Guide: Lotus Elise S1 Sport 160
Background
By the darn of the new millennium, Lotus were offering three different variations of the critically acclaimed Elise.
There was the entry level 118bhp version launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1995, several thousand of which had already been sold to massively boost the company’s balance sheet.
A 143bhp Elise S joined the line-up following its introduction at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1999. It most notably came with a Variable Valve Control engine, a close-ratio gearbox and some trick aero along with uprated brakes, wheels and tyres.
In addition to these series production mainstream variants, Lotus had briefly offered a limited track-focused run dubbed the Sport 135 between November 1998 and February ‘99. The Sport 135 came with stiffer suspension, cross-drilled brakes and the Stage 2 135bhp engine upgrade. It ultimately proved so popular that the initial run of 50 cars had to be extended to 85.
Even more hardcore was the Sport 190 conversion offered from February 1998 to early 2000. This pared back 190bhp kit was created with track use in mind and included competition-grade suspension, brakes, gearbox, wheels, tyres and safety equipment.
With the Sport 135 and Sport 190 having clearly demonstrated there was sufficient demand for more extreme iterations of the Elise, Lotus created the Sport 160 to sell alongside the standard 118bhp Elise, the 143bhp Elise S and the track-only Sport 190.
Launched in February 2000, the Sport 160 was the most potent off-the-shelf Elise yet seen. The concept was to combine the Sport 135’s hardcore track-focused set-up with a 160bhp engine to satisfy those customers that wanted a full-blooded road and track experience.
Engine / Gearbox
Unlike the uniquely appointed Elise S, the Sport 160 ran a Rover K-series engine without Variable Valve Control (VVC). Whereas the Elise S used VVC to achieve outstanding torque figures at low speeds, the Sport 160 relied on a more traditional approach to high power which resulted in the driver having to make full use of the engine’s upper rev range to extract its full potential.
The Rover K-series was an all-alloy 1.8-litre inline four that featured dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and wet-sump lubrication. It displaced 1796cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 80mm and 89.3mm respectively.
For this latest application, Lotus extracted just about as much power as possible before emissions levels were too severely compromised for road use and major changes like new pistons were required.
Using the 135bhp Stage 2 kit as a starting point (which featured a ported and polished cylinder head with cast alloy VVC inlet manifold / plenum assembly), Lotus added further modified inlet and exhaust ports, new inlet and exhaust camshafts, an uprated airbox with a bigger intake aperture and air trunking, a Motorsport cat and a sports exhaust with 45mm diameter 4-2-1 tubular manifold from the recently introduced 340R.
The existing 10.5:1 compression ratio was reputedly optimised (to what precise figure is unknown) and the GEMS engine management was custom mapped. The re-map resulted in the Sport 160 running a 1200rpm idle speed instead of 1100rpm in order to meet emissions legislation of the time.
All told, the Sport 160’s engine produced a peak output of 160bhp at 7000rpm and 131lb-ft at 5000rpm.
For comparison, the standard Elise pumped out 118bhp at 5500rpm and 122lb-ft at 3000rpm.
The Elise S with its VVC engine developed 143bhp at 7000rpm and 128lb-ft at 4500rpm.
Instead of the close-ratio five-speed gearbox fitted to the Elise S, the Sport 160 utilised the standard wide ratio transmission with single-plate clutch and 3.94:1 final drive.
Chassis
Each Sport 160 was based around the standard Elise epoxy-bonded aluminium spaceframe with integral steel roll-over hoop. At just 68kg, the finished chassis was extremely light, but also offered phenomenal strength and torsional rigidity.
The wheelbase measured 2300mm.
Suspension was via double wishbones with co-axial coil sprung inverted monotube dampers and Lotus-patented extruded aluminium uprights.
Like the Sport 135, the Sport 160 was equipped with uprated Koni dampers and shorter, stiffer springs that gave a lower ride height. A beefier front anti-roll bar was also installed.
The brake system was imported from the Sport 135 / Elise S with cross-drilled and ventilated 282mm discs fitted all round. AP Racing calipers were used up front and Brembo items out back.
Handsome new Victory five-spoke magnesium alloy wheels manufactured by OZ Racing in Italy were unique to the Sport 160. The fronts measured 6 x 15-inches (up from 5.5 x 15 on the Elise S) and the rears were 8 x 16-inches (up from 7.5 x 16). Customers could choose from either a Silver or Anthracite wheel finish while Pirelli P Zero tyres were originally fitted (185/55 R15 front and 225/45 R16 rear).
As before, a 40-litre fuel tank was located under the rear of the cockpit floor.
Bodywork
Externally, the Sport 160 used the same rear spoiler fitted to the Elise S albeit now mounted on a pair of high-rise pillars to further enhance stability.
Initially only two colours were offered, Scandal Green or Metallic Black, but these were soon joined by New Aluminium and eventually the full range of shades was made available.
Depending on the body colour, either silver or titanium Sport 160 graphics were added along each flank.
The Elise S egg-crate grille was fitted as standard along with clear indicator lenses, headlight covers and spot lights.
Glassfibre composite body panels were used throughout with the front and rear clamshell sections completely detachable for easy access to the running gear.
Interior
Inside, the Sport 160 featured the same re-shaped sports seats as the Elise S. They came with a choice of black, red or blue alcantara inserts to match the steering wheel pad.
The rest of the cockpit specification was unchanged.
Upholstery was limited to the sills, door panels and seats. The metal upper dash and transmission tunnel were given a dark grey textured finish but the remaining surfaces were left in bare aluminium.
The curved two-gauge instrument binnacle housed analogue read outs for road and engine speed. All other vital statistics were accessed via the Stack digital readout located at the base of the two main dials.
As before, the single-piece bucket seats could be adjusted fore / aft only. To give the clearest possible vision, the driver’s seat was positioned closer to the centre of the car than the passenger’s (which was fixed in the rearmost position).
Footwell mats were issued as standard along with a radio fitting kit and alarm (the latter in the UK only).
Options
In addition to the normal choice of colours for the soft top, Sport 160 customers could enhance their car with an array of optional extras to include a close-ratio gearbox, a cat replacement pipe, racing brake pads, a body coloured hardtop, a full carpet kit and a removable steering wheel (in either monotone black or two-tone red and black).
Weight / Performance
Lotus originally quoted the Sport 160 at just 715kg but this seems highly unlikely given the standard Elise and Sport 135 came in at 755kg and the Elise S was 770kg.
Nevertheless, with its additional horsepower the Sport 160 was clearly the quickest Elise road car yet with a 0-62mph time of 5.1 seconds (down from 5.4 on the S) and a top speed of 135mph (up from 130mph on the S).
First Production Batch: SVA
The first 50 Sport 160s produced underwent the UK Single Vehicle Approval test (SVA) as the model had not yet gained proper type approval.
Second Production Batch: WVTA
The remaining Sports 160s were constructed once the model had gained Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA).
These WVTA cars featured a number of differences to the SVA version.
Most significantly, in order to gain EU type approval they came with the standard Elise S exhaust system and cat plus a second intake airbox connected to the original in order to reduce noise.
A more sophisticated EFI Technology ECU enabled smoother running at low revs and the ECU itself was moved from the engine bay to the trunk.
An oil cooler was also added.
Peak output dropped from 160bhp to 150bhp at an unchanged 7000rpm and from 131lb-ft to 124lb-ft at an unchanged 5000rpm. However, it was still possible to realise the full 160bhp by removing the secondary airbox, fitting a sports exhaust and Motorsport cat.
Elise 160
From July 2000, customers could order a Sport 160 with standard suspension and seats. Cars equipped as such were dubbed Elise 160 and replaced the 143bhp Elise S which had been discontinued a month earlier.
190 Upgrade Kit
Also available from July 2000 was a 190bhp upgrade kit that saw the K-series engine taken out to VHPD trim (Very High Performance Derivative).
The VHPD engine featured a modified cylinder head plus improved valves, pistons, crankshaft and flywheel. Solid valve lifters enabled it to rev to 8000rpm. The VHPD unit also came with carbonfibre air box, a competition air filter, cat delete and (in the case of SVA cars not already equipped as such) a supplementary oil cooler.
These engines were supplied as a complete assembly intended for competition use and did not come with the normal warranty.
Peak output was 190bhp at 7000rpm and 140lb-ft at 5600rpm.
End of Production
Sport 160 production was discontinued in early 2001 shortly after the new Elise S2 was introduced.
319 cars were built in total. This comprised the first 50 SVA variants (all of which were right-hand drive) and a further 279 to WVTA trim (of which 30 were left-hand drive).
Driveability Kit
A little under two years after production had ended, Lotus introduced a Driveability Kit for the Sport 160 in January 2003.
It featured a larger throttle body (up from 48mm to 52mm), a revised exhaust cam pulley and a re-mapped ECU which provided some additional low down torque, improved idle quality and reduced emissions without affecting power output.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lotus - https://www.lotuscars.com
