Design and engineering in perfect harmony made the Elise so good that it saved Lotus
Even if it didn’t drive beautifully, the Elise could sail into the Hall of Fame for umpteen reasons. The ground-breaking bonded and extruded alumin-ium chassis (pictured); the clever metal matrix composite brake discs; the beguiling styling, with shades of Dino and Europa; the way the minimal interior still looks and feels strikingly modern – you’re ensconced within the exposed aluminium chassis itself, like sitting in MacBook Air. It’s the ultimate case study in designers and engineers working together: chief vehicle concept engineer Richard Rackham and chief designer Julian Thomson, best men at each other’s weddings, shaped the Elise in synchro-nisation, blowing off steam by riding their Ducatis together.
Its pedals could hold a Hall of Fame slot on their own. While Rackham grappled with retrofitting an ugly, donor-part pedalbox, it occurred to him to create the pedals by aluminium extrusion too. The three artful slices of aluminium latticework are a metaphor for the car as a whole.
There’s the small matter of it saving the company, too, of course. The biggest-selling Lotus car of all time almost certainly snatched Lotus Cars from the jaws of financial oblivion. And, you sense, it would have been a car of which Colin Chapman would have approved. But the point is, the Elise does drive beautifully. It not only sustained Lotus financially but furthered the Lotus legend for ride, handling and involvement. For CAR’s 700th issue we very nearly declared it the greatest driver’s car of the mag’s history (pipped by the Ferrari F40) because its 118bh
