2002 Lotus Elise

Everyone knows that a properly sorted Lotus Elise is a true driver’s car.

Offering a superb power-to-weight ratio and fabulous balance, poise, handling and grip, these are cars that lent themselves to track days from the outset.

And that’s the problem.

The hard part is finding one that hasn’t been pushed to its limits around Thruxton or Castle Combe.

Well, as luck would have it, we’ve got one here.

Not only has it never been raced, it is unmodified, authentic and original.

It has been with the vendor for the past 14 years and, in its 22 years of carefully curated life, it has covered only a paltry 29,000 miles.

The vendor, who is just the fourth owner, has known the car for around 20 years in total, having seen and admired it when it belonged to a customer of his who had bought it from a Lotus main dealer.

The car is in good, original condition that reflects both its low mileage and the fact that it is unrestored.

The car presents well from every angle and there are no dents, creases, ripples or folds of any significance than we can see.

The shut-lines and panel gaps are as crisp and exact as you’d hope and want.

The original wheels are in very fine fettle, save for the odd minor nick and scratch.

The matching Yokohama tyres are brand new.

The Ruby Red paintwork is original and, it follows, has picked up the odd stone chip and scratch over the years.

There are plenty of stone chips around the front valance and a few scuffs and scrapes at the base of it. There are also stone chips on the frunk and around the ‘nose’ of the car.

There are some scratches near the light clusters at the rear, and we noticed another on the o/s/r wing.

The black fabric-covered lift-out roof is in good order.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are all broadly beyond reproach, although the vendor tells us that the aerial is currently refusing to work – but this may be rectified by the time the car goes live.

The interior of an Elise is a simple, functional, spartan place that’s designed to give keen drivers everything they need and nothing they don’t.

This one is in excellent overall condition and is wholly in accordance with what you’d expect to find in a car that’s yet to reach 30,000 miles.

The leather seats are largely untroubled by the passage of time, save for a little creasing to the driver’s seat squab.

A few bits of paint have rubbed off where the roof has been lifted in and out, and there are some scuffs, scratches and scrapes on the driver’s door card and the wide sill cover on the same side (well, you try getting in and out of a Lotus Elise without scraping your feet on something).

The carpets and exposed aluminium sections are all decent, as is the Alcantara trim on the dashboard.

There are one or two scratches on the alloy housing for the gear lever and a few more on the plastic surround to the ignition key-hole.

The car’s dials, instruments, switches and controls all look fine to us, and the vendor tells us that they all do what they’re supposed to do.

The trunk, you won’t be surprised to learn, is following the same script as the rest of the car in terms of quality, condition and preservation, as is the luggage space behind the engine bay.

Everything in the engine bay looks dry, shiny, correct and proper. Which is hardly surprising when you consider its very modest mileage.

So, too, do the car’s undersides which are largely hidden by protective under-trays that would appear to have done a very good job of, well, protecting the undersides.

The car’s MoT comes with no advisories, which is always reassuring news on a car that’s over 20 years old.

The vendor, who knows his way around a toolkit, has carried out all of the routine maintenance and servicing himself, using specialists whenever necessary and appropriate.

There is plenty of paperwork attesting to this.

The car has very recently received a new set of matching Yokohama tyres.

The cam belt, tensioners and water pump were replaced a couple of years ago, as was the battery.

The car’s MoT certificate is valid until 8.4.25.

The car comes with full sets of keys, the owners’ pack of manuals and handbooks, and a recent, clear HPI report.

An unmolested, unrestored, unmodified, untweaked Lotus Elise that’s never had a track day inflicted upon it?

Tick.

A wholly original, authentic car?

Tick.

A low mileage example with fewer than 30,000 miles on the clock?

Tick.

A car that’s always been serviced and maintained in the right ways and at the right time?

Tick.

What’s not to like?

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £16,000 - £20,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Coltishall, Norwich. To arrange an appointment to view this vehicle 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’.