chapman’s legendary defining philosophy of “simplify and add lightness.” Although this approach defined the company’s most iconic products of the 1950s, 60s, and into the 70s, including racing cars and road cars as the Seven, Elite, Elan, and Europa, Lotus’ products began to mature in the mid 70s. By the early 90s, the Esprit had a leather-lined interior with wood trim and was knocking on the door of 3000 pounds, while the Elan had an Isuzu engine and *gasp* front wheel drive.
Then owned by General Motors, Lotus seemed to have lost its way, and Romano Artioli’s 1993 purchase of the company set the stage for much needed change that would ultimately result in the company’s most successful product ever. That product debuted in 1996. Named the Elise for Artioli’s young granddaughter Elisa, it was technically innovative, massively clever, and extremely lightweight, embodying all of the best attributes of the Colin Chapman era, which ended with his 1982 death.
The Elise chassis was made of extruded aluminum components which were bonded by structural adhesive, aerospace style, which made it both strong and lightweight. In its initial form, the Elise weighed a bit more than 1500 pounds and was a driving sensation, with a clarity of purpose that made it one of the greatest driver’s cars of all time.
A Series 2 variant of the car appeared a few years later, offering structural improvements that made the car suitable for the US market. In US cars (and many non-US examples too) the prior Rover supplied engine gave way to a Toyota-sourced 1.8 liter twin cam inline-4 that revved to 8,500 RPM and made more than 100 horsepower per liter. Despite all the changes to the Series 2 and the US car, it still weighed just 2,000 pounds when it went on sale for the 2005 model year.
For the 2008 model year, a supercharged version of the Elise was introduced, which was available until the 2011 model year. This increased power from from 189hp to 218hp, transforming the already swift Elise into a car that was supercar quick. US market production of the model totaled approximately 268 cars.
This particular example has had two owners, the first from new until November of 2016, and the second, automotive journalist Jason Cammisa. The was originally supplied by Lotus of Durham in North Carolina, having been completed in January of 2009. According to the included Lotus Certificate of Vehicle Provenance, it is the fourth of five phantom black 2009 Elise SCs made, and the only one equipped with sport pack (upgraded suspension, wheels, and tires). Additionally, the car was originally equipped with touring pack (leather interior trim, more sound insulation, electric windows).
The car has been thoughtfully upgraded, although original components besides the head unit are included. Changes include the Lotus OEM AIM digital instrument cluster with backup camera, Larini SC sport exhaust, JVC Bluetooth head unit, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires (original Yokohamas inlucded with 5,410 miles), K&N air filter, ExtendView wide angle mirror appliques, Hawk HPS brake pads, Steibel motorcycle air horn, BMW E30 lug bolts (17mm hex instead of triple square, stronger than OEM ones, which have a tendency to snap).
The car has been fastidiously maintained and is in excellent mechanical and functional condition. Cosmetically, it is very nice as well, with some chips to the PPF on the rocker panels and a few scrapes on the underside of the front bumper. The car comes with original exhaust system, tires, analog instrument cluster, horn, lug bolts, struts, hard and soft tops, and owner’s manual.
