2014 Lotus Elise S Club Racer

This Elise is a Series 3 model, the last major revision to the car before production ended. It's no plain Elise (if there is such a thing) though, as it comes in S Club Racer specification.

Club Racer was originally a trim of the 1.6-litre Elise, produced in 2010, and essentially consisted of a serious weight reduction strategy – no mean feat on a car already well under a tonne. Special seats, forged alloy wheels, a lightweight battery, no stereo or air-conditioning, and even a lighter badge helped strip almost 30kg from the car.

The S Club Racer is the same idea but using the supercharged 1.8-litre car instead, resulting in an 80hp bump over the original, and much healthier performance figures.

This particular S Club Racer is an extremely low mileage example, with just over 12,550 miles on the odometer, and – despite the temptation – hasn't been put to the test on any track days to the best of the last two owners' knowledge.

If it wasn't for a lack of room with a Porsche Boxster Spyder on the way, it wouldn't even be for sale...

One of very many highlights of this car is the Chrome Orange paintwork. It's a very unusual colour to find on any Elise and it's hard to capture how good it is in the metal, as it varies from an almost blood orange colour in shade to tangerine in bright sunshine. Little wonder then it was an £1,100 option when new.

On this example the paint is close to immaculate, with the only mark we can find on the car being a small stone chip low down on the nearside front. Of course with the Elise's body panels being made of a composite material, there's no risk of this becoming an oxidation hot spot and thus ranks as a blemish rather than a concern.

The Elise is remarkably clean elsewhere too, with the black mesh inserts in the front end and the side scoops still as clean as they were the day the car rolled out onto the roads. All of the lights covers are clear of cracks, damage, and condensation, as is the black rear character panel that clearly bears the Lotus wordmark.

All four of the model-specific, lightweight forged alloy wheels are undamaged and retain their original powder-black finish. There's a recent set of Yokohama Advan Neova AD08RS tyres too with plenty of tread remaining – though these are best suited for summer use.

The wheels cover drilled brake discs which look almost brand new, with large single-piston Lotus-branded calipers at the front and plenty of pad left on all four corners.

Importantly for a convertible, the roof is in showroom condition as far as we can tell, with no evidence of nicks or tears anywhere. All of the vehicle glass is in excellent condition too.

It's naturally a pretty compact cabin, with the Elise only available as a two-seater convertible, and the S Club Racer is an even more spartan environment than a regular Elise.

That even includes the seats, which are essentially two composite shells – in a matching shade to the body – with some suede padding on the base and strategic locations in the backrest (as well as “S Club Racer” logos). They're in excellent condition with no signs of wear at all.

Ordinarily we'd tell you about the carpets at this point, but there are none. The rest of the interior is naked aluminium, which very much fits the lightweight theme, and is unblemished. There are a pair of overmats – again wearing the same “S” logos – which can be a magnet for wear from the driver's heels, but appear barely used too.

For the most part the cabin upper is finished in black plastic and is also in excellent condition. There's some mild scuffing on the driver's side door sill, which is to be expected as one of the highest traffic areas and the Elise's reputation of difficult access, but it's superficial at worst.

The doors – suede over body-colour panels – also both look to be in excellent condition, with no marking, wear, stains, or damage. That goes for the roof and its sockets on the screen surround and rear cabin structure too.

All of the instruments and controls are clear and appear to operate normally, and the car comes with the original Alpine CDE-181RR head unit (with USB and Aux connectivity) and four-speaker sound system.

The Elise's boot is a pretty compact affair, sitting behind the engine – indeed under the engine cover – and looks to be just about unused. There's a bag for the roof and a small tool kit that includes the locking wheel nut key.

The supercharged Toyota engine is a centrepiece of the Elise S models, and – being Toyota – it starts up first time without any fuss. It seems to quickly find a solid idle speed, with no untoward squeaks or grumbles, and quickly gains and loses revs just as you'd expect from a force-fed variable valve timing unit.

Out on the road the Elise is perfectly at home and again makes none of the wrong noises, even on speed bumps and rough urban road surfaces. There appear to be no issues whatsoever with the ride, steering, brakes, or suspension – in fact it seems to be quite the pussycat around town.

There's not a great deal to see on the underside of the car, with the Elise's flat floor formed of aluminium panels – and only the NACA ducts to break it up. The floor is straight and clean, with no damage or obvious marking anywhere; there's some weathering, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell that almost decade has gone by since it rolled out of Hethel, even on the exposed bolt heads.

All of the Elise's owners have kept well on top of the car's servicing, with a service book (in the original wallet) stamped to document the car's relatively small mileage – currently just over 12,500 miles.

That includes a major, 30,000-mile service – carried out at a little less than a third of that – which covered the significant perishables like the supercharger belt. A recent service and MOT, valid through to June 2024, gives additional peace of mind.

The current owner bought the car just over 12 months ago, on the understanding it had never been crashed or used on track, and that's still the case a year on. Indeed the Elise has only seen sparing use in that time, adding another 600 miles to the clocks.

The Lotus Elise is nothing short of a landmark car, rescuing a beloved brand in a manner that stayed true to its lightweight roots. It became the best-selling car ever made at Hethel – a record unlikely to be bettered – before production ended for good in 2021.

This particular model is almost the essence of an Elise, pairing the excellent supercharged Toyota engine with weight reduction regimen that produces one of the best examples of the breed.

Add in the spectacular colour and the sympathetic use, meticulous servicing and almost pristine presentation and you have a stunning car that any Elise enthusiast will love.

We estimate this vehicle to fetch between £30,000 - £40,000 in auction.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. 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’.