Use as few individual components as possible - since performance is achieved through lightweight and thoughtful design.
Over the years, Lotus has pursued "Performance through Lightweight" by exhibiting a relentless passion for changing conventional wisdom and providing new technology and materials to produce winning designs.
Lotus refers to this as "Changing the rules." The pursuit of this passion is evident in every solution that Lotus develops.
Heritage:
We've always set our hearts and minds on the driver, in whatever we do. Pure passion for sports cars has been ingrained in Lotus for over 50 years, giving you the assurance that the Lotus you're driving is one of the most admired cars the world over.
Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus, only had one desire - to build the best sports cars in the world. His philosophy of "performance through lightweight" coupled with innovative engineering and ground breaking technology were the forces that drove Lotus to a wealth of racing successes stretching from the 1950s through to the 1990s.
Today, the principles of innovation, unconventional engineering and pure passion live on. In every Lotus. And for anyone who's in love with driving.
Lotus has always been disrespectful. Thus they earned respect.
Convention has never meant much to Lotus. It is there to be challenged. To be broken. Call it irreverence. Or a nagging need to be unconventional and extraordinary. The thinking man's sports car is made to involve the driver in every level. Much like a jealous lover, it demands constant attention. It's one inconvenience you don't mind at all.
Core Design and Engineering:
What is a Lotus?
A Lotus is developed by drivers for drivers who crave an undiluted driving experience. The Elise will satisfy highly skilled drivers and encourage those with less experience by delivering exceptionally balanced performance.
Ride and Handling:
Sharp Communicative steering, quick throttle response, precise braking and efficient aerodynamics all contribute to the Lotus experience of inspiring performance, phenomenal road-holding and extraordinary stability. All Lotus cars have very high limits and are designed to remain communicative and progressive at all levels, even while generating maximum grip. A Lotus always informs the driver of its intent, and thus builds confidence.
Chassis:
The single most important component of the Elise's structure is a revolutionary all-aluminum monocoque chassis. Designed and developed by Lotus, the chassis is constructed from a mixture of 26 extruded and sheet aluminum sections that utilize an epoxy adhesive and Ejot self-tapping and swaging mild-steel rivets for mechanical control while the epoxy cures. The resulting structure weighs 150 pounds yet is extremely stiff to provide the necessary base for the finely tuned Lotus suspension.
Crash Structure:
The Elise is also equipped with a Formula 1 inspired front crash structure which is constructed from composite material and is bonded onto the front of the monocoque. This structure is light and strong and is able to absorb kinetic energy six times more efficiently than aluminum or steel.
Body Panels:
The Elise's bodywork is molded of a glass-fiber and polyester resin composite material. Molded body panels are trimmed to shape using a Computer numerically controlled (CNC) water jet cutter to ensure a smooth and precise edge. These processes are ideal for producing complex shapes that are both lightweight and strong and deliver an excellent surface finish.
Aerodynamics:
High-speed stability is achieved by eliminating aerodynamic lift and adding a small measure of downforce that is carefully distributed between the front and the rear axles according to the specific requirements of the vehicle dynamics team. Air is directed above and below the car and is efficiently used to provide exceptional balance at speed.
