THE LOTUS ELISE is a special sports car - light, good looking, though handling - one our favourites.
That does not mean the special Elise can't be even more special. That's why the Lotus company has launched a line of Elise Heritages cars - all road going Elises painted in the same colur as one of the most famous Lotus Formula 1 racing cars - the 23, the 25, the 49, the 72 and the 99T.
LOTUS ELISE S2 TYPE 23
THE LOTUS TYPE 23 is steeped in motorsport history. Its debut at the Nürburgring in May 1962, was one of the most astonishing drives ever seen in motor racing. At the end of the first lap, the diminutive100bhp Lotus was nearly 30 seconds ahead of the field which included Ferraris and Porsches, each with up to 400bhp.
To commemorate the Type 23, the last small capacity sports racer to be designed by Colin Chapman, Lotus has developed the Elise Type 23. To emulate the look of a classic racer the Elise Type 23 exterior incorporates an Old English White with Lotus Racing Green twin stripe colour scheme, subtly complemented by two proudly displayed Lotus heritage laurels. Six-spoke silver wheels complete the exterior.
To accentuate its classic racing heritage, perforated green leather has been used extensively in the Elise interior, covering the door panels, steering wheel centre and seats. Completing the look, distinctive heritage laurels are embroidered onto the headrests.
To illustrate its limited edition status the Elise Type 23 is furnished with a Heritage ID plate as only 50 of these cars are to be built. The car is supplied with a body coloured Hard top and black Soft top as standard.
LOTUS ELISE S2 TYPE 25
THE LOTUS ELISE Type 25 embodies the heritage that is Lotus’ remarkable Formula One history. The original Type 25, the car that made Jim Clark a legend and established Lotus as a major force in F1, broke both technological and innovative boundaries just as the Elise does today.
Turning away from the widely used tubular spaceframe, Colin Chapman, inspired by the Elan chassis, created the first monocoque racing car by sketching the design on a napkin over lunch with Mike Costin (also of Cosworth fame). Virtually built around Jim Clark, the car was secretly constructed in a small area of the then Lotus headquarters at Cheshunt and made its debut at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix. The end of the season saw Lotus failing to win the championship by just one point, a fantastic achievement by a radically new and different car. The following season was to get even better. Clark and Lotus finished the 1963 season with maximum points securing both the Drivers and Constructors World Championships.
The same aluminium chassis and GRP body panel principles that were used in the construction of the Type 25 race car are now used to create the Elise, with the same principles of performance through lightweight and low capacity, high output engines at the heart of it’s engineering.
The Elise Type 25, built to commemorate the revolutionary racecar, mirrors its design, painted in Lotus Racing Green with twin metallic yellow stripes running front to back. Unique black Lotus styled six spoke wheels complete the racing look from the exterior. Inside, echoing the original, the interior includes perforated Ruby red leather seats, door panels and steering wheel centre. The heritage look is continued with red laurels embroidered onto the headrest of each seat and a Heritage Type 25 ID plate confirming it’s limited edition status. The car is also supplied with both hard top, maintaining the twin stripes, and soft top as standard.
The exposed aluminium chassis still remains one of the dominant features of the Elise as do its near legendary ride and handling characteristics. Marco Feser - General Manager Europe - explains “The Elise Type 25 is the second of our range of heritage edition specials. For a particular generation, green and yellow symbolises Lotus from the Clark and Hill era. The Lotus Elise Type 25 commemorates 40 years since the groundbreaking Type 25 won its first Grand Prix changing the racing world forever.”
Each Elise Type 25 will entitle the owner to an exclusive tour around Classic Team Lotus, home of the original Lotus F1 cars, an exclusive tour around Group Lotus plc, a copy of The Lotus Book signed by Johnny Herbert, certification of the cars details and its limited edition status, a Classic Team Lotus heritage model and personalised print of the Type 25 race car.
LOTUS ELISE S2 TYPE 49
VERY FEW RACING cars are as famous or as celebrated as the Lotus Type 49 Formula 1 car. Its racing pedigree was instantly proven, winning its debut Grand Prix in the hands of Jim Clark. This was not the only reason for its fame; it was the car developed alongside the V8 Cosworth Ford DFV, the engine that dominated F1 for a full decade. The Type 49 was also the first Formula 1 car to use the engine as an integral stressed part of the chassis. This combination of car and engine would bring major Grand Prix successes for Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jo Siffert and Jochen Rindt.
The Elise Type 49, as part of the Elise Heritage range, not only shares the distinctive red, white and gold livery of the Type 49 Formula One car, but also many of the strengths that made the Type 49 F1 car so successful; Lightweight aluminium chassis, GRP body, Lotus world beating ride and handling and of course the principles of performance through lightweight.
The racing heritage look is continued with gold coloured six spoke wheels. The interior stays true to its racing theme using perforated red leather seats and steering wheel centre black Alcantara door panels, and the distinctive Heritage laurels embroidered in red onto the headrest of each seat. Making the Elise Type 49 even more special is a Heritage Type 49 ID plate confirming its limited edition status. The car is also supplied with both Hard top and Soft top as standard.
Marco Feser - General Manager Europe - explains “The essence of Lotus is high technology engineering, sports cars and motor racing. I believe that the Elise Type 49, the third of our range of heritage models bring all three elements together. With its extruded aluminium chassis, award winning styling and legendary ride and handling characteristics, the Elise Type 49 is a future classic.”
LOTUS ELISE S2 TYPE 72
FIRST RACED IN 1970 the Lotus Type 72 set the architecture for all modern day Formula 1 cars, pioneering the use of side mounted radiators and a front “wedge” nose cone which gave significant aerodynamic advantages. The Type 72 is arguably the most successful & recognised racing car in the history of Formula 1, with twenty World Championship race wins, three Formula 1 Constructors Championships (1970, ’72 and 1973) and two Drivers World Championships (the first being won by Jochen Rindt, posthumously, in 1970, and the second by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972). In 1972 the cars featured the famous and easily recognisable Black and Gold Livery.
For 2002 Lotus introduces the Elise Type 72.
The Elise Type 72 shares many of the key strengths that made the Type 72 so successful, such as a lightweight aluminium chassis, GRP body and of course the world beating Lotus ride and handling.
With such close links it was an obvious source of inspiration for the first of the Heritage Collection Series. The Elise Type 72 reflects the racing heritage of the Type 72 with the Black and Gold livery. The two gold heritage “laurels”, proudly displayed on either side of the metallic Starlight Black bodywork, mimic those placed on the rear wing of the Type 72 commemorating every race victory, while the new gold coloured wheels give the perfect finish to the exterior. The Black and Gold livery does not stop with the exterior, but carries over to the interior with effective use of golden Alcantara on the seat cushions, steering wheel centre and door panels. The heritage theme is continued with gold heritage “laurels” embroidered in the centre of each headrest and an exclusive Heritage Identification Plate, based on the design of the chassis plates of the Lotus Formula 1 cars, mounted on the dashboard.
LOTUS ELISE S2 TYPE 99T
THE LOTUS ELISE Type 99T is a celebration of one of the most distinctive Lotus Formula One cars. Unveiled in London on 3rd February 1987 the Lotus 99T holds the honour of being the last ever Lotus Formula One car to win a Grand Prix.
The Lotus Type 99T bore huge changes both inside and out from its predecessor the Type 98T. The first and most noticeable change was that of the livery. Gone was the world famous black and gold JPS colour scheme, now replaced by the bright yellow and blue of new sponsors Camel. Changes under the skin were even more significant. Moving away from the Renault powerplants that had been employed since the Type 93T in 1983, the 99T harnessed a new twin-turbo Honda unit capable of pushing out more than 800bhp. Perhaps the most significant change however was the reintroduction of the revolutionary ‘Active’ suspension system. Active suspension had been in development for a few years at Lotus and had even been tried out on previous Formula One cars. With the introduction of the system on the 99T Lotus yet again changed the way Formula One cars were designed! Active suspension was eventually outlawed as it gave massive performance and handling advantages.
Driven by Ayrton Senna and Satoru Nakajima during the 1987 season, the 99T proved to be one of Lotus’ more successful modern day Formula One cars. Wins in Monaco and Lotus’ last ever victory in Formula One at Detroit meant that Ayrton Senna and Team Lotus finished third in the World Drivers Championship standings and the Constructors’ Championship respectively.
Now in 2003 Lotus are proud to announce the release of the Elise Type 99T. Painted in unique ‘Saffron Yellow’ with subtle blue detailing to mirror that of the original race car, the Elise Type 99T commemorates one of the most recognisable cars in the history of Formula One. Unique black Lotus styled eight spoke wheels complete the racing look from the exterior. The interior is furnished in perforated black leather sports seats and door panels, complemented by a black alcantara dash panel. Cross-drilled brakes, CD player, black soft-top and black carpets complete the look.
European General Manager Marco Feser explains, “I cannot think of a better way to celebrate Lotus' illustrious history than the Elise Type 99T. Sharing not only the colour scheme, but also the Lotus characteristics of ‘Performance through Lightweight’ and world beating ride and handling, the Lotus Elise Type 99T is one of the most desirable sportscars on the road today.”
