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First and Last Lotus Elise Examples Get Compared by the Person Whose Name They Bear

Lotus stopped making the Elise after 25 years, which is sad if you think about it, but this moment was inevitable. The British marque has pledged to stop making gasoline-engined cars, and all its models will be electric in just a matter of years. Before that happens, this is what has changed with Elise in 25 years.
Comparison between the first and the last Lotus Elise 7 photos
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video by Elisa Artioli
Comparison between the first and the last Lotus EliseComparison between the first and the last Lotus EliseComparison between the first and the last Lotus EliseComparison between the first and the last Lotus EliseElisa Artioli and her new Elise, SunshineElisa Artioli introducing the Lotus Elise in 1997 and Elisa Artioli many years later, with her new Elise
Instead of a head-to-head race on the track, there is something much more interesting to watch. The Lotus Elise S1, as the first version of the first-gen cars are dubbed, is no match for the last Elise, and just thrashing them on the track in search of hundreds of a second just to prove a point might not be the best way to honor the legacy of this model.

Fortunately, there is someone in this world who has a special connection with the Lotus Elise, and that person has owned the same Lotus Elise S1 since she was just four years old. We are writing about Elisa Artioli, the girl whose name inspired her grandfather to name Lotus's new project back in the mid '90s.

As time passed, Elisa got to drive her Elise, and she even started a YouTube channel to showcase her adventures with the car from this special position.

After all, who can claim that the car they own, as well as all the models in its lineage, is named after them? We can think of a few people, but trying to name those who are still alive only brings out a few champions from the world of motorsport.

Well, Elisa Artioli is not a racecar driver, and she was just a toddler when her grandfather decided that Lotus named its next model Elise when it was launched on the market.

Now, Elisa Artioli used all her savings to buy the last Elise made. While the first car was selected by her grandfather, now, the Elise affectionately named Sunshine, was configured by her.

Without further ado, watch Elisa explain the differences between the first and the last Lotus Elise from a special owner's perspective.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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