The original Elise was never intended for sale to the American public. It wasn't until 2005 that we were offered the Toyota-powered Series 2 "Federal Elise." The original version entered the European marketplace in 1996 with a Rover 4-cyllinder engine, and technically would have been allowed to the US as a race car only with no possibility of street use. There are stipulations, however, that allow a car to be imported sans drivetrain, rebuilt, and titled as a kit car, which is exactly what this owner did.
The owner purchased this 1999 Elise 111s in Europe and had the engine and transmission removed. He then had Sun International import the car to the US and installed a JDM Honda Integra B18C Type R engine and trans. Depending on the state where the car is registered, it may or may not need to be emmissions tested, so it is important to use a drivetrain such as this one that can be made to comply with EPA standards.
The current production US model Elise is an extremely lightweight car, but the original version weighed about 300 pounds less. It had a less-powerful motor, though, producing just 118 bhp. This 111s had a 148 bhp motor in 1999, but now should produce well over 200 horsepower from the modified Honda powerplant.
This car looks to be very well taken-care-of and nicely modified. With just 9,000 miles, it is available
here on eBay in Seattle with a Buy It Now price of $43,000.
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