Lotus Elise

When the original build-it-yourself Elan was killed off in favour of the plush Elite back in 1974, Lotus lost sight of what it does best... making affordable yet advanced sports cars.

But in 1996 the firm launched the Elise, a modern interpretation of founder Colin Chapman's 7. With many available on the used scene now, is this a chance to own one of the finest driver's cars ever, or will unreliability keep yours stuck on the driveway?

Driving
The Elise means fun, fun, fun. Missing modern niceties such as power-steering and ABS, this Lotus puts the accent on driver work rate. No wonder it's been hailed as the spiritual successor to the original Lotus 7.

Thanks to their lively MGF-sourced engines and lightweight racer type-construction, all can hit 60mph in around six seconds. Yet it's not the Elise's pace that amazes, but its race-bred dynamics. Mid-engined, razor- sharp, quick-witted and a mite tricky at the limit, the Elise's cornering speed is governed more by driver skill than the car's.

The MGF engines are sharp and swift, with no shortage of poke from the standard 118bhp unit. Soon after launch, a Sport 135 tuning pack was offered, yielding another 20bhp, but the real pacesetter is the 111S with a 145bhp VVC engine, making the Elise shatteringly fast yet still able to return 40mpg or more thanks to its excellent power-to-weight ratio. As with all great fun cars, the Elise lets the driver get in on the act. With sensitive steering, snappy gearchange and quick-fire throttle response, no other car feels as alive.

Living with
You need to be a dyed-in-the-wool enthusiast to own an Elise, and something of a masochist to use one on the daily grind. Most are bought as weekend cars, and it's easy to understand why. The low-slung body is hard to get in and out of, and the cockpit is as basic as a Tiger Moth's.

With no electric windows, central locking, stereo or carpets and trim, except for a pair of snug-fitting racing seats, he Lotus is built for raw speed rather than comfort. The driving position is spot-on, though, and although stripped-out, the Elise has enough room to store some items of soft baggage. Options that offered added civility in-cluded leather seats, extra driving lamps and a radio-fitting kit.

The fabric hood, however, is among the most finicky known to soft-top lovers. It's hardly the most water and draughtproof, either. A factory-made hard-top is available, which costs GBP1,106 plus an extra GBP680 for a fitting kit to use on pre-1998 models. When you include the price of painting, you're looking at a bill totalling more than GBP2,000. The roof also makes getting in and out even more of a struggle.

But such criticisms overlook the whole point of owning an Elise. Yes, it's a noisy, basic sports car, but, apart from a Caterham 7, nothing else on the road today manages to put real car enthusiasts closer to the action.

Lotus is a past master at making fibreglass-bodied cars, and the Elise feels remarkably robust. This strength also helps the car stand up well in a crash, despite it having no airbags. As with all soft-tops, security can be a problem, so fit an alarm to back the standard immobiliser ί¿½ even if your insurer doesn't insist on it.

Buying and owning
Do you remember the old joke about Lotus standing for Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious? Well, the good news is that the Elise is one of the most robust designs ever to come out of the firm's Norfolk factory. The bad news is that there's still a lot to check and look out for if you want respectable reliability and continued peace of mind.

Lotus dealers are thin on the ground but, as many owners will happily tell you, a good independent specialist can do a better job of servicing and repairs than a main agent, because they have a genuine affection for the brand. Their prices are usually more acceptable, too.

You should be wary of what you are buying, so test drive several Elises, including a new one, to get a proper feel of the car, because its performance and handling abilities are so superior to those of a standard saloon or GTi that it's easy to buy a rogue model and still think it's the best thing you have ever driven.

The Elise retains an impressive 84 per cent of its new value after a year. Add reasonable running costs - it may qualify for a lower insurance premium if used mainly as a fun car - together with impressive fuel economy and you don't need to break the bank to own a Lotus.