Vehicle Description
2005 Lotus Elise
Despite being produced since 1996, the United States didn't see
their first availability of Elises until 2005 when the Series 2,
known in some circles as the Federal Elise, hit our shores.
Ironically, NHTSA provided a 3 year exemption because the car did
not meet bumper and headlight regulations. From Car and Driver
magazine: "For pure sportscar thrills, it's in the top five most
entertaining cars available. The same comments apply to the
federalized Elise, which, although it is 450 pounds heavier than
the original, is faster and better equipped but still has nearly
perfect balance."
For consignment, a 2005 Lotus Elise, garage kept and coming with
two tops, there is no car on the road that gives more of a go fast
go kart feel. Legendary for their quickness and handling, this
little racer is not only fun to drive, but fun to look at.
Exterior
Coming straight at you, the Lotus has an angry wasp face, with LED
headlights and a sneering grille that is mirrored by the intake
vents on the hood. A single wiper blade is enough to cover raked
windshield, race car style, and the window frame meets the hardtop
which carries Bordeaux Red, the color of the car. Sport side
mirrors have a dual post that allows airflow and along the shoulder
line, flying buttresses surround the vertical rear window and
surround the engine vents. Straked intake scoops form the rear
quarter panel and pontoon hips, all flowing seamlessly into the
rear wing. Four round tail lights flank Lotus letters in the center
while an aftermarket exhaust replaces the dual tips and a visible
muffler fills the space between the back panel and the lower
valance. The stock exhaust will come with the car. 16-inch wheels
are in front and 17-inchers are in back and they wear
staggered-size tires with an early 2022 manufacturing date. The car
is low and wide, and the paint is in very good condition. Flaws
include a spider web crack on the rear panel, scratches and rock
chips on the front, scrapes and a crack on the chin corner
protectors, and scrapes on the chin.
Interior
The sparse race inspired interior begins with leather clad door
cards with a window switch and small actuator. Step over the big
door sill, this might take some practice, and find yourself buried
in deep bucket seats, thinly covered with padding and topped with
stitched black leather. Once in, don't even think about getting out
until this E-ticket ride has come to full and complete stop.
Meanwhile, your legs will be out in front of you on the aluminum
floor pan as you grab the small, ergonomic steering wheel and
depending on your age, you might be prone to look for the slot to
put the quarters in. No, this is the real deal, no matter how much
it feels like an arcade game. Dual gauges are in your sightline,
and you also have an AM/FM/CD radio and A/C at your disposal.
Rising from the floor, almost like an add-on is the stout metal
shifter in a tall formed base. Above us, we find the headliner of
the hardtop a bit droopy and there is a soft top that goes with the
car.
Drivetrain
Mid-engine design means this baby is mounted behind the seats, so
we lift up the hatch to reveal a 1.8 liter DOHC inline
four-cylinder engine, Toyota's 2ZZ-GE built in collaboration with
Yamaha, and rated at 190 horsepower. Doesn't sound like much you
say? Well, in a car that weighs less than 2,000 pounds, it's more
than enough. It's fuel injected and tied to a Toyota C64 6-speed
manual transmission which keeps power at the back with 4.53 gears.
Behind the clean engine bay, you'll find a small trunk that can
handle some groceries but also houses the battery. On a skate like
this, only power disc brakes at all four corners will do.
Undercarriage
Remember those triangular hood scoops from the early 70's Mustang
Mach 1's? Yeah, well, there are similar scoops on the bottom of
this car where flat belly pans take up most of the real estate.
Everything is essentially covered by aluminum pans which gives the
passing air nothing to hang up on, pure aerodynamics. What we can
see around the wheels has some typical surface rust and some road
dirt, but nothing out of the ordinary. Coil spring suspension is
found front and rear.
Drive-Ability
No coin flip needed here, some of us simply won't fit in this car
or whose former football knee injury is going to impede ingress and
egress. Be that as it may, we were able to gleefully get the kart
out on the loop to find the expected cornering prowess and quick
acceleration. Unless you drive a Caterham 7, this will be the
lowest car you drive. Look to your left in traffic and you'll be
eye level with the door handle of a Miata. There's not enough room
in this car to store all the smiles it will produce and with Toyota
reliability, you'll be able to focus on the driving experience. You
might be warm doing it as the A/C is blowing cool but not cold.
Also, the heater blower does not operate at high speed. Beyond
that, everything worked as it should. While Classic Auto Mall
represents that these functions were working at the time of our
test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at
the time of your purchase.
These are special cars and the last one we had the honor of
representing sold in less than a week. We'll keep this short so you
can get right to the phone. It's better to be sitting in a Lotus,
than to be sitting in the lotus position, so up you go, to get the
car of your dreams.
SCCPC11155HL32395
S-United Kingdom
C-Lotus
C-Passenger Car
P-2ZZNA
C-Manual Belts, Front Airbags
111-Elise
5-Check Digit
5-2005
H-Hethel Assy Plant
L-LHD Federal Emissions, AC
3-Elise
2395-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in
person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
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