Lotus Elise

The Lotus Elise is much smaller than most super cars, but that doesnt mean that it isnt fast and packed with power.

The Elise S1 is powered by a Rover 1796cc 4 cylinder in line engine. it has a double overhead camshaft. It's peak power comes at 5500 rpms with 118 BHP. You can also get a 135 BHP engine upgrade from Lotus. The Elise weighs in at a itty bitty 1521 lbs, which is what allows for it's speed with such a small engine. This engine can power the little Elise from 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, with speeds up to 126MPH. The car comes with a manual 5 speed transmission with a hydraulic clutch. The chassis is made of epoxy bonded aluminum.

With all this power you're going to need some good breaks to bring it to a stop relatively quickly. The brakes are 282mm diameter cast ion ventilated disks mounted outboard.

The original target weight fot he Elise was 550kg. The first brochures list it at 690kg with a 39%/61%, front/rear distribution. Early Elises weighed in around 725kg and various modifications have meant that the standard car now weighs 755kg and the 111S weighs in at 770kg. The Elise Sport 190 is 670kg.