2005 Lotus Elise

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This October, after being on a long, long, long waiting list, my girlfriend and I picked up our brand new, 2005 federal edition Chrome orange Lotus Elise.

As you can clearly tell from this picture, we were supremely dissapointed in the car from the beginning!

Some under-the-hood shots coming soon, but for now just a little vital info on my pocketrocket: its got the Toyota Celica GT-S 4banger (2zzge) engine in it, chipped by Lotus at the factory to make approx 10 more horsepower than the stock Yoda lump. The i-VVTL engine is a near-perfect match for this car, with its all aluminum construction and redline somewhere north of 8,300 RPM.

When the upper cam engages, the engine note changes entirely and the car sits back and GOES... This is one fast little car.

Power-to-weight is awsome, and driving this sub-2000 lb car feels like you're glued to the road. Don't get on or off the highway in front of me, 'cause I normally take offramps at about 65 mph...

This car is nearly %100 stock: I do not plan on any insane upgrades, just small discrete touches. Like this interior shot: please notice the Chrome Orange color-matched and painted center console for the e-brake and shift. From the factory, this is a nasty grey plastic color.

This is the interior now, with the sirius sat radio installed on the passenger side. It comes with a remote control, and the display is orange! Excellent!

This car has the touring pack upgrade, with leather seats, A/C, upgraded MP3-cdplayer stereo and insulated softtop.

Additionally, I cut and modified a tankbib (originally for motorcycles) to protect my paint. Check out this product - the material "bows" when gas drips on it, so the gas never even gets close to your finish. EXCELLENT under $20 upgrade for anyone!

As some know, this car has been selling in England for a decade now, but this is the first year it has arrived in America. Most people have been on waiting lists for +2 years... I am lucky enough to be the proud owner of car #312 (out of approx. 2,500 - 3,500 this model year) in the USA!

Note the fact there are no bumpers - Lotus received a US Federal safety waiver to sell the car w/o them for this model year only... so the look of the car will be changed somewhat for the 2006 year. I wonder how different that will look?! Personally, I love the look without bumpers... But each time I drive it, I have to park in the "walk-a-mile" section of the parking lots to avoid SUVs ... the all-fiberglass body could be easily shredded in a simple parking lot fender-bender!

As you can see, my wheels are now powder-coated black... Keeping them clean with the aggressive breaks on this car was too much hassle for me. This is a cheap, easy solution.

Sticker price on this car, brand new, was $40,000. Most people choose at least one of the four main options, though (sport pack, touring pack, upgraded paint, color-matched hardtop), and walk out the door of the dealership with an incredible sports car and a wallet thats $45k lighter!

To Lotus Elise Page Two: Electrical System Upgrades!

Check out my friend's website:
Night life guide and other things to do in New York