2014 Lotus Elise S3

Our example is a 2014 Series 3 Elise fitted with the 1ZR-FAE engine and Touring Pack. What sets this car apart, however, is its amazing 2,332 miles and two owner history. Our car was purchased from Lipscombe Lotus of Maidstone in May 2014 with just 3 miles showing on the odometer. The documentation confirms the car was supplied with the Touring Pack, air conditioning and special-order silver 14 spoke forged sports wheels.

The first owner kept the car until March 2022 and the term “lightly used” seems to significantly exaggerate the car’s status. By the first MoT in 2017 the car had covered 1,088 miles and by the time the car passed to its second owner in 2022 it was sitting at 2,112 miles. Lightly used should perhaps be “hardly used.”

The second and current owner acquired the car at auction in March 2022. In a little over a year of ownership he has added a further 220 miles or so to that already miniscule total. Given this we can surmise that the car is available today due to a lack of use!

From this point on a theme will likely, quickly form. An important facet of our role is to bring the potential buyer’s attention to both the good and the less good aspects of the car’s condition and presentation. Given this is a 2,332-mile car that has possibly only been used in the dry and the “cons” column may become a little superfluous……or, at least, quite sparsely populated.

The Elise’s design is a true manifestation of form following function. Colin Chapman, charismatic founder of Lotus, was a doyen of a central and overriding philosophy that clearly informed Elise designers, Julian Thomson and Richard Rackham. Chapman was famed for espousing his “simplify and add lightness” mantra and affirming that “adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.”

As such the Elise’s fibreglass body is a study in minimal design with nothing superfluous or lacking function present. Our car looks amazing in its gleaming Laser Blue livery. Its “kammback” integrates an upward swept spoiler. The narrow, dished and elliptical rear panel contains the four, individual rear lights and the big “Lotus” chromed name badge. A functional rear diffuser houses the centrally mounted twin exhausts.

Moving forward, the tail morphs into a buttress enclosed, mesh vented engine cover. Big side scoops are in place to suck air into the engine compartment, the remnants of these continue into the door tops and tapered sill extensions. The shapely nose of the Elise sweeps up into sharp topped wings and features the big, triangular fared-in lights of the Series 3.

Despite all this purposeful drama, the sublime special-order forged alloy wheels visually steal the show. The staggered set of wheels are 14-spoke items with a 16-inch diameter for the front air and 17-inch items at the rear. Of course, these are in spotless condition and have the word “forged” embossed into their centres. The original set of ultra low-profile Yokohama tyres are fitted.

Chapman’s influence seems even more obvious in the cockpit of the Elise. “Minimal” was clearly the designers’ watch word. The tombstone backed leather seats are buckets in the true sense of the word with deep bolsters and just the bare minimum of padding. The familiar “clam shell” Lotus logo is lightly embossed into the headrests.

Like all the best race inspired cars, much of the architecture of this featherweight car is visible in the cabin. The deep and high sill panels make Elise entry and exit an art best practiced and mastered. Alloy, ribbed crossmembers dissect the footwells with black, Elise inscribed carpet mats dressing the area between these and the exposed aluminium footwell bulkheads.

The dashboard is finished in a mix of black substrates and polished alloy accents. The instrument binnacle is binocular shaped and contains a pair of flat bottomed, white on black gauges. A small digital read-out and a panel of warning lights are also present. These sit behind a chunky, three-spoke alloy and leather Momo steering wheel. Heating and air conditioning controls are located in the centre section and are finished in attractive machined alloy. An Alpine head unit is also fitted here.

This Elise is fitted with the respected Toyota 1ZR-FAE engine. This is a DOHC, 16-valve, 1,598 cc engine, equipped with Dual VVT-i and Valvematic. Output for this engine is rated at 134bhp at 6400 rpm and 118 lb-ft of torque at 4400 rpm. Valvematic varies the intake valve lift between 1 and 11 mm according to load and RPM. In the featherweight Elise, this translates into 6.7 second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of around 125mph. The power from the engine is fed to the rear wheels via a six-speed, close ratio manual gearbox.

This rev-hungry unit sits amidships, just behind the cabin’s rear firewall. This is accessed via a rear hinged, mesh vented engine cover. The engine is topped with a black and carbon fibre finished engine cover. The words “Lotus Performance” are picked out in embossed, silver finished letters. A small, carpeted luggage compartment is located in front of the engine compartment.

Unsurprisingly, the underside of the car looks in keeping with a carefully used, 2,332-mile sports car. The underside of the Elise is predominantly fared in with rivetted aluminium panels. This not only helps effectively manage airflow under the car but also forms part of the bonded platform of the car. It is entirely straight looking, undamaged and it even exhibits some of the original bonding material used in the manufacturing process.

Given the incredibly low mileage and low ownership history of this Elise, there is a small but instructive paperwork archive. The current V5 registration document is present as is the current MoT in hard copy. The latter is valid until May 2024 and is advisory free. A couple of earlier MoTs in hard copy are also on hand.

The original book pack is included as is the original, 2014 sales invoice relating to the car’s purchase by the first owner. Two original keys are on-hand as are the instructions for the Alpine head unit.

Right from its launch back in 1995, the Elise has been known as the ultimate, pure driver’s car. It is incredibly focussed on what it does so well, which is imparting a thrilling and engaging driving experience that very few cars can match, let alone exceed. So good was the original concept that subsequent updates have been modest, concentrating mainly on adding more powerful engines rather than tinkering with the essence of the car.

This example clearly embodies that original Elise DNA with a high revving, but not especially powerful, engine proving all you need to deliver that authentic Lotus experience. It is this car’s history that stands out, however. Just two owners to date and a car that is little more than modestly run in. As a result, the condition appears faultless being as close to factory fresh as you are likely to find with a 2014 car. Clearly, this represents a vanishingly rare ownership opportunity that is, surely, too good to miss.

We estimate this car to fetch between £30,000 - £35,000 in auction.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.