Lotus Elise S1: the best sports car of the last 25 years | PH25

[@marktickle8480]

A great day, if not the best conditions for using my car. Video and photos have turned out fantastic!

[@TheMrrigma]

Your car always looks stunning Mark 👍

[@marktickle8480]

@@TheMrrigma Thanks Rob, luckily it was clean for the short notice request. All credit to Harry the photos/video have come out great.

[@samueldowney2806]

Wonderful car.

[@smetlitzky]

@marktickle8480 Hi Mark, still the most gorgeous car :) you might remember I updated a same-colour 111S here in Australia after a major accident in my 400hp S2 Elise and asked you for info on the driving light covers and stickers :) I sold that 111S in 2020 but missed it so much I’ve just bought another S1 and my clear driving light covers just arrived today ready for painting :). Quick question, what internal headlights are you using in yours? They seem to be way brighter than the normal H4s?? Cheers, Steve

[@TheMrrigma]

Love the Elise, couldn’t agree more and am glad it’s recognised accordingly. Great video!

[@chiltonengineering1539]

I have had mine for 21 years. As I hop in it today, the anticipation and thrill is the same as when I first got it. For twisty mountain roads and track days it could not be more fun.

[@CameraJosh]

As a 111R owner, I would urge anyone who is on the fence about an Elise to just buy one before it’s too late.

[@nickvlaanderen]

I'am thinking about to buy a Elise S1 with Honda K20 engine.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

Do it, but TBH I'd avoid one which has been turboed. The car has difficulty housing all the parts for a turbo and keeping it cool.

[@jdmimportlogistics]

Would a roof scoop help? ​@@BlatentlyFakeName

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

@@jdmimportlogistics Nope. The scoop was only something on the old Exige which fed air to the supercharger.

[@johnnyboy114]

I adored mine. Miss it daily. Wife and kids put pay to it sadly, but best car I’ve ever owned, bar none and I’ve had some lovely stuff that would get good PH kudos. But my Millenium Edition (only 50 ever built) was pure joy. Even with the vandals that decided to put a boot through the front clamshell….🙄 But that unique paint, the interior and the 111S wheels as standard, it not only drove spectacularly, it looked the mutts nuts as well. Was my pride and joy. I daily ran it as well, for my commute and cost no more than a boring old economy hatchback to run. But it was the times I did exactly what is happening in this video that made that car special. What a thing. I would love another one, but pricing prohibitive now sadly. But one day. Well done PH. The right choice viewers. Magical little thing

[@19grand]

Am looking St the journalist wondering how he can fit into it!

[@johnnyboy114]

@@19grand have to admit, I am quite short so didn’t affect me at all but I totally had friends who found it really quite hard to get and out and fit! 🤣

[@Finkjam]

They still look stunning all these years later.

[@mgwaite10]

I’ve had one for 18years, people sometimes ask would I sell it and what would I get, it’s unique in so many ways why would you part with it. Completely true about the driving experience , if you put the effort in to drive it well it really rewards by making you look really good, if you’re sloppy it really shows you up, it makes you work for it, I’m still learning, still clipping the rear wheel on curbs occasionally. Thanks PH I still recall the day of discovering PH when I was supposed to be doing work at Land Rover Solihull in 1998! Thanks for keeping the residuals up on the old girl, much appreciated!!

[@scottarmstrong1475]

I sold my S1...and replaced it with a S3 Club Racer S. Once you've had an elise you are spoiled!

[@patrickvanrinsvelt4466]

My Elise is an S2 and have never felt anything like this little car. She is raw, precise, nimble, and gorgeous. Topless too! No better sports car in the world for going around twisty roads in NZ.

[@rrk2387]

absolute belter of a car. I've been smitten since my first drive 20 odd years ago. I challenge it to not put a huge smile on your face

[@cdnim2358]

That car....that road.....that enthusiasm!

[@UnleashElise]

Love the video - Thanks so much. The Headgasked issue however was solved many years ago. Cant believe that myth still sticks around.

[@grossmeister1181]

Easy, deserved, logical. Best sports car ever made, not only the last 25 years. Affordable, easy to maintain, fast, endless fun.

[@alecspyrou2134]

Still have my 98 S1 Elise from 2002 so 21 years. Highly modified for track work but still road certified. Love it. Never goimg to get as good a feeling as this from another car so I'm keeping it forever.

[@terptv710]

K20 supercharged?

[@betacam235]

Nice review. My 1999 S1 111S has been snoozing since 2014 and this has fired my enthusiasm to haul it out and give it a light restoration....it's the best car I've owned all round. Mine still has the proper 111S wheels and radiator grill though it's been tuned by Dave Andrews to over 200bhp.

[@Marcustx23]

I have a 2007 Lotus Exige S (Krypton Green). It remains one of my favorite cars of all time. Given that I currently have a 2014 Ferrari 458 and a 2019 Porsche GT3 RS as well, that tells you how well Lotus did with my Exige.

[@tam340r5]

Same here…. But I kept the Elise 😊❤

[@loftybadger]

Great review ! it is a truly great car. I am lucky enough to own a s1 sport 135 and love it, it brings a smile to my face every time I drive it.

[@stephenwhitworth7701]

What a fantastically beautiful review, part instructive, part enthusiasm, and part commentary. I would have loved to be on thet review with you. Thank you for what could easily be one of the best sales pitches for a series one Elise.Thank you.

[@marktickle8480]

It was a fantastic day, if not a little damp!

[@hensh911]

Great, evocative language. Fantastic presentation! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@knutarneaakra6013]

I had a elise jubileum red white and gold. Number 49 some years ago. Great car. Used it for commuting to my job every day of thee year. 140 km pr day. No problem in wintertime on snowy icey roads. No seat heating and almost no heat in the coupe but still quite fun. Swapped it for a citroen c6. Still miss my tiny car.

[@jlucb5367]

Best car ever, but you need to test in ideal condition to "catch" the special feeling, I'm living in the French Alps, this car here is the perfect match with the roads 🤩

[@AlastairMaw]

I took my S2 SC across the Alps a few years ago and it was magical. Easily the match (on 95% of the roads) to an R35 GTR and a 996 Turbo that also came along, and so much narrower that you could really exploit it in various places when you'd be somewhat dawdling around the corners in a wider car for fear of a van or truck coming the other way.

[@jlucb5367]

​@@AlastairMaw I'm living at Evian les Bains, it's the starting point of "The Great Alps Route", Alps are my garden :-) and in this place, for me, there are no better car (I have also the new A110), but Elise S1 untouchable 😍

[@sergeantsqueaker]

Excellent review and love the enthusiasm of the presenter. Wonderful car.

[@elliottharley1386]

Picking up my 'new' S1 today, so excited!!

[@nickvlaanderen]

And do you like the car?

[@elliottharley1386]

@@nickvlaanderen flipping brilliant!

[@kevinmcg6747]

Got to say the commentator complimented what was and remains a wonderful car.

[@111R2005]

Love my Elise. Nothing quite like it will be sold new here in the US again. It’s an S2 Federal spec, but all we could legally get over here until recently. The 25-year rule timetable means S1’s are starting to show up on this side of the pond.

[@turnamere4859]

Great video, it captured the essence of this iconic car and the videography captured the timeless elegance of the design. If you want to understand feedback and involvement the Elise is a great way to find out. I'll have had mine for 20 years this may and I have absolutely no intention to sell it any time soon.

[@alenseven11]

Just continue with this series of videos. 👏🏼🔝

[@cliffVDH]

Proud to be part of history owner !

[@sturejonsson]

Very beautiful Lotus Elise s1😊👍💪

[@harishue8575]

loved it .. thanks for the video .. i have mine and I'm still driven it.. 1999 - 2024 what a amazing car ..

[@davebegbie362]

Starting to really enjoy John’s videos.

[@final_mile_music9713]

Probably the best car I’ve ever driven. Although my Cayman is pretty good too!

[@OppositeLock99]

Great video, great cars - I’ve owned 7 S1’s over the last 3 decades now. Nothing else comes close for pure driving satisfaction. I have a lovely yellow one for sale (26k miles) if anyone is interested (not yet advertised)….

[@benlowden5799]

Fantastic video and a great tribute to the Elise, well done all!

[@AlbertoMelucciIT]

Well, that is not only a S1... it's the TEEKLE! One great example of probably the best version of Elise ever made, the S1 111S... Got a S2 Elise for my 18 and been Lotus Elise enthusiast since 2002... never found such purity of driving experience in any other cars ever driven.

[@marktickle8480]

Thank you 😊

[@R8andGT3Fan]

Lovely video! The Elise looks soooo good...and I can't imagine how fun it must be! Waiting for the next PH25 videos!

[@klassiekerrallydotnl]

Winner. Hands down.

[@jonathanknight8251]

I love my final edition Elise and can’t imagine ever parting with it. But I can easily see an S1 joining it at some point and enjoying both book ends.

[@johnwight6041]

I couldn’t agree more that the Lotus Elise is the best recent sports car. I absolutely love my S2

[@kramnam4716]

Good review. You capture the essence I think.

[@mugenman6]

I’m not crying with Gran Turismo nostalgia, you are. DC2 Integra Type R, AP1 S2000, or NSX Type S/R next please please please. 😁😭

[@jamsxr]

Great review

[@alvinvong44]

Still love the looks of it after 25 years

[@dodgywheelsandropeywiring5697]

Weight ruins everything, I've never owned one but I have had the pleasure of being a passenger a few times. They are legendary.

[@aspiratedaloha2946]

This car started me on cars enough said

[@PeterTeehan]

Lotus Elise S1 is my unicorn. People generally gun for a traditional super car. There is nothing about the Elise that's traditional.

[@JIMMYHIBBS1]

I daily’d a series 2 111S for 2 years, years ago - miss that car 😢 cost me more to buy it back again now, 10 years after I sold it 😢😢

[@johnnysmith863]

Certainly one of the all time greats.

[@blowduke]

One of the best drivers car still got mine after 19 years

[@steveluck9541]

I’ve had my 111s for over twenty years. The Rover VVC engine itself has been great. The fact you can enjoy it without thrashing it sold the car over an S2000 I test drove. The only thing it should have had from new is quaife torque biasing diff. That would have saved a lot of accidents. More bhp comes as standard because no one keeps the standard manifold once it’s rusted out. Plastic throttle bodies stick so they get thrown out too along with OEM air box.

[@AlastairMaw]

Most of the accidents seem to be from the rear weight bias and lift-off oversteer, especially over crests, or aquaplaning. Would a torque-biasing diff help with those? An Elise on the limit will fairly harmlessly spin away power on the unloaded wheel.

[@steveluck9541]

@@AlastairMaw It’s the loading and unloading of power to wheels with grip that can cause huge tank slappers. For road use I can pull out of nasty T junctions with huge grip and no fear of the car swapping ends. Feels like a no brainer for an average driver.

[@AlastairMaw]

@@steveluck9541 I have an S2 SC with probably 50% more power than yours (and no traction control) I can't say I find traction an issue ever. You have to be being a complete idiot to spin up the wheels, and limited slip diffs generally promote either oversteer or understeer rather than neutrality, depending on what you're doing at the time. Lotus didn't think (for road use) that any of their 111-based cars needed a limited slip diff until you got up to 400hp-odd V6 Exiges, and having owned two Elises I'm inclined to agree.

[@samueldowney2806]

Fancy meeting you here! Yours is a stunning example also Steve.

[@SuperMadpom]

@@AlastairMaw They put skinny tyres on the S2 to give it more initial understeer and make it safer for average drivers. S1 are much more twitchy with 195 section up front not 175 of the S2's

[@samueldowney2806]

One of the greatest cars of all time. Great choice PH!

[@paullondon5332]

I have an S1 160 sport and it are as good as they say

[@fergalwalshe5958]

I really like this guy

[@drew699]

Those driving light covers are truly rank. What’s the point of restricting lights with naff covers when you can buy clear covers? De-shit the car from those stickers & it would look so much better. Apart from that it’s clearly a great car….

[@marktickle8480]

They are white covers to stop cracks in the driving lamps, the car never usually sees night / dark driving, if it did I would use my clear covers.

[@mgwaite10]

Get clear covers, he’s right they’re just wrong.

[@maxtamiya]

I love my car. I really appreciate much this video thanks !

[@mikeerhymes]

11:02 Love this, Lotus engineers FTW. If you can’t handle this perfectly setup car for proper drivers, that’s your problem….

[@techyd8411]

Great choice! Absolutely love my little S2 Elise!

[@josenrsevilla9318]

Awesome!

[@michaelteret4763]

A dream car for me.

[@mixxeerr]

This car is SOO good with a K engine, as in the Honda K24. :)

[@zeddist7472]

A nice anti-example to today’s SUV “car culture”, why maximise power when you can minimise weight. A reason why they picked the Rover K18 engine is precisely because it was one (if not the) lightest engine around at the time with its all aluminium block and head. Sadly Rover’s cheapness when it came to picking important ancillary pieces like the head gasket gave the engine a bad rep (although quick to fix). But I think it says something about an engine if It’s Lotus’ choice.

[@wesleycardinal8869]

Brilliant!

[@nathanharris5815]

Bought an S2 in 2016, absolutely love it! Never getting rid... There's faster cars sure, but not much feels as good to drive.

[@syedalishah6854]

Dude sounds just like Chris Harris!

[@giuseppescariati4126]

That car Is huge

[@markdavies9765]

Great car, great video ;)

[@grahamking4280]

Pretty car

[@Julia-xz7vb]

lovely car, great road. weather ...😮

[@fabian_dfg]

❤❤❤ Lotus Elise ❤❤❤

[@stevebaxter8154]

I've had mine (111s in Titanium - like the one featured here) since new in 1999, 24 years and 7,300 miles later (yes only 7k miles) I still love it, even if it doesn't get much use!

[@redness2323]

Man. You look so different but as always a great job

[@mukhtar__]

these were smth special

[@brayworkshop427]

Great review!

[@final_mile_music9713]

I’ve only driven it on a track!

[@davidhealy4534]

Wow and My car has the same engine 👍

[@syazwanali7094]

My dream car. When I finally get one, I’ll swap a 4AGE & add a roll cage.

[@AndyRRR0791]

Definitely the most memorable features are the stiff chassis and the sucking noises behind you. What's not to like...?

[@RHU0101]

One day!

[@sandywinton2723]

So much prettier than the later ones!

[@adrienpave7700]

Bravo,

[@dallagasperinabenoit434]

absolutely agree 😍

[@B_Road_Machines]

Need one of these in my life. My Mk4 R32 needs to go first though.😢

[@AlastairMaw]

Do it! You won't regret it for a second once you have one. The R32 is an interesting car for sure, but an Elise is on another plane when it comes to driver involvement and specialness.

[@blarkdexture8899]

Just add lightness

[@Fioravanti.80]

Great little car. The Rover engine was good, just needed a Honda vtec.

[@AlastairMaw]

I think more power can ruin an Elise (on the road at least) you lose the lovely sense of flow you get with the ability to really rev out the car without it being ridiculous for the public road.

[@whitewalker9622]

Mayby the 1gen ford ka or the renault clio rs or something similar that everyone can buy?

[@marktickle8480]

Neither are sports cars. I believe the Clio will be in the hot hatch vote.

[@benaldous193]

​@@marktickle8480sold a 182 turbo earlier this year, massive regrets even though I own a supercharged vx220. The clio is fantastic in every single way 👍👍

[@marktickle8480]

@@benaldous193 I had a Trophy 182, and 200 Cup before getting the car in this video. RS Clio's are fantastic!

[@benaldous193]

@@marktickle8480 nice! The 182 have really stood the test of time, they're still gorgeous now. I just wasn't a fan of the community and only trusted one well known mechanic, the other one couldn't get anything right with the car. Would buy another one down the line but much prefer a Meg engine thrown in than the f4r! Your elise looks really good BTW 😁

[@guillaume_Chr]

Pagani Zonda next ? 🙃

[@edu4818]

love that

[@19grand]

It's actually reliable? Might start saving to buy one.

[@marktickle8480]

Very reliable

[@19grand]

@@marktickle8480 you have one?

[@marktickle8480]

@@19grand the one in the video

[@19grand]

@@marktickle8480 :)

[@stephaneley3135]

Great chassis, reasonable engine, everything else is a bit low rent!😊

[@smoath]

😊👍🏻

[@daveblock4061]

Simplify, then add lightness.

[@spa3093]

👏

[@LOTPOR0402]

M100 always looked to mass produced

[@steveluck9541]

It looked great in the flesh. I had a CRX VETEC at the time and got to park next to an Elan at a gym. If get to a point when getting into my Elise is too hard I’d be looking for an Elan

[@Ovenman940]

6:42 It's from Norfolk, not Maranello. Use the definite article, please.

[@AlastairMaw]

If you listen carefully he says, "that's why with *an* Elise", although he does rather elide the two words together. I'd like to see you trying to do pieces to camera while driving an Elise on damp roads.

[@lazerlabmusic]

I think it's very easy to control when you push it hard. It's very predictable.

[@harpersneil]

I dare you to pause the video at 4:20 and not declare the Lotus Elise, not to be one of the most beautiful cars of all time.

[@jackal2513]

Poor handling … had two of them including a 340r

[@mgwaite10]

Errr, no. The cause isn’t the car.

[@jackal2513]

@@mgwaite10 they are prescriptive at the limit, are not especially adjustable on the throttle and prone to understeer (particularly the 111s) … you probably don’t understand what handling actually is and confuse it with other properties like roadholding and body control (which the elise excels at)

[@steveluck9541]

@@jackal2513 Which 111S? S2 was given skinnier 175 front tyres to give it more understeer and make it safer for inexperienced drivers. S1 111S 195 up front if you put Yokohama Advans on.

[@N911GT2]

It's not even the best sportscar from the UK the last 25 years. Elise is so overrated.

[@Anttihii]

Alfa 4c beats this hands down

[@albertrobinson4539]

hahaha ok

[@Anttihii]

@@albertrobinson4539 hahaha, its hard to admit

[@albertrobinson4539]

@@Anttihii you have never owned an Elise

[@Anttihii]

@@albertrobinson4539 and you havent owned 4c

[@Anttihii]

@@albertrobinson4539 I believe reviewers .And 4c beats it in track

[@martinmees878]

Great stuff.

[@cliffhatton9864]

Great review