Lotus Elise Sport 160

Group	3
Engine	M 1796 4
Transmission	RWD 5 speed
Cabin	2 door; 2 seat
Bhp @ rpm	158 @ 7000
lb ft @ rpm	122 @ 3500
Kerb weight/kg	740
bhp/ton	217
bhp/litre	89.1
0-60/secs	5.2
0-100/secs	14.0
Max mph	135
Fuel tank/l	36
Year	1999-2000
Country	England
Price when new	£30,000
Number produced	319

Conceived in 1994 and unleashed to the public in 1995, the Elise redefined the sports car genre by blending the traditional Lotus values of light weight and superlative handling, with innovative engineering and a generous helping of fun.

The innovative bonded aluminium chassis achieves a remarkable combination of light weight and rigidity, giving exceptional handling and balance. It is the backbone of a car single-mindedly focused on delivering driving pleasure. Mounted behind this in a steel subframe is an efficient Rover K-Series engine, which in the high performance Sport 160 guise has an improved Sport 135 cylinder head with new camshaft lobes, modified inlet and exhaust ports and a new ECU as well as various other upgrades allowing close to 160bhp at 7000rpm.

It's no coincidence that the Elise drives with the precision of a racecar. Its double wishbone suspension with co-axial coil springs and inverted monotube dampers is fine-tuned to provide sharp, accurate, entertaining responses.

The Elise Sport 160 was introduced in February 2000 and is a car that Chapman would have been proud of, as it embodies all the key principles of Chapman's design philosophy such as light weight, simplicity, and electrifying performance.

"A modern classic" ***** evo Magazine, THE KNOWLEDGE