Sun International Lotus Elise - US Street Legal

2001 Lotus Elise Description

I am the original owner and know all about the wonderful history of this amazing car, so please feel free to message me with any questions you have and I'll fill you in. Thanks for having a look!

This car was built by Sun International (Sunspeed) in California. Sun International planned on making a series of these cars to be available for sale to the US market. This car was one of the original build cars and successfully passed all the requirements to become a legal road car in the US by completing the federalization needs. Ultimately only three Sun International Eliseswere built and this is one of them.

Now, sixteen years later, you're looking at an extremely rare and original car excellent condition. This car runs and drives perfectly. This Elise weighs in at 1630 lbs in its current configuration, making it an extremely light car which really exemplifies the great words of Colin Chapman, "Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere." However, this car is more than just lightweight it's also powerful. For starters, the B18C5 engine was developed by Honda (Acura in the US) for use in the Integra Type-R. One would think this legendary engine alone would be enough for this conversion. However, that is not the case with this car. After leaving the factory, this naturally aspirated engine was completely rebuilt and upgraded by Spoon (arguably the best Honda racing engine builder in Japan). The engine boasts a 9400 rpm redline along with a significantly extra power and reliability. The engine produces approximately 210hp at the rear wheels (estimated to be over 250hp at the crank). Compare this to the stock engine which was a Rover unit with 118hp at the crank. This car has a completely different attitude than it did when it was stock. The power to weight ratio is almost double that of the original car. The handling and cornering capabilities are extraordinary. This Elise features aftermarket coiloverspaired with Yokohama A038s up front and A048s in the rear. This combination enables this car to achieve well over 1g of lateral acceleration (1.36g was the highest recorded with different tires). The car's amazing handling, coupled with the extremely lightweight setup, along with the outstanding power provides an amazing package unlike any other. Another great inherent quality of this car being lightweight and having a Honda engine is its fuel economy. At an average highway speed of 90 mph a 43 mpg was observed. Incredibly at an average highway speed of 65 mph a 52 mpg was observed.

This particular Elise along with its two sister cars werefrequently featured in the media for years including Road & Track, Sport Compact Car, Car & Driver, European Car, Pistonheads, VTEC Sports Magazine, and Penthouse. These rare gems were highlighted in many automotive comparison tests and always outshined their competitors. One of the most memorable quotes was from Sport Compact Car (May 1st2002) head to head test between a SVT Ford Mustang Cobra R and this Elise. It read, "Wanna beat everyone you meet at stoplights over the head (use the Mustang)...If you want the beating to be even more severe, use the Elise."

The car is original as it came from Sun International. However, it is a far cry from what the Lotus Cars version of the Elise. the car has a few minor modifications/upgrades to the cooling system.

Some of the major Sun International upgrades include:

• Honda/Spoon B18C5
• Honda Integra Type-R transmission
• Titanium exhaust
• JDM engine components
• Spoon ECU
• Upgraded coilovers
• Tecnomagnesio wheels
• Upgraded cooling system with Elise Motorsport fan

Included in the sale are the stock wheels and tires.

The car's paint and interior are original and in excellent condition.There is a tiny crack in the passenger headlight cover.There is a minor fracture (about 1" long) on the rear passenger wheel well. This can be seen in the close-up photo.There are typical rock chips and wear for a carof this age that's hand built.

The radio could be louder, but who needs a radio when the engine sounds like this!

Good luck and happy bidding!