Estimated Price: £20,000 - £25,000

The Lotus Elise S2 111R was introduced in 2004, building on the success of the S2 111S and most notably featuring the introduction of the 189bhp 2ZZ 1.8-litre Toyota VVTL-I engine - a significant upgrade over the K-Series Rover 156bhp engine previously used. Although the engine was borrowed from Toyota, its tune for the Elise was done in-house by Lotus.

Allowing Lotus to offer the Elise to the US-market, the all-aluminium Toyota unit, housed in a new sub-frame, utilised a Yamaha-designed twin-cam head offering variable valve timing which, with bespoke engine management, giving a distinct high-cam changeover at around 6,200rpm giving impressive acceleration all the way to the 8,500rpm red line, whilst also being smooth with more low-down torque than with the K-Series. Many road tests document 0–60mph times in under 5.0 seconds, but the Elise’s low mass and superb chassis balance make it feel far quicker, especially on a twisty road where it’s most at home. Steering is unassisted and exceptionally communicative, while the double-wishbone suspension setup maintains the Lotus ethos, delivering remarkable precision and grip.

At this stage in production, the S2 had matured into a sharper yet more usable sports car, and the 111R variant sat near the top of the range, retaining the bonded aluminium chassis tub and glass-fibre body panels that define the Elise, keeping the kerb weight typically under 900kg and preserving the car’s famously direct, unfiltered driving character. The 111R is distinguished by extra bulges in the bonnet (to house the brake servo) and a new rear splitter that includes the centrally mounted twin exhaust pipes.

The car presented here is a 2007 Lotus Elise S2 111R and is designated (and registered as) a Sports+ model. According to our vendor, it's thought to have been a rare (one of two remaining) factory-special or prototype example, and was possibly previously registered to Lotus Cars and/or originally owned by a Lotus factory engineer. It was supplied fitted with the Sports Pack, including sports exhaust and Yokohama tyres on ultralight wheels. Owned by our vendor since 2008, it has a complete Lotus/specialist service history, having covered a conservative c.43,000 miles. Recently treated to a thorough overhaul, this highly capable British sportscar offers much ‘driving pleasure per pound’ and may have an intriguing Lotus backstory.