The Elise has had things pretty good up until now but there are signs that events might be conspiring more and more in its favour. When Lotus founder Colin Chapman laid down the company's overriding philosophy of 'performance through lightweight', global warming wasn't a speck on the horizon and most people would have put the melting ice cap down as a drastic cure for sunstroke. These days, other manufacturers are coming around to the Lotus way of thinking, shaving weight from their vehicles not just to enhance performance but to improve fuel efficiency as well. The Elise has a glittering history but its compact size and lightweight design could be the future of the sportscar too. The latest models are the most environmentally-friendly Elises yet but fans of the car's phenomenal grip, balance and handling purity won't be disappointed either.

About the Lotus Elise

Not everyone will be able to get on with a Lotus Elise. It's a car that makes very few concessions to practicality and everyday usability, instead focusing its every effort on achieving the ultimate in pure driver enjoyment. The innovative lightweight design lets it achieve this goal in a more efficient manner than other cars with similar capabilities and the Elise could be more relevant than ever as a result. You couldn't wish it on a nicer car.

Representative finance example

If your borrow amount is £7,000 with a deposit of £1,000, a selected term of 48 months, at a representative APR of 17.9% (fixed) and an annual fixed interest rate of 17.9%, you would pay £171.83 per month. Total charge for credit would be £2,247.84 and total amount repayable is £8,247.84.

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