Hiren's Car Web Pages 

Tha Lotus: 

The Elise might not resemble the Lotus Seven – still sold today as a Caterham – but the principle is the same: affordable, light and sheer fun.

This car goes for thrills, not frills, so the hood is manual and there’s no radio. If you’re considering a Mazda MX-5, MGF or BMW Z3, then the Elise is not for you. It only has one serious rival – the outrageous Renault Sport Spider.

In pure sports car terms the 1.8-litre, 118bhp K-series engine, lifted from the MGF, is a tame affair. But in a car weighing just 675kg that means a wicked power-to-weight ratio and, thanks to a slick gearbox.

Sportscars don’t come any better than the mid-engined Elise for handling.

Time for some specs
 
 

4 cylinder in-line, mid mounted 1796cc. 16v engine. Aluminium engine block with aluminium cyclinder
head double over head cam shaft with hydrolic tappets. Electronic multipoint fuel injection

0-62 mph   5.9s
Max    126 mph
0-100 mph   18s

Max power at 118bhp@5500 rpm