Big respect to Carfection for being the only car channel not giving in to the industry-wide boycott of Lotus. Lotus is the only manufacturer to date offering lightweight cars with a manual stick, no power steering, and pants on fire thrills behind the wheel - cars putting other manufacturers so called 'purist cars' to shame. We would love to see you guys giving up a video review of the Exige Cup430 please!
Nailed the Exige comparison. The new Exige is such a different beast to the old S2 car, it's heavier, way faster, and much more expensive. This, however... this is what the Exige was originally meant to be.
Amen. I love my Lotus. I, like yourself, had a photo of an Elise on my wall in secondary school, and now am lucky enough to own one. This car is better than therapy. Anytime I am a bit down, a 20 minute blast around some twisty roads puts a huge smile back on my face. Thanks Henry, keep up the great work. Your and Jethro's videos are the best on the web.
Seen a high schooler with one of these which was red with black wheels when i was a 7th grader. Still one of my favorite looking cars to this day. Hats off to lotus
Henry and Harry are easily my two favorite car journalists. They just have a way of stirring the petrol in my veins. Chris and Jeremy are fantastic but Henry and Harry have a special place in my heart. Thanks!
Great review! And, finally, a blast around Hethel in something other than a rain storm! :) It's always nice when the poster on your wall as a kid turns out to be even better in the flesh. The Elise/Exige is Lotus' 911 platform. Their brilliant engineers make incremental improvements every day. After 22 years, that's a lot of development, and, yet, the car still retains its essential character. Amazing.
Very nice - and good point about relevance of small capacity light sports cars for road use - Love my MX5 1.5. 975kg and 158 BHP naturally aspirated revs to 7250rpm (thanks to BBR)
The Elise is a truly special car- those who don’t understand most likely haven’t driven it or are too obsessed with superfluous things like stereo’s & heated seats to ever know any better.
Wonderful video. One of my favourite journalists on one of my favourite cars. And to the pillock below complaining about the Elise being too heavy - it's nearly a thousand pounds lighter than a Coxster. Even a 4C or a Miata are heavier by several hundred pounds.
Great vid Henry ! As usual. Film starts by referring earlier Elises but how would you rate the chassis/balance/steering compare to an S1 Exige (which was the 1st one with aero)? Would the cup 260 feel heavier? Less accurate? Or not? Thanks for your valuable inputs.
It's a while since I last drove an S1 Exige (still one of my all-time favourite cars, just for the way it looks), but I would say that the Cup 260 does feel a little heavier, not necessarily so much in terms of kerb weight, but more because it's wearing wider, grippier tyres than the S1 Exige ever did. I'd say that the Cup 260 is an easier, more forgiving car to throw about though. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I'm not against it, but it seems like there are about 10 automotive 'video journalists' that have recently started to freely circulate around to different mediums like motortrend, /drive, carfection, evo, autocar, etc
I remember seeing an Elise parked on the side of the road for the first time. I must have walked around it staring at its curves for a good 15 minutes.
Beautiful car . Back in the 80's I was a testdriver at Millbrook, where there were 2 Elise'.s Used to break back suspension bolts back then. No longer I assume. It was under powered compared to the VX220 on the same chassis though. This car has fixed that but is it worth 60K ? I have to say , I don't think it is. This is what the Elise should have been in the first place
I was a test driver for JLR loved that Hill Route and the Bowl. Now I own a 250 Elise and the pleasure it gives me takes me back to all those 38 years of Testing. Of all the Elise Vids this is the best by far - well done Henry you capture everything the Elise is 👍🏻
I, for one, feel the Lotus is doing exactly the right thing with these limited run cars. This is worth the $60K, the numbers of people who will actually buy this car is small but they will do their best to extract what it has to offer and have a great time in the process, which after all is the whole point of this type of speciality car. Yeah Lotus. BTW, this was a well done video, please do more on Lotus cars.
Loveley video by the Carfection team and lovely presentation by Henry Cathcpole as always. It get's me wondering though - Henry seems like a tall guy, so there are two following questions from me as a tall car enthusiast: 1. How tall is mr. Catchpole? 2. Can you really fit comfortably in an Elise and the newer Exige cabins? With regards, a 1,96m tall car lover.
I'm about 1.87m and fit in my Elise comfortably. I've still got a few clicks back to go on the seat and a few inches headroom. I think you'll fit but it may be tight. It also depends what your proportions are like. I've heard of people the same height as me that don't fit because they have a particularly long body or legs.
I love your videos, they are well made and include beautiful footage of the cars. Thing is though: the clip seem more like commercial videos to market the cars than reviews or honest opinions on the cars. i miss a little criticism and realistic impressions.
No, an Elise shouldn't cost £60k, it's crazy to be honest. Should start at 30k new up to 50k for this top spec, then start the exigencies at 50k up to whatever you like with options.
Well it´s this, the Alfa or a mildly used Cayman GTS with sports Chrono Package - for two seaters in this price range the offers are actually quite limited in terms of newer car models. This is great if one has enough money for another car in the garage - else the GTS would be the more all round choice.
Looks like motor trend hired the wrong drive tribe host? There is no animosity toward henry compared to jethro in motor trend. That's good for us carfection subscriber
Big respect to Carfection for being the only car channel not giving in to the industry-wide boycott of Lotus. Lotus is the only manufacturer to date offering lightweight cars with a manual stick, no power steering, and pants on fire thrills behind the wheel - cars putting other manufacturers so called 'purist cars' to shame.
We would love to see you guys giving up a video review of the Exige Cup430 please!
ibizalover2000 waiting for a decent 430 review too
Why is there a boycott?
Also have you never heard of Nobel???
ibizalover2000 Boycott?
What boycott is this that you speak of? Never heard of it?
Getting Henry on the channel was a great move.
Bloody sweet machine that is.
AND the car!
Catchpole... you and Harris are in a league of two when it comes to car reviews. Yet another great vid. Thank you for loving and doing what you do!
Nailed the Exige comparison. The new Exige is such a different beast to the old S2 car, it's heavier, way faster, and much more expensive. This, however... this is what the Exige was originally meant to be.
Amen. I love my Lotus. I, like yourself, had a photo of an Elise on my wall in secondary school, and now am lucky enough to own one. This car is better than therapy. Anytime I am a bit down, a 20 minute blast around some twisty roads puts a huge smile back on my face. Thanks Henry, keep up the great work. Your and Jethro's videos are the best on the web.
Thank you for making thoughtful, honest videos. The Elise is so good it's an inspiration, how many cars can produce that effect.
Somehow Henry manages to transport you into the driver’s seat through these beautifullly shot videos! His passion for cars shines through.
That paint is the perfect color for this car.
Lotus = The forgotten drivers car
Not by a lot of us . Just unaffordable
Nowadays its pretty much the only modern drivers car
Only outside of Europe. There are quite a lot of them here :)
I run an S2 Elise daily as do others.
Track Passion I’d even stretch to say, for the Elise only at least, it’s the only mechanical car. Agree?
Great video as always Henry... Loving your work
Thank you, Julian
Best production values of any car reviewers and quality information. Well done.. Always enjoyable.
Brilliant! You gotta love Lotus for using technology to enhance the ANALOG experience of driving instead of using tech to dilute the experience.
That gear linkage :)
I wish they'd sell it as an aftermarket kit for the older cars... its just gorgeous.
Always a fan of the Elise, had a S2 for 3 years and even the boring drives to work was great fun. I cant wait to get back in the fold. Great video!
Nice one Henry. I did the Australian launch of the Elise in 1997 and fitted the Moto-Build 150hp kit to my company demonstrator. Great memories!
Seen a high schooler with one of these which was red with black wheels when i was a 7th grader. Still one of my favorite looking cars to this day.
Hats off to lotus
Henry and Harry are easily my two favorite car journalists. They just have a way of stirring the petrol in my veins. Chris and Jeremy are fantastic but Henry and Harry have a special place in my heart. Thanks!
Great review! And, finally, a blast around Hethel in something other than a rain storm! :) It's always nice when the poster on your wall as a kid turns out to be even better in the flesh. The Elise/Exige is Lotus' 911 platform. Their brilliant engineers make incremental improvements every day. After 22 years, that's a lot of development, and, yet, the car still retains its essential character. Amazing.
Very nice - and good point about relevance of small capacity light sports cars for road use - Love my MX5 1.5. 975kg and 158 BHP naturally aspirated revs to 7250rpm (thanks to BBR)
Great car and great video. Always loved Henry's reviews in EVO, he always seems very genuine and enthusiastic. Glad he's still around!
An Elise (or Exige) remains very, very high on my want list. Pure driving...
This has to be one of the most beautiful films for one of my favorite cars ever. Truly a passion. wonder what it was filmed on this rivals top gear!
A great video Henry and Carfection team.. Thank you very much indeed.... And thank you Lotus....
Great video, and great driving and narration by Henry! Man, now I want an Elise...
Another great review. And what a car. So glad that Lotus is still building cars focused purely on the driver's experience.
Love Lotus...had the chance to drive a very bare bones basic Elise a couple of years ago, the ones with 136hp, and man i had a crap ton of fun in it
Thankyou Mr Catchpole, most enjoyable and what a glorious machine.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Massive fan! R u still working for EVO tho?
Still writing the occasional feature for the magazine, but all my video content is on Carfection now.
Henry Catchpole Got it. Best of luck!
The Elise is a truly special car- those who don’t understand most likely haven’t driven it or are too obsessed with superfluous things like stereo’s & heated seats to ever know any better.
The cow analogy 😂
That is one beautiful car, I've always found the _aesthetic_ of cars to be more appreciable here at Carfection.
Henry is right up there with Chris Harris when it comes to car reviews. Awesome video. Keep up the great work!
The first 10 seconds or so feels and looks like a commercial for virtual reality. Very beautiful filmography.
Wonderful video. One of my favourite journalists on one of my favourite cars. And to the pillock below complaining about the Elise being too heavy - it's nearly a thousand pounds lighter than a Coxster. Even a 4C or a Miata are heavier by several hundred pounds.
Great vid Henry ! As usual.
Film starts by referring earlier Elises but how would you rate the chassis/balance/steering compare to an S1 Exige (which was the 1st one with aero)? Would the cup 260 feel heavier? Less accurate? Or not?
Thanks for your valuable inputs.
It's a while since I last drove an S1 Exige (still one of my all-time favourite cars, just for the way it looks), but I would say that the Cup 260 does feel a little heavier, not necessarily so much in terms of kerb weight, but more because it's wearing wider, grippier tyres than the S1 Exige ever did. I'd say that the Cup 260 is an easier, more forgiving car to throw about though. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I'm not against it, but it seems like there are about 10 automotive 'video journalists' that have recently started to freely circulate around to different mediums like motortrend, /drive, carfection, evo, autocar, etc
Tim what do you mean?
I guess they're just that good, I'm not against it either. Quality over quantity as the saying goes!
Less freely circulating and more getting a new job.
Thanks for your response
Beautiful video, and that exposed gear shift is something else.
60k is actually considerably less than I expected Lotus would ask for these. I'm sure they sold them all a long time ago.
I can feel how light this car is just watching it handle those track curves.
Kudos to the videographer, as well as the car and reporter. I wish I could take the open car and still get the gubbins (and choice of color).
Elise - I'm on my fourth; never want to be without one - they're that special
This is just Perfection!
No needs more and less.
the elise feels even more relevant these days with cars becoming heavier and heavier.
Great review. Henry, you seem like such a nice everyday passionate car guy. Respect your reviews. Good move Carfection :)
Another fantastic video..... well done guys!!! Henry is epic 👊🏼
I agree this is more like the continuation of the S2 Exige, which is an amazing machine.
Great job Henry! No I want one even more :-) can’t wait for more videos
I remember seeing an Elise parked on the side of the road for the first time. I must have walked around it staring at its curves for a good 15 minutes.
Gorgeous car. Love lotus. Excited to see the fellow British company Lister reveal their customised F-Type!
I'm digging the Speedy on the NATO strap. Great choice! I almost bought that watch a month ago, but ended up going with a Black Bay instead.
Really great video. I’ve owned Esprits and the S1 and S2 Elise. You made me want to buy one of these😉
Who wants a comparison between a Lotus Evora and the new TVR Griffith. That would be so great.
Stryker Man Agreed that would be Epic
I want this! Wish we had this in the USA!
Can't wait to own a lotus one day. The exige v6 or sport 350 is kind of what I really want but the Elise is just great enough.
Henry is 6'5"! The fact that he can get in that car gives me hope.
The Lotus Elise Cup 260 Is A Race Car-Derived Limited Production Of Series 3 Of Lotus Elise Produced By Lotus From 1996 To 2021
"Lotus Elise -- weighs more than a cow"
Somehow I don't think they'll be picking that for a new tagline...
Beautiful car . Back in the 80's I was a testdriver at Millbrook, where there were 2 Elise'.s
Used to break back suspension bolts back then. No longer I assume. It was under powered compared
to the VX220 on the same chassis though. This car has fixed that but is it worth 60K ?
I have to say , I don't think it is. This is what the Elise should have been in the first place
I was a test driver for JLR loved that Hill Route and the Bowl. Now I own a 250 Elise and the pleasure it gives me takes me back to all those 38 years of Testing. Of all the Elise Vids this is the best by far - well done Henry you capture everything the Elise is 👍🏻
Great video, what an amazing car!
My favorite car at the moment!!
I, for one, feel the Lotus is doing exactly the right thing with these limited run cars. This is worth the $60K, the numbers of people who will actually buy this car is small but they will do their best to extract what it has to offer and have a great time in the process, which after all is the whole point of this type of speciality car. Yeah Lotus. BTW, this was a well done video, please do more on Lotus cars.
Wish I could double like, for Henry and for the Lotus. But what happened to his tenure at DriveTribe?
Great video and review!
Thank you!
Loveley video by the Carfection team and lovely presentation by Henry Cathcpole as always. It get's me wondering though - Henry seems like a tall guy, so there are two following questions from me as a tall car enthusiast:
1. How tall is mr. Catchpole?
2. Can you really fit comfortably in an Elise and the newer Exige cabins?
With regards, a 1,96m tall car lover.
I'm about 1.87m and fit in my Elise comfortably. I've still got a few clicks back to go on the seat and a few inches headroom. I think you'll fit but it may be tight.
It also depends what your proportions are like. I've heard of people the same height as me that don't fit because they have a particularly long body or legs.
He's at around 193-194 I believe
1. I'm around 195cm.
2. Yes, I can. I'm lucky in that I have long legs and they bend in the middle!
3. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you.
Why was the side-skirt removed in the 260 model from the 250?
I love your videos, they are well made and include beautiful footage of the cars. Thing is though: the clip seem more like commercial videos to market the cars than reviews or honest opinions on the cars. i miss a little criticism and realistic impressions.
Really nice car, Lotus’ lineup is looking really nice nowadays
I love my 2009 Elise SC.
Great video. Thank you.
Its quick. But have you seen the twin charged exige the smoking tire drove?
Henry might be the next Chris Harris. Im a big fan of both, thanks for ur content!
Great stuff from Henry Catchpole as ever, much missed in Evo
Lovely video and all. What watch is that on Henry's wrist?
Thank you. It's an Omega Speedster Professional (on a NATO strap).
Love those tyres. Best track and street tyres ever. I wish they came in 20 inches though....
I love this show as it is but I’m curious as to where Alex has gone?
Best looking Lotus for sure
I love seeing Henry here after drivetribe disbanded! Anyone have an idea of where Jethro went?
Punch Hes at Motor Trend now.
Motor Trend
ah thanks guys
Catchpole is on carfection! Since when? Like before watch obviously...
Lol “weighs more than a cow “ I sure didn’t put that into perspective before
No, an Elise shouldn't cost £60k, it's crazy to be honest. Should start at 30k new up to 50k for this top spec, then start the exigencies at 50k up to whatever you like with options.
Carfection is the best.
Anybody know where the music is from?
I liked the lotus esprit which kind of looked like the Lamborghinis.
esprit turbo of the 80s was real world quicker than the v8 ferrari and lamborghini of the era
I’d sell my wife for an S1 esprit, in white naturally.
Henry can't go wrong 👌🏼
Well it´s this, the Alfa or a mildly used Cayman GTS with sports Chrono Package - for two seaters in this price range the offers are actually quite limited in terms of newer car models. This is great if one has enough money for another car in the garage - else the GTS would be the more all round choice.
Naw, Elise is a great primary vehicle!
#1 underated car.....but it looks so great
Great presentation you guys spend alot of time with lotus here in the US they are not in people's minds at all nice review though
A simply car to enjoy driving!
what happened to the other guy who did reviews for the alfa 4c and minis? I liked him.
so it took me 10 minutes to notice....why is the steering wheel on the left side?
He's the greatest guy named Henry out there!
Car looks amazing, that wing is truly a disgrace though.
Oh Elise, my favourite precious Elise *O*
Damn i feel old knowing that the Elise had its 22nd anniversary
Looks like motor trend hired the wrong drive tribe host? There is no animosity toward henry compared to jethro in motor trend. That's good for us carfection subscriber
Why is this one left hand drive? Hopefully for the US market.
Sadly I doubt they'll return to the US. This was probably built for the EU that drive on the right.
You didn't show the beautiful sculpture of the car...
What about the GT1?
Seeing Henry drive fast around a track makes me happy
Lotus Elise Cup 260 ❤😂
Sheer brilliance 👍🇬🇧