Lotus Elise Series 1

The 1996 Lotus Elise weighed 725 kg (1,598 lb).[9] Because of this low weight, it was able to accelerate 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 5.8 seconds despite its relatively low power output of 118 bhp (88 kW; 120 PS).[5] Braking and fuel consumption are also improved by the car's reduced weight. Cornering is helped by a low centre of gravity height of 470 mm (18+1⁄2 in).[10] Series 1 was designed by Julian Thomson, then head of design at Lotus, and Richard Rackham, Lotus's chief engineer.[11] Besides the standard higher-performance variants listed below, Lotus also released some limited edition models such as Sport 135 (1998/9) with approximately 145 bhp (108 kW; 147 PS), Sport 160 (2000) with 150–160 bhp (112–119 kW; 152–162 PS), and Sport 190 (190 bhp (142 kW; 193 PS)). These were more competent on track with sports suspension, wheels and tyres, seats according to model. There were other special editions such as the 50th Anniversary Edition (green/gold) celebrating 50 years of Lotus cars, the Type 49 ("Gold Leaf" red and white two-tone), and Type 79 ("JPS" black/gold) which refers to its successful Grand Prix car type numbers. The Series 1 Lotus Elise was assembled from kits on a dedicated assembly line at Proton's Shah Alam factory between 1997 and 2003.[2] The drivetrain was imported complete and initially the bodywork was painted in the UK at Hethel prior to export. The Malaysian-assembled Elise sold for double the price of its British-built counterpart due to local vehicle taxes.[3] The Malaysian-assembled Elise was also exported to regional markets, including Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.[4][2] The Malaysian spec Elises came with a factory hard top, carpets and air con as standard though the air con was unreliable and ineffective. All cars had MMC brakes as that was what was current when the kits were imported in the late 1990s.[3] The Proton-assembled Elises were assigned the code 'B' in the eleventh VIN position, while the original Hethel-built units were stamped with the code 'H'.[12]