A standard Lotus Elise S1 from the late 1990s already sits near the bottom of the weight chart for road cars. Analogue Automotive took one of those chassis, removed nearly everything that could be removed, and rebuilt it around a single carbon-fiber seat placed dead in the middle of the tub. The result is the VHPK, a limited-run restomod that tips the scales at under 600 kilograms and costs £350,000 before tax.
Orders opened up once the first customer car arrived in this stunning PK Purple with matching Alcantara trim and gold exhaust tips on the back, which is a true showstopper. Production is limited to 35 special-numbered specimens, and I have to confess that the price barely covers the cost of a donor Series 1 Elise, which is included. So the conversion itself, which is virtually the complete vehicle, accounts for the majority of the ultimate cost.
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The central driver’s seat is a faithful replica of the previous generation of single seat Elise racers that competed in the Autobytel Lotus Championship at the turn of the century. There is only one carbon fiber racing bucket in the center, with the rest of the interior made up of carbon dash bits, door trim, and other little accents. Air conditioning and a removable carbon hard top are available for an additional cost, but Analog believes that the less kit the better. They believe this is where the magic happens.
Now, I get what you’re thinking: “Why not just replace the engine with something new?” Analogue opted to go from the norm and preserve the obsolete Rover K-Series four-cylinder. They simply rebuilt it from scratch. So it’s now 1.9 liters, and with new billet and forged parts inside instead of the old ones, it puts out a respectable 250 horsepower. Send that power to the rear wheels via a Quaife close ratio five-speed transmission and a limited slip differential, and with a curb weight of less than 600 kg, you’ll have an amazing 400 horsepower per ton.
Analog has replaced the previous body panels with carbon fiber ones, and the molds have been produced using CNC milled designs (which is far more involved than simply putting a splash mold in the oven), so they are quite strong. Forged alloy wheels are standard, but you can upgrade to carbon ones as well. The brakes are also impressive, with 300mm carbon ceramic disks up front and four piston calipers. The fuel tank is made of aluminum and holds 48 liters, and the wiring has been pared back. They preserved the original suspension setup, but with rose-jointed wide track geometry and multi-way passive dampers, it’s a little more sophisticated, and if you want to go above and beyond, you can even buy an active damper kit.
The first completed automobile was torn down to its basic bones, forming the Type 111 chassis, and all new parts were reconstructed from the ground up. Analogue’s CEO stated that their goal is to improve everything that was wonderful about the original S1, while maintaining the all-important high-revving K-series nature.
No official acceleration or top speed data have been provided, as the focus is on the combination of very low weight, a central driving position, and that 250 horsepower four-cylinder engine. With only 35 automobiles planned, each will be made to order, based on whoever placed the order with Analogue Automotive first.
