The Lotus Elise enjoyed a quarter-century production run, from 1996 to 2021.
Back in 1996, Lotus chairman Romano Artioli oversaw the creation of one of the company’s most iconic cars. When it came time to land on an actual name for the small, two-seater sports car, he turned to his granddaughter, Elisa, and so was the Lotus Elise born.
As of this year, the Elise is no longer in production, though the small British automaker did sell 35,124 examples since kicking off the model 25 years ago. The very last model it kept for itself — that’s usually the way it goes when a special car wraps up its run. However, the last customer-delivered model went to none other than Elisa Artioli herself.
Elisa received a Sport 240 model
The company announced the last Elise delivery via social media, noting the specific model is a Sport 240 in Championship Gold. For those curious about its performance credentials, this car always made its name on modest power and, critically for a Lotus, lightness. The 1.8-liter Sport 240 puts out 240 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. That’s sort of middling by today’s standards, though the Elise’s trick is its 2,033-pound curb weight. Since it’s so light, it can still sprint from 0-60 in a respectable 4.1 seconds. Top speed is 147 mph.
Even though we do have the Emira as a modern iteration of the Elise, as well as the Exige and Evora (Lotus discontinued all three models and replaced it with one last gas-powered car), the Elise will always have a special status as a fun and approachable sports car.
And, for what it’s worth, Lotus delivering the last customer example to its namesake is a nice move. The automaker has plenty more coming down the pike, especially as it shifts toward electrification, so stay tuned for more updates!
