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BACKGROUND

Although company founder Colin Chapman had attempted to move Lotus further upmarket during the 1970s, his “simplify, then add lightness” philosophy was still evident in models like the Esprit, Eclat and Elite.

Following Chapman’s death in December 1982, Lotus continued with further evolutions of the aforementioned models released every few years.

The first brand new car developed in his absence was the M100 Elan of 1989 which, with its reduced size and two-seat layout, seemed to mark a return to the minimalist approach favoured by Lotus during the 1950s and ‘60s.

However, owing primarily to a front-wheel drive configuration and uninspiring Isuzu power unit, the M100 seemed to lack that magical Lotus DNA. High build costs also counted against it and the new Elan ultimately proved a commercial disappointment with just 3855 built during the car’s initial production run between 1989 and 1992.

Fortunately, when ACBN Holdings acquired Lotus from General Motors in 1993, a brand new super lightweight model in the mould of those iconic models that first catapulted the company to international prominence was given the green light.

Launched in late 1995, the Type 111 Elise had a transformative effect on the company in every respect. Journalists and customers adored the new car, sales boomed and Lotus soon found itself in rude financial health.

In addition to having revitalised the Hethel brand, the Elise brought a whole new generation of customers through the door.

Despite its new found success though, Lotus did not rest and two limited edition Elise variants joined the fray during 1998: the track-only Sport 190 and the more road-oriented Sport 135.

Then, in January 1999, a more powerful series production Elise began to emerge from the factory.

Subsequently unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1999, the new Type 111 Elise S most notably came with a 143bhp Variable Valve Control engine, a close-ratio gearbox, some trick aero plus uprated brakes, wheels and tyres.

It joined a Lotus model line up that included the entry level 118bhp Elise and the by now V8-powered Esprit which was available in both SE and GT trim levels.

CHASSIS

Unsurprisingly considering how much power the Elise platform was capable of handling, the S was built around an unchanged epoxy-bonded aluminium spaceframe with integral steel roll-over hoop. This state-of-the-art chassis had been developed in conjunction with Hydro Aluminium Automotive Structures and was both extremely light (just 68kg) and incredibly strong. The wheelbase measured 2300mm.

The existing suspension set-up was also carried over. Fully independent, it comprised upper and lower wishbones with co-axial coil springs over inverted monotube dampers and Lotus-patented extruded aluminium uprights. Damper and spring rates were unchanged.

One area that the Elise S did come in for attention was its brakes. Now cross-drilled as well as ventilated, they additionally came with opposed piston front calipers developed in conjunction with AP Racing. Disc diameter was kept at 282mm and the existing Brembo calipers were retained for the rear axle.

New Lotus Design six-spoke wheels manufactured by OZ Racing in Italy were fitted instead of the original AWI five twin-spoke rims. The fronts were kept at 5.5 x 15-inches while the rears were widened by half-an-inch to 7.5 x 16. As a consequence of these broader wheels, the rear toe-steer angles were revised. Once again, Pirelli P Zero tyres were standard issue.

As before, a 40-litre fuel tank was located under the rear of the cockpit floor.

ENGINE / TRANSMISSION

In the engine bay was a more powerful version of the 1.8-litre Rover K-series inline four fitted to the base Elise. Both types came with dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, wet-sump lubrication and displaced 1796cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 80mm and 89.3mm respectively.

While the same aluminium block was retained by the Elise S, it was now now topped by a sophisticated alloy cylinder head with new Variable Valve Control system (VVC).

VVC worked by creating a continuously variable cam lobe profile which altered the duration of the inlet valve opening and its rev phasing according to both engine speed and load for optimum performance throughout the rev range.

To further improve breathing, the VVC engine featured larger inlet and exhaust valves plus a new inlet manifold and trick plenum chamber all of which increased flow capacity.

Other new equipment included sequential fuel-injection, re-mapped engine management and distributor-less ignition with individual coils for each cylinder.

The compression was unchanged at 10.5:1.

Peak output was now 143bhp at 7000rpm and 128lb-ft at 4500rpm.

For comparison, the standard Elise produced 118bhp at 5500rpm and 122lb-ft at 3000rpm.

Transmission was through a close-ratio version of the existing five-speed transaxle gearbox and a single-plate clutch.

BODYWORK

Externally the Elise S came with a number of features not found on the base model.

At the back of the car was a high-rise rear spoiler that enhanced high-speed cornering stability.

The engine cover’s power bulge was subtly enlarged in order to accommodate the VVC motor with its slightly taller cylinder head.

Up front, Lotus added a new egg-crate grille and clear indicator lenses.

The normally optional headlight covers and spot lights were fitted as standard.

As usual, glassfibre composite body panels were used throughout. The front and rear clamshell sections were detachable for easy access to the running gear.

INTERIOR

Inside, re-shaped sports seats came with horizontally ribbed centres and thicker foam cushions for increased comfort.

Additionally, carbonfibre inserts were added between the upper and lower dash and new window winders were generally but not always fitted.

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 fitted as standard.

OPTIONS

Aside from air-conditioning which could no longer be accommodated owing to reduced space in the engine bay, the options list remained much as before.

Buyers could enhance their car with leather seats, metallic paint, a body-coloured hardtop, a coloured soft top, an audio fitting kit and an alarm / immobiliser.

WEIGHT / PERFORMANCE

Weight went up by 15kg to 770kg. However, this was more than offset by the performance gains on offer.

Top speed rose from 126mph to 133mph.

The 0-62mph time dropped from 5.8 seconds to 5.4 seconds.

Even more impressively, over three-and-a-half seconds was slashed from the 0-100mph time which now stood at 14.4 seconds.

END OF PRODUCTION

Elise S production ran from January 1999 to June 2000, by which time 1489 had been completed.

It was effectively replaced by a second iteration of the recently introduced Elise Sport 160 that did without the first version’s hardcore suspension set-up.

Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lotus - https://www.lotuscars.com

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