How the Lotus Elise Series 1 changed sports cars forever | Fifth Gear

[@marsgal42]

That's how to make a car: feather-light, so it handles like a go kart. It also goes like stink with a tiny engine, gets great gas mileage, and even rides decently.

[@AnthroGearhead]

TOM'S Angel 101 : *parked at a corner of shame*

[@Iamwolf134]

How to make a car even lighter than that? Isotruss! In the drivetrain axles and the chassis that is.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

In the UK my S2 costs £300 a year. Not a good idea to go and get one as a new driver though. This is a car you need a lot of experience to be safe in and they are quite intimidating to drive fast. Also if you bump it even slightly, it can cost £1000s to fix the fiberglass bodywork.

[@craigyirush3492]

Great video. Good to see the guys at Lotus getting some recognition for the brilliance of the original Elise.

[@abbielindley123]

Legendary british sports car!

[@chrismarsden549]

I miss Tiff. He'd driven that car like it should be.

[@SwTcScarlet]

Chris Marsden Definitely! His review of the VX220 Turbo vs the 111R, cut to shot of Tiff appearing into frame at 110mph on full opposite lock!

[@02dufjos]

I clicked on this in hope that it would be Tiff driving 😭

[@user-ic7mv6bj4w]

Amazing vid, loved the 3d graphics. I remember watching the documentary on the making of this car and always wondered where Richard ended up. Glad to see he is still engineering Lotus'.

[@schmuak]

T Lee Haha I watched that too. Some have aged better than others

[@marcobonfiglio2388]

Please lotus, never forget Chapman’s philosophy🙏🏻

[@vivekpund4997]

#BringTiffBack

[@agisettelotusexiges1202]

Very good video, I've an exige s1, is simply the best. Lotus for ever.

[@anonymous_bot_bot]

In 2013 we wanted a weekend car to replace the ageing MGF. We bought an Elise. It turned into a daily as its very practical, the S2 has a decent sized boot and used as a daily unless we need to move large objects. wonderful little car. The other contender was an SLK 55, I think that would have been replaced. The Elise will stay.

[@jayaychare7318]

Mine was so similar but a dark blue. Pity that 4x4 met me on brow of a hill on a B road . Loved it. Such amazing value

[@SuperMadpom]

Hit a double axle caravan on the brow of a hill - fibreglass to fibreglass until the front wheel hit part of the caravan that was solid. Had the whole car rebuilt on a new chassis.

[@mrrolandlawrence]

nice to see richard still at lotus :)

[@achilleconte4385]

I think it's not fair to not mention that the Elise was the idea of Romano Artioli, an italian entrepreneur that owned Lotus in that time, he had a niece whose name was Elisa, that's why he decided to name the car Elise. So in the end one of the most iconic British sports car has an italian pedigree. Cheers

[@TheUsmc0802]

I don't know if it reinvented sports car manufacturing, I returned Lotus to it's roots. Lightweight, great handling, and someone else's engine and gearbox. Right where they started.

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

USA legal in 2021

[@miketjoeng3857]

U should import one !!!!

[@richardbryce3201]

legal now, look up wirewheel Vero Beach, FL you can buy them there

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

@@richardbryce3201 They don't have any 90s Elise.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

But heavier and bigger due to US safety regulations. The best of the old ones are the late UK spec S2s (1zz and 2zz engines). Also the S1 special editions like the sport 130/160. They are still very quick and have none of the safety bloat.

[@UnleashElise]

@@BlatentlyFakeName, indeed, everything is sooo minimalistic or non-extistant in the S1.

[@bbpleg]

Bring back Tiff!

[@93455Driver]

Add hp, you go fast in a straight line, reduce weight and you fast all round the track.

[@duosonic391]

If I can see Jimmy De Ville on Goblin Works Garage on Velocity, err Motor Trend TV, why can I not also get Fifth Gear on my TV in the US?

[@ramaanomuravha8575]

Iconic

[@darthvaper6745]

Still want 1

[@redchristy]

I'd like one with a k20 swap

[@mrrolandlawrence]

many do. its a popular s1 conversion.

[@jeep2003]

I didnt know they still make them thats great! Cant get them in america though.

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

You can import a 1996 model next year. Might be overpriced when they start coming over. Guessing $30k. I'd be in for $10k

[@jeep2003]

@@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials well they sold them here from 05-11 id rather have one of them than an early car anyway but yeah they are pricey

[@1183newman]

@@jeep2003 In the video he says Lotus plan to unveil a new Lotus Elise this year so maybe a return to the states.

[@geoffreypattison7678]

u can't get them in America because they r unsafe! They don't pass the crash test requirements.

[@RJPhotographics]

@@geoffreypattison7678 safer than a motorbike. Can you buy those?

[@hallkbrdz]

So CF for 2020?

[@AndyRRR0791]

Cock fuzz...?

[@nst1981]

For an intelligent, well spoken man, he has a silly beard

[@baware9087]

What Ever so did Abraham Lincoln, your point being? All you’ve done is shown your naïveté and judged a book by its cover. Shame on you or should I praise you for showing your narrow point of view

[@nst1981]

@@baware9087 I bet you're fun at parties

[@patrickvanrinsvelt4466]

It's a truly comfortable car and I love it when the wife joins me. Very cosy. But very exciting at the same time.

[@225M3RCR]

Not one mention of Rovers EXTREMELY light weight and tunable engine that powers that thing in the bends

[@StochasticWolf]

That's because it's EXTREMELY unreliable, they switched to Toyota engines for a reason.

[@hexgraphica]

What does it mean that they came up with aluminium extrusions, when other sportscars with such frames were already out being developed by 1994?

[@Ughandi]

NEW 2020 ELISE?!?! 6:40

[@matteosiefert846]

Glad I am not the only one that noticed it! What do they know what we don't know? 🙏🏼

[@johnnystoka6625]

I am an Elise fan but I think Rover actually started the extruded and bonded chassis .

[@skillerx79]

Wish i had one :(

[@SandStormPower]

I still think Elan M100 still prettier than this Elise. But Elise got back to it's roots

[@jimj2683]

One day I could imagine buying a prepreg carbon fiber kit car that is even better than the elise.

[@Abhishek-150]

Lotus Elise is so small and handles so well that it would've killed all the cars in Initial D..

[@rdmz135]

Except the cappuccino

[@AnthroGearhead]

I like to see how that MRS run against a Exige

[@asakuras01]

What is Initial D?

[@AnthroGearhead]

@@asakuras01 an animated series where everyone thinks a AE86 and RX7 are the only cars that can help win races which isnt true at all

[@Abhishek-150]

@@asakuras01 : Its Japanese Anime based on Racing scene in Japan around 80s and 90s.. The races takes place mostly on Narrow mountain passes so car must have to be very nimble as well as balanced to win the races.. Also heavy cars like Skyline, Supra were not successful on Touge because in downhill racing you can easily overheat your brakes in a heavy car causing understeer.. It was very technical Anime as well as informative compared to all the nonsense west has produced about cars and racing..

[@alessandroantognoli6211]

Elise S1 the only true Elise.

[@chrisogrady28]

Can't believe the Elan was FF, such a bad move. Then again I say that about all wrong wheel drive cars.

[@TunPiccolo]

wrong wheel drive cars are affordable and tuneable to beat expensive overpriced normal wheel drive cars

[@Mexxx65]

It was the best handling and steering FWD car at that moment in Automotive History

[@Mexxx65]

@David David The Automotive "platform" at that time was definitely a move to FWD, compact, spacious (something the Elise will never be, well in its current format) and cheaper to manufacture than traditional RWD platforms. It was the right move, at the right time for Lotus. I wish they were still producing "benchmark" FWD sports cars today!!!! And sold them to us all, considerably cheaper then this overpriced midget car.

[@Mexxx65]

@David David But a Golf hatch won't have the excitement of a FWD Lotus sports car.

[@Mexxx65]

@David David "ALL" Sports Cars manufactured today are more high tech safety featured and softer than those sports cars of yesteryear...ie Lotus Elise hasn't had any mechanically/safety/more usable day to day improvements its entire life cycle..If Lotus with persist with this way of thinking, the Elise will die..Exactly like the Nissan 370Z is dying, because of no updates or improvements.

[@mosca3289]

Cool

[@aster5031]

5/5

[@225M3RCR]

#NOTIFFNOFITHGEAR

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

And now EVs are ruining it all 😭 No sports cars, no soft tops, no light weight, no direct steering. Just mundane SUVs.

[@betsyduane3461]

E-lease not E-leez

[@MrCaterhamr500]

He can say it how he wants, who do you think you are to dictate!??

[@betsyduane3461]

@@MrCaterhamr500 No he can't. It's the car's name dummy.

[@deeplato5647]

Jimmy. Crikey man..lose the neo skunk mange chin cut out! LoL

[@jrholeman]

Oi. Put some helmets on lads.

[@steveaustin7306]

No bigger then a minute

[@chrisb8075]

"the original Elise was challenging to drive" my arse. It would snap without warning and you were history. Not so sure I'd be shouting about having developed the handling of a car that was so badly compromised.

[@jadc]

Most of that was down to the original P Zero tyres. Modern tyres have got rid of that and unless you’re messing about it the wet, it’s pretty friendly now.

[@chrisb8075]

@@jadc my experience was with sticky A008r's and it was evil. Latterly some geometry Tweeks improved things but early ones weren't anything to shout about in the limit, unless you were shouting for an ambulance.

[@jadc]

Chris B Fair enough. I’ve been running those exact tyres on mine and my experience is different. It’s not friendly like an M3 is friendly, but “evil” and “badly compromised” isn’t a fair appraisal of it at all. Still, each to their own.

[@AmirPomen]

Its the factory toe and camber setting to induce oversteery feeling and a little fun.... A double edge sword... I believe anyone tracked of drive this car seriously would change the toe and camber setting to suits themself... Not a big problem...

[@chrisb8075]

@@AmirPomen lmfao spoken like a true bullshitter.

[@MadIIMike]

It's a fun little car, but doesn't deserve the Hype. The tub weights 68 kg, the chassis (including roof, but no doors/windows) of a normal car goes for around 200-350kg. Sure, it's stiff, but not stiff enough to not require reinforcement when paired with a real engine / stronger forces. The main difference in weight comes from it being small, not having the interior filled with garbage and of course the fibreglass body. If you put the work in it, a lot of "normal" cars should go down to around 1200-1300kg including cage and some fuel, if you really go for it, 1 ton is archivable, below this your wallet will likely bleed.

[@AndyRRR0791]

Of course Mike - you've shown the world how it's done. Did the hype machine pass your efforts by?

[@MadIIMike]

@@AndyRRR0791 My Racing days are way past... but I did race against some flashy Exige Cup thingy once.