UK-based firm Analogue Automotive (see video) has announced a resurrection of the iconic Lotus Elise in time for its 30th anniversary. The project car called the VHPK just debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show and seemed only loosely related to the original.
According to the company, it prioritized power-to-weight ratio and track readiness above all else. The latter is especially apparent in the cabin design, which only provides for one seat in the middle. The McLaren F1 comes to mind as the world’s most famous single-seat supercar, but Lotus actually built similar Elise one-seaters for track day enthusiasts.
Analogue Automotive doesn’t reveal what chassis lies at the base of the project, but says that the car receives its propulsion from a Rover K-Series engine also used in the S1 Elise generation. As such, we suspect that the chassis could be original Lotus as well. At any rate, we are promised “larger-than-stock” displacement and a number of other high-end modifications intended to drive the output north of 254 PS (250 hp / 186 kW).
That may not seem much until you consider that the whole car will be made from carbon fiber panels, landing it close to 600 kilograms (1,322 pounds) of dry weight. Aside from the entire exterior, much of the interior and even the wheels will be made from the same lightweight composite, Analogue claims. We still don’t have any full-body or cabin shots, but the early teasers suggest that the revived Elise looks as close to the original as possible.
More information should emerge closer to the preordering time, which will be “sometime in 2026”, per the manufacturer. Only 35 examples will be made, so we’ll leave it to you to speculate about pricing.
