The Series 1 could not be produced beyond the 2000 model production year due to new European crash regulations, so Lotus needed a development partner to meet the investment requirement for a Series 2 car.
General Motors offered to fund the project, in return for a badged and GM-engined version of the car for their European brands,
Opel and
Vauxhall. The Series 2 Elise, project code name "Monza", announced on 9 October 2000, was a redesigned Series 1 using a slightly modified version of the Series 1 chassis to meet the new regulations, and the same
K-series engine with a brand new Lotus-developed
ECU. The design of the body paid homage to the earlier M250
concept, and was the first Lotus to be designed on a computer. Both the Series 2 Elise and the
Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 were built on the same production line in a new facility at Hethel. Both cars shared many parts, although they had different drive-trains and power-plants. Contrary to popular belief, the VX220 chassis, later used for the Europa S, is not exactly the same as the Elise S2 chassis, the VX220 having a 30mm longer wheelbase and lower door sills. The VX220 also carried the Lotus internal model identification
Lotus 116, with the code name
Skipton for the launch
2.2N/A version and
Tornado for the 2004 introduced
2.0 L Turbo. Fitted with 17 inch over the Elise's 16 inch front wheels, the Vauxhall/Opel version ceased production in late 2005 and was replaced by the
Opel GT for February 2007, with no RHD version for the United Kingdom. Basic S2 models had a
naturally aspirated Rover K-series engine without VVC rated at at 5600 rpm and at 3500 rpm of
torque.
111S The Series 2 was also available as a 111S model, with the
VVC engine Rover technology producing . The 111S Type 25 was built to commemorate the revolutionary race car driven by Jim Clark in F1, painted in Lotus Racing Green with twin metallic yellow stripes running front to back. Unique black Lotus styled six-spoke wheels. The interior includes perforated Ruby red leather seats, door panels and steering wheel centre (echoing the original), and red laurels embroidered onto the headrest of each seat. A Heritage Type 25 ID plate confirms its limited edition status as only 50 of these cars were produced. The UK market was to get 45 and Australia 5. During boat loading one of the 5 was damaged and only 4 sent to Australia. It's presumed the damaged car was later sold in the UK. The car is also supplied with hard top maintaining the twin stripes. The 111S models were discontinued in 2005 in favour of the Toyota powerplant. In 2003 the Type 23 or Heritage Type 23 was built to commemorate the Colin Chapman designed race car which ran from 1962 to 1963. Like the Type 25 the car was based on the 111S and powered by the Rover K Series engine. It was limited to a production run of 50 cars, all of which were fitted with the heritage type 23 ID plate indicating the build number. Externally the car was painted in heritage white with twin parallel Lotus racing Green stripes. Heritage laurels and Union jacks were fitted to each wing, all of which set the car apart. Internally the car was fitted with perforated green leather seats, door panels and steering wheel centre, and green laurels are embroidered onto the headrest of each seat. The car was supplied with a green soft top and hard top maintaining the green stripes. It is believed that the switch to a Toyota engine was due to federalising issues with the Rover powerplant in the US, however this has been largely unproven with little information released from Lotus as to the exact reasons. As of the time of the switch the Rover engine would still have met the standards required of it for use in America. Two more track-focused models, the 135R and Sport 190, were available with respectively. These also came with associated handling upgrades such as Lotus Sport Suspension and wider wheels with Yokohama Advan A048 tyres. In certain markets, the 135R was replaced by the "Sport 111", which was similar, apart from sporting the VVC engine in place of the tuned K-series.
111R / Federal Elise This Series 2 Elise model comes in a European 111R version or a version sold in North America, referred to as the Federal Elise. It is powered by the all-
aluminium alloy DOHC Toyota 2ZZ-GE with a
Yamaha designed
twin-cam head offering
variable valve timing on the intake
valvetrain, variable valve lift on both the intake and exhaust valvetrains, and a Toyota C64 6-speed
manual transmission. Although the engine was borrowed from
Toyota, its tune for the Elise was done in-house by
Lotus. Many tests show performance of in approximately 4.9 seconds, or 4.7 seconds with the Sport Package. The 2005 Lotus Elise was the first to be sold commercially in the United States, in the summer of 2004. Approval for the Elise, however, required intervention by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which provided a three-year exemption for the car, as it had failed to meet US bumper and headlight regulations. The first-year model suffered from a few flaws, most notably a design flaw in the headlamps that magnified the sun's light, allowing the inside of the lamp housings to be melted by the sun. This model was followed up by the 2006 Model Year Elise 111R and Sports Racer models. Lotus made a limited production (50 in the US) called the Lotus Sport Elise. 2006 models differ from the 2005 models in a few aspects. ProBax seats. For the 2007 model year Lotus several minor changes were made. The LOTUS decals on the rear of the vehicle, previously flat stickers, were replaced by raised lettering. The headlamp units were sealed. Also, in order to comply with US Federally mandated bumper restrictions, the frontal crash structure was slightly changed and rear bumperettes were added next to the licence plate mount. Approximately 100 2007 model year "launch" cars were shipped to the US without these bumper changes. Also in 2007, the Elise S was released and the 111R renamed Elise R. All Lotus Elise cars manufactured after 1 January 2007 include the new headlights and bumpers, although they are hidden in the front. The Elise S is the new base model with a Toyota sourced engine replacing the previous models K series
Rover engine. The
2ZZ-GE engine produces at 6,200 rpm (a considerable increase over the of the Rover engine). The inclusion of airbags, ABS brakes, electric windows, and carpet in addition to the new heavier engine has increased the base weight to (approximately higher than the previous S model).
2008 models . For 2008, there were several additions to the Lotus line-up. There are three versions of the Elise. Lotus continued to provide a naturally aspirated Elise producing . The second version is the Elise SC sporting a non-intercooled supercharger producing . is reduced from 4.9 for the base Elise or 4.7 seconds for the Elise with Sport package to 4.3 seconds for the Elise SC. The NA Elise styling is similar to the prior model years. The Elise SC, however, is distinguishable from the NA version by a rear spoiler identical to the Type 72-D edition spoiler and new wheels. Weight remained a Lotus-claimed ; just more than the previous year. Prior to the release of the 2008 Elise SC, the limited production
California Edition arrived at dealerships. A total of fifty
California Edition Elises were produced; 25 in Saffron Yellow and 25 in Ardent Red. The interiors of the
Calis were produced in a light two-tone leather (Biscuit) and the exterior modifications included a silver front grille (a nod to vintage-Ferrari), body-coloured shutter grills on the side inlets and engine cover, enhanced 16-spoke wheels, and a large spoiler that covers the upper-rear deck (72-D style). The
Calis were intended to appeal to "the lifestyle market." In Europe, there are three models available; the Elise S with a , 1.8L
Toyota 1ZZ-FE engine and 5 speed manual gearbox () in 5.8 seconds, top speed ); the Elise R with a , 1.8 L
Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine and 6-speed manual gearbox () in 4.9 seconds, top speed ); and the Elise SC with a
supercharged non-
intercooler 1.8L Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine rated at at 8000 rpm and at 5000 rpm of
torque, 6 speed manual gearbox and a spoiler () in 4.3 seconds, top speed ). Several new colour options for 2008 were brought to the marketplace. These include new metallic colours (additional $590) Persian Blue and Liquid Blue; new Lifestyle colour (additional $1200) Isotope Green; new Limited Colour Level (additional $3,300) Candy Red, Ice White, and Burnt Orange; and the new Exclusive Colour Level (additional $5,100) Prism Green and Moonstone Silver. The following colours were discontinued for 2008: Nightfall Blue, Aubergine Purple, Magnetic Blue, Polar Blue, Autumn Gold, Chili Red, and Krypton Green. == Series 3 ==