For many owners, the initial price of an Elise is like the ‘ante’ in a poker game, there are quite a few modifications that make the car better, more fun, and more enjoyable to drive both on a country road, and in town. 

There aren’t many failure points in the car, many replace the stock radiator with plastic tanks for an all aluminum performance radiator as I have done. 

The supercharger I chose for this car adds torque, and you need not ‘row the gears’. It was purchased from Sector 111, which is now InoKinetic and they continue to be a major supporter of the Elise along with several other high performance cars. They offer performance parts like the full floating brake rotors on this car, and many other parts, they also do full rebuilds of Elise cars including the suspensions.  

Most all of the other mods on this car have to do with performance advantages like weight reduction and handling.  The DMC header contributes to that end, but is also part of the performance improvement. This car is considered mild compared to some, but it is put together to enjoy on the street and be reliable. Beware, this Elise still might stop your Mother’s heart if you choose to show her a wide open throttle run from zero to one hundred, it happens so fast!   

It’s time to get this car into younger hands.  It’s ardent red with 26,500 miles. The vehicle is supercharged, has the touring package, black interior, black leather seats, radio, AC, and electric windows. An aux instrument strip includes an oil temperature gauge.  I don’t think this car has ever been driven in the rain and the bottom of the car is as clean as the top. The suspension components are polished at all four wheels, and improvements have been made, all the stock parts have been retained for those who think it protects the car’s collector value.

Above: Sitting out front of the Utterpower shop.

Above: The DMC header is an amazing piece of engineering, header to muffler tip, was more than a $3000.00. This car is running decat, should you need the cat, the parts are here at Black Watch and likely BOE.

This Elise was previously owned by a Mechanical Engineer in Denver, the service was provided by the Lotus Dealer there. One notable entry found in the service record is the replacement of the speedo. This is well documented, and Lotus of Denver placed the documentation below and inside the drivers door. The 26,500 mile total is the sum of the current odometer reading plus the documented mileage. Carfax documents regular service when the car was in Denver.

Due to a number of factors including weather, travel, and health issues, the car has been seldom used since it was moved to the Pacific NW.  I have never driven it in the rain, and I have spent a good deal of money on upgrades as did the previous owner.

Above: When you open the engine hatch, it’s easy to miss the fact that this is a supercharged car.

Everything is clean enough to eat off of, or polished. In the background is Cup Airbox. Note the supercharger nearest firewall.

The supercharger has less than 500 miles on it. and the system is supported by InoKinetic, they also supply a wide variety of parts and upgrades for the Elise Cars, and even provide total rebuilds of Elise cars.

Stock radiators had plastic tanks that were prone to failures, this car was upgraded with an all-aluminum performance radiator with silicone hoses.

Above: The Inlet to the larger Cup Airbox and the divider that helps to feed the engine cooler air.

Above: The rear subframe looks new

I doubt you’ll ever see a subframe this clean elsewhere, the header and muffler took quite a bit of weight off the back of the car, and so did the battery relocation. All of this was expensive to do, but reducing weight at the extreme ends of the car pays the higher dividends.

2005 was the only year of dual oil coolers, this was unnecessary weight in the wrong place, and in the later years they didn’t use these coolers. If you add up the weight of brackets, hoses, fittings, and oil, it’s notable.  The coolers have been removed and retained with the rest of the stock parts.

Lower oil temperatures have been suspected of causing damage to the cam lobes in these cars,  it’s been a topic of discussion in Lotus circles that you can read about.

Modern full synthetics provide great lubricity up to 300F, and modern oils do not lubricate best when cool. You’re not likely to need more cooling than the present system provides. There’s a nice oil temp gauge in the car, and you can monitor same. Most Racers prefer and intercooler between the oil and the coolant VS a system the original coolers.  Lotus only fit these two oil coolers the first year, and later years didn’t have them.

An aluminum oil pan with baffles and trap door from Inokinetic.com has been fitted to ensure that oil is retained in the sump during hard cornering, and you’re going to corner hard because it’s a lot of fun.

There are reports of cars with stock pans losing oil suction at the pickup tube during hard cornering, and this can result in the loss of an engine.  The aluminum pan also promotes additional cooling, offsetting the need for a cooler, especially with full synthetics which are the only thing you should ever run in a car you love.

The stock exhaust header has been removed, and the DMC header and a stainless exhaust has been fitted, the DMC header is an amazing piece of engineering, and it rivals all other headers designed for the Elise in both NA and supercharged applications. The weight savings is also considerable and it is beautiful piece of ART as well.

There are far more powerful superchargers than the Katana 2 unit installed but this is a trouble free and less complex system, and a rather huge step up from stock performance.  Some of the Lotus owners have logged 50,000+ miles with the Katana  superchargers. This car runs a custom tune specifically for the combination of parts installed on the car. The Katana Supercharger, a Cup Air Box, larger injectors, the DMC header, and the specific muffler fitted. The tune is by BOE and based on the BOE 250 tune.  The whine of the supercharger during acceleration makes a beautiful sound, and the larger airbox adds to the melody. The extra torque provided by the supercharger makes for far more pleasurable driving experience in traffic or on the freeway. The car is fairly quiet when you are out of the throttle.

Above:  The two photos above show the $2600 kit with Ohlins shocks and remote reservoirs specifically designed for the Elise.

Above: Included in sale are two working key fobs, both in excellent condition. I consider this very important, do maintain two good keys and fobs.

Above: looking through the louvers, you’ll find a voltage display, and a jack for the adjustable trickle charger. I set it up to float at the battery manufacture’s float voltage recommendation.

This car has been a bit of a garage queen, the trickle charger greatly extends the life of your battery.

I replaced the windshield, after getting a ding right in the driver’s view, the work was done by Lotus of Bellevue.  Beware of the expense!

This car is fitted with a BOE hinge for the rear clam, this gives you access to the engine compartment without spending a day of labor to remove the clam. This makes maintenance a breeze.

The car has full synthetics in both the transaxle and engine, and I highly recommend you use nothing else. 10-30 Redline is popular with Elise owners.  The pink long life coolant was changed out when the new radiator was fitted, the brake fluid has been replaced and all lines bled back to the wheels, brake pads have less than 200 miles of street driving.

Note the full floating rotors from Sector 111, now supported by InoKinetic. These rotors are a full 10 pounds lighter than stock.

The car is fitted with lighter Enkei F1 wheels, another $2000, but strong light wheels make a big difference in a light weight car.

ARP wheel studs are a must, and this car has been fitted with them. The stock bolts really slow you down on wheel and tire swaps.

My December presale inspection found zero oil leaks, zero coolant leaks. The leak down test performed on all four cylinders was textbook perfect and so was the compression test. Even during years of little activity, the oil has been changed. The coolant is long life pink, and it was changed again in December 2024. Cam lobes were inspected, filter screens in head were found free of any grit or carbon. The lift bolts you might of read about were inspected and look like new.

Stock undertray, defuser, exhaust, muffler, shocks, and much more have been saved and are part of the deal, this even includes the stock injector set.

I have collected other parts and tools which allow you to properly lift the car for service. The previous owner bought a harness and harness bar for autocross, the car comes with an extra sway bar as well.  These are all part of the sale along with 4 or five boxes of extra fasteners, spare sensors, and more I got from a Toyota mechanic friend and other sources.

The car is sold code free, and even a code reader will be found in the car.

The car is sold with a soft top in perfect condition, and there’s a bag to keep it nice.

One of the things I didn’t like about this car was the front clam, there was some typical curb rash under the nose, and a crack in the wheel well where the car hit a cone during autocross. When I replaced the radiator, I was unhappy with the weight and how flimsy a chopper gun stock clam is. The clear bra needed replacing and was lifting paint with it, so I imported the much stronger and lighter clam from Jon Seal. By the time I had it prepped and painted, I had spent in excess of $8K, a lesson learned, but it sure is nice!

In closing, there’s little chance you’ll find a cleaner Elise in better condition, and here’s some advice I’ll offer.

Paint work is expensive!  Even the application of  the new clear bra was expensive. Some colors suck, but Ardent red really goes with the lines of the car.

Mileage really affects the value of the car, beware of the wide difference in value due to mileage.

Look for corrosion in the tub, some people use these cars year around, and salt and deicing compounds could attack the tub.

Buying a Lotus Elise is an entry point. I smile when people say they’re looing for a stock Elise, so many things can be improved, you could be looking at cars with $5000 investments in shocks alone, know the difference.

If you have any interest, leave a comment. A lot of people think ‘Bring A Trailer’  is the right place to sell, what do you think? I’ll add more pictures, the interior is really nice.

George B.