1998 Lotus ELISE S1

Offered in Mustard Spice yellow and with 73,000 miles on the odometer, this lovely little Lotus Elise has a great interior. It also runs and drives well and would make an ideal all-purpose daily driver-cum-trackday weapon.

Strong, reliable and looking sharp, this is going to be a very easy, cost-effective way for someone to get their hands on a well-sorted Lotus Elise at possibly something of a bargain price…

The bright yellow Mustard Spice coachwork is in great condition, being almost completely free of stonechips, scuffs and the sort of damage that even the most carefully conserved car picks up.

Things generally line up well, the panels gaps are OK and there are none of the sort of spider-web cracks that the model is prone to. In fact, it all looks so good that it has almost certainly had some paintwork in the past to freshen it up but that shouldn’t be a worry because it has clearly been done to the sort of standard that makes it hard to spot exactly what has been done; only its condition (and the overspray underneath) tips us off that it is not all original. (However, we might be wrong. We often are, so why not pop along and take a look and see what you think?)

The alloy wheels are in great shape too, having been professionally refurbished in 2017. They are still free of even the lightest of marks much less any kerbing, scuffs or other damage. They also shod with high-quality, matching Yokohama tyres too.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The Elise comes with both hard and soft-top roofs. The black fabric roof is in good shape but, like every Elise soft-top ever made, is more of a notional roof than a practical one in the level of protection it gives. (There is no yellow hoop to refit once the hard top is removed) It’ll keep most of the rain out, but if you want to qualify for extra style points - and why wouldn’t you if they’re available? - by running it in the winter then you’ll probably want to pop the matching yellow hard-top on.  UPDATE: The seller has said: “The yellow roll bar cover is actually available. I just forgot to ship it to "The Market" location.”

It’s very clean, both inside and out, and turns the Elise into a genuine, all-season, all-weather sportscar. Snow or winter tyres would keep you mobile in even the worst weather too - and ski-racks are available…

We have photographed the panel behind the drivers' seat as there appears to be some deflection/damage. Please ensure you have made your own investigations into this before bidding. In better news, there are two full sets of keys. The previous owner had also confirmed that he had been told that the front section of the tub, behind the front wheels, shows no signs of damage.

Believed by the vendor to have been retrimmed, the interior is still wonderfully subtle and discreet; after all, when your car is as bright and cheery as this, you’ve no need to gild it any further.

So, it is black and alloy just as the good folk at Lotus intended. There might not be much to an Elise’s interior, but what there is is exquisite. Take the gearlever, for example. With a simple round alloy gearknob and a metal gate, the font and its kerning is so wonderfully retro and understated that it might be one of our favourite gearlevers of any car and at any price.

The Elise’s seats might be simple and slim but they are also far more comfortable than they look. They’re also as supportive as anything this side of a full-blown race car and nigh-on immaculate with only the very lightest of patinas.

The sill trim pieces are great; most are worn on account of the contortions necessary to get in and out of the Elise, but these are in great shape. The same goes for the door trims, and mats. In fact, the worst area is the steering wheel and, as you can see from the photos, that’s only very lightly worn…

A window regulator was replaced a couple of years ago; this was presumably the one on the offside as the nearside is still problematic. The doors and door locks will need attention too as the nearside one can only be operated from inside the car, and the offside one can be a bit tricky as well.

Bilstein dampers were fitted in 2012 at 43,000 miles; with only 30,000 miles under their belt they should be good for another few years yet. It has also had an aftermarket exhaust manifold and link pipe fitted.

The cylinder head gasket was changed in 2011. This is a common problem and the work was done so thoroughly as to warrant a bill for more than £700.

When he bought the Lotus the vendor was told that it has been fitted with the braking system and suspension from a series 2 Elise. We haven’t been able to verify this, but would welcome potential bidders and marque experts here to The Market HQ in Abingdon to validate that for themselves.

The engine bay is as clean and tidy and subtle as the rest of the car, but a day spent detailing it would bring it along in leaps and bounds.

The underside of the car is largely tidy, but there is some surface rust on the suspension components and the odd mark on the underneath of the front valance. These are almost inevitable in a car as low as this but a completist owner might want to budget for localised paint to tidy it up.

It starts, ticks over and drives very well, although we have noted that the gearchange can be a bit sticky when the car is cold, and there is a slight whirring, which we think may be the clutch release bearing. This doesn’t affect its operation, but potential bidders will need to take it into account when setting their budget. On the move there are some light rattles, but probably nothing more than you might expect from a 20 year old, 73,000 mile sports car.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s mileage. The MOT certificate itself expired in September 2020, however the car will be put back through MOT before the auction completes.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus some old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it. It also has a well-stamped service history booklet, along with its original owner’s handbook, wallet, and two keys.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork. UPDATE: The seller has re-listed this car with us as he found it to be uneconomical to import to his home in Ireland, he said "Irish Revenue valued the car at €28k and are demanding 30% in Vehicle Registration Tax!". ADDITIONAL UPDATE: The car has just been MoT'd on 02/11/20 and failed on only one point: the windscreen washer is not working (despite the reservoir full of fluid).

The Lotus Elise appears to have bottomed out with even the rattiest examples now fetching high four figures and decent-but-unremarkable cars fetching around £12,000.

Which makes our guide price of £9,000 to £12,000 for this one seem like a bit of a bargain.

So, if you’ve ever promised yourself an early Elise - and if you haven’t, you really should because they’re utterly brilliant to drive - then now might be the time to get bidding and see if you can bag yourself one.

We can’t see prices staying this low forever, and this might well offer low-cost motoring over the medium-term if process do start to rise.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; 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’.