Top Lotus sportscars for sale on Auto Trader

To mark this milestone, Vijay Pattni rounds up the best-ever Lotus sportscars for sale on Auto Trader right now, including the world’s most infamous four-door sports saloon…

Lotus Elise

This is the world’s finest handling roadster – the lightweight Lotus Elise.

Named after former chairman Romano Artioli’s grand-daughter Elisa, the Elise debuted in 1996, weighing in at 720kg and sporting a 118bhp Rover engine.

But despite the low power, the lightweight Elise could rocket to 60mph in under six seconds, and set the benchmark for outstanding handling and driving dynamics.

Newer versions of the Elise dropped the Rover engine and installed a high-revving 1.8-litre petrol unit from Toyota, capable of producing up to 190bhp.

The Elise is the most popular Lotus for sale on Auto Trader, and you can pick one up from as little as £7,000.

Search for a used Lotus Elise on Auto Trader

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Lotus Elan

Many will remember the Elan from the mid 1990s, but the first generation actually made its debut in 1962, featuring a 1.6-litre engine and available as a coupe or convertible.

The second generation Elan was Lotus’ most controversial car. It was the company’s first and only front-wheel-drive sportscar, and its styling received mixed reviews.

But it handled like a Lotus – namely, superbly – and came with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine producing 160bhp, allowing the Elan to accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds.

You can pick up a Lotus Elan on Auto Trader for as little as £3,500.

Search for a used Lotus Elan on Auto Trader

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Lotus Exige

Jeremy Clarkson tried to outrun a helicopter gunship in one of these – the hardcore Lotus Exige.

The Lotus Exige was launched in 2000 as a coupe version of the Lotus Elise, and features a fibreglass roof and rear spoiler to help increase downforce – this means the Exige can stick to the road better.

The Exige is fitted with a 1.8-litre Toyota engine, with some versions producing an astonishing 240bhp – in a car which weighs less than 950kg.

You can buy a used Lotus Exige on Auto Trader from £17,000.

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Lotus Europa

The original Lotus Europa made its debut in 1966 and was the world’s first mid-engined mass-produced road car.

Around 9,000 models of this original model were produced until 1975, but in 2006, Lotus reintroduced the world to the Europa name.

The new Europa is designed to offer cruise through continents like a GT car – but with Lotus’ crushing performance.

The 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine in the Europa produces 197bhp, can accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and hits a top speed of 143mph.

Auto Trader has just ONE original Lotus Europa for sale. Prices for the new model start at around £22,000.

Search for a used Lotus Europa on Auto Trader

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Lotus Esprit

One of the longest running models in Lotus history, the Esprit debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 1975 and ended production in 2004 – around 10,000 examples were built.

The Esprit started life with a 160bhp 2-litre petrol engine, while later V8 editions would produce 350bhp.

And the Esprit found fame on the silver screen too – a Lotus ‘Essex Turbo’ Esprit featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, sporting a 2-litre turbocharged engine and a top speed of over 150mph.

Early Lotus Esprit models can be found on Auto Trader from as little as £5,000.

Search for a used Lotus Esprit on Auto Trader

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Lotus Carlton

It started life as a regular, humdrum large Vauxhall saloon – and ended up as a 377bhp fire-breathing sportscar: this is the infamous Lotus Carlton.

Lotus took 950 standard Vauxhall Carltons from the production line, tweaked the engine, fiddled with the suspension and added a bodykit.

The result? 377bhp, 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, and a top speed of 179mph.

On its launch, the Carlton caused outrage – newspapers demanded the car be banned from public roads, while even the police labelled it dangerous.

But you’ll be hard pressed to find one today – less than 300 cars were reportedly built for the UK market, and Auto Trader has just FOUR examples for sale, with prices hovering around £23,000.

Search for a used Lotus Carlton on Auto Trader

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View images of Vauxhall cars from the Heritage Centre

What is your favourite Lotus? Have your say on the Auto Trader Blog.