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Carburettor Coffee Club – Visit 11 ☕
Hello coffee fans… meet the Lotus Elise Sport 160 💪
On a balmy afternoon in Hertfordshire, we did just that thanks to @nicholasfound. This thing is a serious head turner – only 337 were made worldwide, and just 48 of those are currently driving on UK roads. So you can see why we had no choice but to come and see for ourselves what Nicholas has been raving about 😉
We fell in love with this thing at first sight and if you’ve got eyes, you surely have too 👀
Spec:
- The original 1.8 litre, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine
- Uniform black paintwork
- Red alcantara interior
It’s no surprise why Nicholas spent seven months searching for this beauty. Rear wheel drive and 160bhp, this thing is no joke… but for Nicholas, the feel of the drive is most important – in his own words: “every second is an absolute joy” – and from what we can see… it looks, sounds, and drives like a menace 🏋
We took our new blend “Roadrunner” along with us to meet Nicholas, who enjoyed every sip using his preferred brew method of a Mokka pot ☕
We chatted all afternoon, drove around some quiet albeit beautiful roads, and allowed @jamie_bufton_photo to work his magic as usual… 🧙♂️📸
If we hadn’t told you this shoot was done in Hertfordshire, you’d be forgiven for thinking we were in the heart of France – just look at how captivating some of these shots are. It’s a real blessing to be able to do what we do! 😍
Of the 337 made worldwide, Nicholas has the ONLY model with jet-black exterior paintwork and the gorgeous red Alacantara interior trim. It’s not the first Elise he’s owned – Nicholas previously owned an Elise S1, which he picked up in 2014. Nicholas has had the Lotus bug for a lot longer than that though… sitting in an Elise way back in 1996, he knew there and then the Elise was a car he would own eventually 👏
Nicholas’ ride hasn’t always been this perfect… the Sport 160 has undergone what Nicholas has dubbed a “rolling restoration”, with a main goal of returning the car to how it left the factory ❤️
When Nicholas came to own the car, a myriad of problems came along with it. Long story short, many sensors needed replacing – which would’ve led many owners to swapping out the ECU for an aftermarket option – but Nicholas stuck to his guns and restored it in OEM fashion, making his example “one of very few to run a standard ECU and timing setup as it came from factory”. Nicholas then added he loves the “raw nature” the original ECU provides 😍
Nicholas regularly attends our events, and even booked another shoot following these breath-taking action-shots. So if you’d like to catch a glimpse of the Sport 160 in-person, come and grab some coffee, have a chat, and see some beautiful cars at our next event! 🤝