General Motors funded its development in exchange for a badge-engineered Vauxhall VX220 built on the same line.
Median 240 hp across 58 similar cars
Lead trim: Elise S2 1.8 L Rover K-series four (120 bhp) · up to 160 hp
Lotus Elise/exigeSeries 2 · 2001–2011
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 2sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Lotus Elise/exige yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactGeneral Motors funded its development in exchange for a badge-engineered Vauxhall VX220 built on the same line.
The Lotus Elise Series 2 ('Monza'), announced 9 October 2000 and built 2001-2011, was funded by General Motors in exchange for a badge-engineered Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 sharing its Hethel production line (the VX220 differing in wheelbase, door sills, wheel size and powertrain, ending production in late 2005); its bodywork paid homage to the earlier M250 concept and was the first Lotus body designed on computer, on a modified Series 1 chassis needed to meet new European crash regulations that had ended Series 1 production. The base S2 used a naturally aspirated 1,795 cc Rover K-series four without VVC, 120 bhp (122 PS) at 5,600 rpm and 124 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm; the 111S added Rover's VVC technology for 160 hp (119 kW), including 50-car Type 25 and Type 23 heritage editions, before the 111S was dropped in 2005 in favour of Toyota power (1ZZ-FE, later 2ZZ-GE) engines. Wheelbase 2,300 mm (90.6 in), length 3,785 mm (149.0 in), width 1,719 mm (67.7 in), height 1,143 mm (45.0 in, 2002-2007) or 1,117 mm (44.0 in, 2008-2011), kerb weight 860 kg (1,896 lb) or 910 kg (2,006 lb).
Collectors Spotted in the Lotus Elise/exige Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Lotus Elise/exige yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elise 111S 1.8 L Rover K-series VVC four (160 hp) | 2001–2005 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 160 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Elise S2 1.8 L Rover K-series four (120 bhp) | 2001–2011 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 120 hp | 124 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Series 2 Elise's shape wasn't sketched on paper first — it was the first Lotus ever designed entirely on a computer.
General Motors funded its development in exchange for a badge-engineered Vauxhall VX220 built on the same line.
The Series 1 Elise weighed just 725 kg thanks to its bonded aluminium tub, a construction method Lotus adapted from aerospace bonding techniques rather than traditional welding.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
In 1974 Alfa built a one-off on this Spider: a Porsche-style solid rear window and lift-out roof panels, fewer than 2,000 made, the only Spider ever with a part-solid roof.
Over 100,000 people voted to name this car "Duetto" — but a chocolate-snack maker had already trademarked the word, and a Milan court ruling forced Alfa to sell it as the Spider 1600 instead.
After nearly 25 years of manual-only Spiders, the final Series 4 cars quietly added something Alfa purists never expected: an optional automatic transmission.
The mid-80s Spider's Quadrifoglio Verde trim went all-in on a single look: blood-red carpets and grey leather with red stitching, and it only ever came in three exterior colors.
This Spider was built not by Alfa but by Pininfarina itself, on a platform shared with General Motors.
The 916 Spider's strongest naturally aspirated engine, the 192 PS 3.0 12V Busso V6, was never offered in its GTV coupe twin.
The Frogeye had no boot lid at all — owners reached the spare wheel by tilting the seats forward into the dark cavity behind, a ritual they likened to potholing.
The Fairlady 2000's SR311 update came with a five-speed manual gearbox in 1967 — a genuinely unusual spec for any production car of that era.