We've all missed track days, right? The thrill of taking your car to its limit on one of the UK's many fantastic circuits is unmatched by anything else. With such an array of providers and venues, at this time last year it seemed that almost every day of the week there was a track day available to push you and your car to the limit - let's hope we can return to that sort of frequency at some point soon. Because track days are great.
It's no longer a new fad, either, even if the events of today are far more professional than those which first emerged around the turn of the century. Proving how long we've been obsessed with caning our road cars around circuits, in fact, is this little Lotus.
Why this specific Elise? Because it's a 135R, a model created way back in 2003 by Lotus Sport and Performance to sate our appetite for track focused sports cars as the boom picked up. It was based on a standard 120hp S2 Elise, but benefitted from lighter OZ wheels on stickier Yokohama tyres, slightly stiffer suspension (with some adjustability, and a new anti-roll bar) as well a liberal application of Alcantara inside. Because we all know it's not a track special without more Alcantara than is really necessary.
The engine modifications were interesting, too, releasing a few extra precious horsepower the old-fashioned way. The cylinder head was modified to the benefit of air flow, the intake manifold was uprated and a new exhaust fitted; the ECU was fiddled with, too.
It should come as little surprise that an Elise worked on by Lotus Sport and Performance to the benefit of lap times achieved its stated goal. In Autocar's 2003 bet driver's car shootout, a 135R lapped Rockingham in 1:21 flat, as fast as a Caterham R400 with more power (and less weight), a second ahead of a Pagani Zonda and just four-tenths behind a Noble M12 R. It was a staggering achievement, proof of how power isn't the only way to go fast on a track day. Even if they might just hold you up in the bends and never move over down the straights...
As a limited edition of a small-selling sports car, there were never going to be vast swathes of 135R Elises. That said more than 100 were registered in 2003 alone, going to show how keen the British buyer was on a Lotus (and a track day) back in the early 2000s. Today it's suggested that there's around 35 left on the roads, meaning that this one turning up for sale is quite a rare opportunity.
In Silver Mica (Blue Mica was the other 135 colour option), this Elise has covered 55,000 miles in 17 years and looks as if none at all have been on circuit. "One to keep" says the advert, and it's easy to see where its coming from. Certainly the appeal of an Elise on some racy OZs and spruced up with Alcantara hasn't subsided one bit since 2003 - it looks great.
At £20k, there's an easy argument to make against the 135R in favour of faster Elises - both the K Series-engined 111S and Toyota-powered 111R are on offer for less money, and boast considerable advantages. They'll be brilliant sports cars, no doubt. What the 135R offers is the special edition rarity, Lotus Sport and Performance kudos and the carefully honed track toy look. Which would easily make it worth £19,950 in our book. Even if, looking as pristine as this, the last place it would be taken is a track day. Or maybe one, just to see how good a 135R really is. But, after that, there's probably no going back at all...
SPECIFICATION | LOTUS ELISE 135R
Engine: 1,796cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 135@6,250rpm
Torque (lb ft): 126@4,800rpm
MPG: c. 33
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 2003
Recorded mileage: 55,533
Price new: c. £30,000
Yours for: £19,950
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