2003 Lotus Elise S2 135R

Highlights

• Extremely rare track-focused special edition
• Superb service record and history
• Overall excellent condition
• MOT to May 2025
• Extensive recent maintenance and servicing

Overview

If you want a car that will squeeze every last drop of joy and excitement from any drive as well as being an absolute weapon on the track, but also offers reasonable running costs and great residuals, then you want an Elise. It’s that simple.

Ever since the Series 1 launched in the 90s, the Elise has been the measure by which all other small sports cars are judged. It’s a perfectly judged evocation of Colin Chapman’s “simplify and add lightness” mantra. Dainty of footprint, light as a bantam and as fleet of foot as a particularly nervous cat, it offers the perfect recipe for Britain’s A and B roads, as well as being a truly devastating track toy.

Launched in 2003, the 135R is a track-focused development of the Series 2 Elise, offering more power, improved handling and serious exclusivity over the standard car. According to the ‘How Many Left’ website, fewer than 120 were ever registered in the UK, with just 25 of those now on the road. And we reckon few of those will have been kept in such good condition as this little cracker.

With an extensive service record – the owner tells us they have every scrap of paperwork from the original order form to the latest service invoice – superb MOT history and a lot of recent maintenance work, the next owner should have many years of fabulous weekend drives and track day heroics ahead of them.

And in case anyone tells you that 135hp “isn’t enough” for a track car, in Autocar’s 2003 “best driver’s car” shootout, the 135R lapped Rockingham in 1:21 flat. Which just happened to be a full second faster than the Pagani Zonda. So what we have here is a pretty little sports car capable of embarrassing hypercar royalty. In short, a masterpiece.

History and documentation

• First registered 19th May 2003
• Original order form from Formula One motors of Newcastle included
• One former owner, current owner since February 2006
• Comprehensive history folder including receipts, invoices and paperwork from the entirety of the car’s life
• We’re told the car has always been garaged
• Original owner’s manuals and service books included
• Two keys with the original immobiliser fobs – both working as they should
• 65,749 miles on the clock, verified by the service and MOT record
• Current MOT to May 2025
• Numerous invoices for servicing, last service was at 65,382 miles in April 2023
• Since 2021, the car has received uprated coilover suspension (January 2023), uprated induction kit (April 2021), a new head gasket and head skim (August 2021), as well as a new timing belt (April 2021)

Interior

• Presented in overall excellent condition
• Deep fixed-back sports seats, finished in black leather with blue Alcantara centre inserts – neither show any signs of significant wear and tear
• A combination of blue and grey Alcantara swathes the door cards, steering wheel and dashboard, and it all looks to be in very fine order, with no tears or stains
• Complementing the upholstery nicely are a brace of branded 135R floor mats, finished in a deep blue
• There is some light scuffing to the trims on the wide sills (usual for Elises of any age), and we noted a slight crack to the rear of the sill trim on the driver’s side
• All the rest of the interior trim and switchgear looks to be in fine fettle, with no faults or issues reported by the vendor
• The head unit has been upgraded to a Kenwood system featuring DAB radio, Bluetooth and phone connectivity
• Uprated speakers have also been fitted to the dashboard and behind the seats
• A Cobra alarm system was fitted from the factory and remains present
• We adore the little tactile touches and elegant simplicity of the 135R’s cabin – such as the stainless steel polished gear shifter, metal window winders and clear, focussed instruments
• At the rear, behind the engine cover, there is a small boot section, ideal for a couple of squishy overnight bags and neatly trimmed out with dark grey carpeting

Exterior

• The 135R was only available in silver or blue, and this one is well finished in shimmering Silver Mica paintwork
• Overall, the paintwork looks very good, with just a few minor scratches and chips, as you’d expect and a faint row of micro-blisters above the rear number plate
• We only noticed one chip worth mentioning, on the rear off-side arch, otherwise the paint is wearing its years very well indeed
• Similarly, the removable roof panel and the rest of the exterior trim looks to have been well preserved, with no tears to the roof fabric and no trim or badging missing or damaged
• Obviously, with the construction of the car being GFRP clamshells over a bonded aluminium tub, corrosion isn’t really an issue, and we didn’t discern any cracks or warping in the bodywork
• The history shows that the front clamshell was replaced in May 2006, while the rear clamshell was repaired, rear lights replaced and the lower rear bumper section repainted in May 2014
• Exclusive to the 135R were the lighter OZ alloy wheels (16” fronts and 17” rears) – here they have been refurbished and show in excellent condition with a gleaming black finish
• The alloys are finished with Yokohama tyres all round, with the rears having been renewed only about 300 miles ago
• Wide side intakes and a motorsport inspired rear diffuser add a flourish to the design o the handsome and sprightly sports car, which we think looks as good today as it did in 2003

Mechanical

• Mid-mounted 1,796cc inline-four, naturally aspirated DOHC
• Rated from the factory at 135hp and 126lb-ft, all driven to the rear wheels
• Factory performance figures: 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, 129mph top speed
• Five-speed manual transmission, renowned for its feel and short change action
• Adjustable height suspension with uprated anti-roll bar over the standard Elise
• The 135R benefitted from factory upgrades including a flowed cylinder head, uprated manifold and exhaust and a tweaked ECU tune
• An uprated alloy radiator has been fitted by the vendor
• In January 2023 at 65,564 miles, the suspension was upgraded to Nitron Street Series coilovers – the original Bilstein suspension will come with the car and could possibly be refurbished
• The paperwork shows that in April 2021 a Hurricane induction kit was fitted, along with a new timing belt (64,091 miles), major service, new rear toe link assemblies and new brake lines
• In August 2021 at 64,422 miles a new head gasket was fitted, along with a head skim and full top end gasket kit
• We’re assured by the vendor that the car starts ‘on the button’, with no reported issues, and that it drives exactly as it should

Summary

When a sports car hits 22 years old and has only had two owners, you know there’s something special about it. And this really is a special little car, it’s well-preserved, has been properly maintained and benefits from a superb history. Only one thing really annoys us about it – we’ve been told in no uncertain terms that we are not allowed to buy it.

Well, being as our dreams have been crushed, why not make this delightful, beautifully maintained and well-preserved special edition sports car a reality for yourself? We can’t think of another (legal) way to get this much fun and excitement for a comparatively small investment. If what you truly love is driving – not having a flashy car, not posing on city streets – giving it the beans on track and exploring the limits of your abilities on the road, then nothing beats the Elise.

Add to that glorious recipe the enhanced abilities of the 135R, not to mention its sheer exclusivity and desirability, and this wonderful little supercar-scarer sells itself.

So make sure you’re the one that walks away with it, because we can’t see it hanging around for long…

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