Integra Type R–powered S1 Lotus Elise Is a Driver’s Dream for $45,675

Lotus sold the Series 2 Elise in the U.S. from 2005 to 2011. There was nothing quite like it on the road in the mid-2000s, and there definitely isn’t anything quite like it on the road in the mid-2020s. Here was a raw, razor-sharp, light weight, analog driving machine with race-car looks and proportions but also a reliable Japanese powertrain, a radio and air conditioning (both sucked, but were nice to have), and a temptingly low sub-$40K MSRP. The 2005 Elise was a revelation and led to a brief renaissance for the brand in this country. But, technically, it wasn’t the first Elise in America.

Back at the dawn of the new millennium, a small import company brought in a mere handful of Series 1 Elises, which had been on sale in the U.K. and Europe since 1996. They swapped in more Fed-friendly Honda VTEC power and sold them to a lucky few Americans for 55 grand apiece. These “Sun International” Elises (named for the company that did the conversions) are extremely rare. Online sources point to between 10 and 12 being built. Even most Lotus freaks are just vaguely aware they exist. One popped up for online auction this week, though, and it sold for $45,675, including buyer’s premium.

Like the Series 2 Elise, the Series 1 cars have Lotus’ brilliant bonded and extruded aluminum chassis, a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine mounted behind the driver, and a fiberglass body with an endearing, smiley-faced grille. But there are notable differences. The first car is significantly lighter—around 1600 pounds vs. roughly 1900–2000 for the later one. And whereas the U.S.-market cars available from 2005 used Toyota 2ZZ-GE power, the Series 1 got its motivation from a Rover K-series engine, which was never federalized and sold in this country and therefore not allowed on our roads.

So, what the folks at Sun International did was take a left-hand-drive Series 1 Elise 111S, ditch the Rover mill, and drop in a tuned B18C VTEC engine and five-speed borrowed from Honda. JDM fans will recognize the B18C as the screamer of a thing that powers an Integra Type R. Its quoted 197 horsepower was an easy 50-plus ponies over even the hottest of the stock Rover-powered Elises, and the rev limiter reportedly kicks in at 9100 rpm. Yes, it sounds good.

In just about the only piece of press these cars ever got, a 2001 Car and Driver test got the Sun Elise to hit 60 in 4.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.4, while comparisons to go karts and Formula Fords were inevitable. Indeed, praise for the handling took up a good chunk of the word count: “The steering is so keen, and the car’s demeanor so willing and transparent, that you end up driving quite close to your personal limits on the first lap … As long as you drive with the hummingbird responses that formula cars—and Lotus Elises—demand when close to the limit, the car will tell you exactly what it’s doing … The benefits of the Elise’s amazing low weight can be felt in the effortless way the car changes direction and in the quite supple ride.”

An all-time great engine swapped into an all-time great platform sounds like a hit, but the Sun Elise was, unfortunately, a flash in the pan. It’s unclear why the company didn’t do more of them. Sun’s website is still around, but looks like it was last updated during the first Obama administration.

The car sold this week wears New Aluminum paint with a matching removable hardtop, with a black interior and black Rota wheels. The gauges are in metric and show 31,744 km (19,725 miles). In addition to the Honda drivetrain, equipment listed by the seller includes an ITG carbon fiber intake, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, Flowmaster catalytic converter, Magnaflow muffler, Prodimex shifter, Clutch Masters flywheel, Quantum Racing coilovers, an aftermarket steering wheel, and a Panasonic head unit.

Identifying this Elise isn’t exactly straightforward. It is advertised as a 1999 Lotus Elise, but it is currently on a kit car title in Washington as a “2001 RS Spyder,” and apparently Sun assigned all the cars with new VINs. Different states have different rules for these sorts of things, but the buyer should be familiar with any potential issues, because they chimed in with: “I’m going to be the proud owner of two Sun International Elises,” though they do plan on selling the other one.

As for the price, it makes sense. The same car actually sold for a nearly identical number last January, so there’s some consistency. It’s also similar to what a regular, American-market Series 2 Elise in the same condition is worth. It also bought a car that’s rarer, better-sounding, probably more fun to drive, and arguably better looking, so in that sense it’s quite a bargain.