2002 Lotus Elise S2 Type 25

Equipment

Lotus Racing Green paintwork with twin metallic yellow stripes, Removable hardtop, Dark green soft top, Ruby Red leather and grey Alcantara upholstery, 16-inch six-spoke alloy wheels in matte black, 1.8-litre K-series engine, 5-speed manual transmission, Sports seats, Ruby Red leather door panels and steering wheel centre, Embroidered headrest laurels in Ruby Red, Individually numbered Type 25 plaque, AP Racing front brake calipers, Braided brake lines, Janspeed stainless steel exhaust, ITG Maxogen induction kit, 52mm throttle body, Battery cut-off switch, Black carpet mats, Clarion CD player, Spare key, Cobra alarm and immobiliser, Original sales literature.

Exterior

Built to celebrate Jim Clark’s legendary 60s Formula 1 car, the Elise Type 25 was limited to just 50 units. The example featured here is number 23 and, having driven less than 11k miles from new, the condition of the car is exquisite. The special Lotus Racing Green paintwork is incredibly well presented and looks fabulous with the factory painted stripes. The bodywork is excellent and even on very close inspection there are few defects to note; the front ends of these cars are commonly peppered with stone chips but that certainly isn’t the case here. Both hard and soft tops remain in perfect condition, the alloys are immaculate, and none of the trims or seals are showing their age. All in all, a collector-quality example looking every bit the low mileage of just 10,954 miles.

Interior

The interior is just as clean as the outside with Ruby Red perforated leather extending from the seats to the door cards and steering wheel; complementing embroidery on the headrests is the finishing touch. The dash is trimmed in non-reflective anthracite Alcantara, and all the switchgear works correctly. Other than a few expected marks on the entry sills we were most impressed with just how little wear within the cabin there is to report. The footwell carpets are spotless, the polished gear knob has a great shine, and the leather on the steering wheel feels perfect in hand. The original Clarion head unit is pleasingly still fitted and at the rear of the car the boot is pristine.

ENGINE & TRANSMISSION

Despite its very low mileage the Elise has been serviced 7 times, most recently only 1,300 miles ago when it received a major ‘C’ service and cambelt change. The car is mechanically standard other than a few sensible performance upgrades including a Janspeed stainless steel exhaust, ITG Maxogen induction kit, and a 52mm throttle body. We have owned and sold a number of S2 Elises over the years and can safely say that this is one of the tightest and most rewarding examples we’ve driven. For the new keeper’s peace of mind, the car has just been fully inspected by our trusted classic car workshop and then MOT’d with no advisories, so she’s good to go.

History File

This beautiful S2 Elise – No. 23 of only 50 Type 25s – was supplied new by Orchard Lotus in July 2002. Clearly cherished by each of its owners, the car has always been carefully dry stored to preserve its amazing condition. The current keeper is an older gentleman whose decision to sell has been brought on only by his advancing years. The accompanying history file comprises the original Lotus document wallet, all handbooks and instruction manuals, a raft of maintenance invoices and MOT certificates, a spare key and immobiliser fob, period Elise sales literature, and the current V5C showing 4 former keepers. The original maintenance booklet is stamped at following mileages: 1,009 – 2,945 – 3,348 – 6,897 – 8,131 – 9,287 – and most recently at 9,653 miles in July 2023. In addition to the last service the car has been treated to the following items:

• Brake and clutch fluid change

• New spare key and immobiliser fob

• 4 new Yokohama Advan Sport tyres

• New front brake pads

• Braided brake hoses

• Full inspection and MOT (til June 2026)