The Elise ($47,250) comes with a 1.8L dohc inline four-cylinder engine rated at 189 horsepower at 7800 rpm and 133 pound-feet of torque at 6800 rpm, a six-speed close-ratio manual transmission, non-assisted steering, power four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 LTS tires, air conditioning, power windows, remote power door locks, anti-theft alarm, engine immobilizer and cloth seats.
The Elise SC ($54,990) adds a Magnuson supercharger with Eaton M45 rotor pack; it is not intercooled, and is rated at 218 horsepower at 8000 rpm and 156 pound-feet of torque at 5000 rpm.
Options include a Touring Pack ($1,600) with padded and insulated black removable soft top, full leather seats and door trim, upgraded stereo system with iPod connector, interior stowage net behind passenger seat and full black carpet set; Sport Pack ($2,600) with lighter-weight forged (versus cast) alloy wheels, 6.0J x 16 (versus 5.5J x 16) front wheel size, Yokohama Advan AD07 LTS tires, Lotus Sport tuned suspension, twin oil coolers, electronic traction control and black ProBax Sport seats; body-color Hardtop ($1,475); limited-slip differential ($1,790); traction control ($495); Metallic paint ($590), Lifestyle paint ($1,200), Limited paint ($3,300), Exclusive paint ($5,100); and Starshield clear front-end and rocker area protection film ($995).
The Lotus Exige S 240 and Exige 260 are based on the Elise, but have fixed composite roof panels and offer more horsepower through supercharged, intercooled engines; their engines are rated at 240 and 257 horsepower, respectively.
Safety features on the Elise include dual front airbags (passenger side cannot be deactivated), seatbelt pretensioners, integral steel seatbelt support structure, ABS and epoxy-bonded perimeter aluminum chassis subframe. Electronic traction control is available either as a stand-alone option or as part of the Sport Pack.