2006 Lotus Elise Sports Racer

The Lotus Elise Sports Racer is a numbered special series with a defined worldwide announcement. Its red and blue presentations belong to one allocation, rather than two separately counted production programmes.

History and verified programme identity

Lotus’s October 2005 announcement identifies 199 Sports Racers worldwide across the two colour presentations. This profile retains the inventory’s 2006 model-year reference alongside the earlier reveal and sales chronology. An announced allocation is not silently certified as independently audited completed manufacture. The exact photograph identifies a 2006 Elise 111R Sports Racer in the red presentation. That gives the article a specific edition illustration rather than an ordinary 111R with generic stripes. Its exterior still does not show the numbered interior plate or certify a particular allocation number, so those individual identifiers remain matters for original documents.

Engineering and design

The original release places the Sports Racer in the Toyota-powered Elise branch and gives a six-speed transmission reference. That mechanical setting distinguishes it from the earlier Rover-based first-series performance programmes. The photograph illustrates the later body, while its red finish, white stripes and white mirror presentation match the announced colour scheme. Those visible details are useful for recognition, but a repaint can reproduce them. Programme identity therefore combines factory allocation evidence with the mechanical base and original trim history. A current exterior should be recorded as a dated appearance rather than treated as a certificate that every numbered-series component remains original.

The physical car in the supplied photograph

Calreyn88’s photograph shows a red 2006 Lotus Elise 111R Sports Racer parked outdoors in June 2022. White bonnet stripes and white mirrors are visible in a front-quarter view. The creator’s precise edition title is retained; the image does not certify the car’s numbered dashboard allocation.

A closer look at the design

The front-quarter image makes the Sports Racer’s visual theme readable as a whole. Its stripes and contrasting mirrors work across the later Elise body rather than appearing as isolated details. The creator’s title gives the edition a clear boundary, while the factory announcement explains the shared red-and-blue allocation. An individual numbered plate would connect the photographed car to that programme, but it is not visible here. The profile keeps the image’s role proportionate: it provides a real exact-edition illustration, not a hidden build certificate. This also lets a future editor add chassis-specific evidence without rewriting the announcement’s worldwide scope or turning two colour choices into two complete production totals.

Collecting and chassis evidence

A Sports Racer file should begin with the chassis, original numbered identity and factory delivery specification. The 199 reference is the announced worldwide programme covering both red and blue cars, so it should not be doubled when presenting the colour options. Preserve the plate, original paperwork and early photographs alongside subsequent repairs and equipment changes. The later image supports edition recognition but cannot inspect the engine, gearbox or original trim beneath it. Separating announced allocation from completed output also keeps the rarity description useful without claiming a current survivor count or assigning an undocumented number to the pictured car.

Related Lotus designs and meaningful comparisons

The first-series Sport 135 shows an earlier mechanical special programme, while Europa S presents a different contemporary approach to a compact road coupe. These comparisons explain the Sports Racer’s edition role and later Elise base without implying that a shared maker means shared allocations or identical engineering.

Reading the sources

The programme sources and the photograph answer different questions. Manufacturer and custodial records establish the original model, Type, category and published production scope. The creator’s file establishes the pictured subject, setting and image permission. An individual chassis history can then add ownership, competition entries and dated repairs without changing the scope of the original programme. Build references are not survivor counts, and a later specification does not automatically become an additional newly manufactured vehicle. Where primary evidence does not establish a complete fabrication census, that field remains unassigned.

Specifications and rarity evidence

Frequently asked questions

Are the red and blue Sports Racers separate 199-car runs?

No. The original Lotus announcement gives 199 worldwide across both presentations. The announced allocation remains distinct from an audited completion tally.

How is Elise Sports Racer classified?

This is a named original Lotus road-car programme. Its qualified source references fall below the 7,500 screening threshold. Completed production, announced allocations and survivor counts remain distinct, with any unresolved differences explained in the article.

Which technical details are established for the programme?

The primary record supports inventory/model-year reference: 2006; factory announcement: October 2005; named allocation: 199 worldwide across both colours. These are programme or explicitly attributed photo references. A particular surviving car’s engine, chassis repairs and competition preparation require its own dated documentation.

Does the photographed appearance establish factory originality?

The caption records a real creator-identified Elise Sports Racer subject and its documented setting. It establishes the illustration’s scope, while original components, restoration work and individual race provenance require chassis-specific evidence. A competition number, current paint or museum display is not used as an originality certificate.

What rarity or archive scope is verified?

Lotus 21 October 2005 release announces 199 worldwide Sports Racers across red and blue variants, individually numbered. 2006 is the inventory/model-year reference; late2005 sale/reveal chronology explicit. Announced allocation separate from audited completed output and survivor count.

Who photographed the supplied image?

Calreyn88 via Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 4.0. The original file and licence are linked with the image. Retain the creator, source and licence when uploading, exporting or reusing it; local retouching and synthetic enlargement have not been performed.

Related Lotus profiles

• 1998 Lotus Elise Sport 135 Series 1
• 2006 Lotus Europa S

Sources and photo credits

• Manufacturer or custodial programme source

Photograph: Calreyn88 via Wikimedia Commons original source, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source-provided thumbnail supplied without local cropping, retouching or synthetic enlargement.