1998 | Lotus Elise 111

 Nearly 30 years after its premiere, the Lotus Elise needs little introduction: thanks to the Italian ownership of Romano Artioli, who launched the in-house M1-11 project (later named the Elise in honor of his granddaughter), Ethel's company recovered from a major financial crisis.

This project set the benchmark for sports cars for over twenty years, thanks to solutions fully in line with Colin Chapman's philosophy. Three series evolved in style and mechanics, but were deeply rooted in the concept of lightweight construction and uncompromising driving pleasure.

Contrary to popular belief, given the company's ownership, it was Italy that hosted the first official single-make trophy dedicated to the model, the Lotus Elise Trophy, in 1997 the year after its launch.

The trophy kit was developed by Conrero (the Lotus owners and tuner Virgilio Conrero had a longstanding relationship) and didn't radically change the car, but rather optimized it: improved brakes for track use, a gearbox with a shortened bevel gear, a sports suspension, safety equipment, and of course the Rover K-series engine, brought to approximately 145 horsepower through expert tuning that also provided an emotional sound thanks to a dedicated exhaust and intake.

The trophy's first year was a success, with some big names on the starting grid: the championship was won by the experienced Luigi Giannini, and the same success was achieved in 1998 with the championship victory by Roberto Tonetti, a driver who, however, had to contend with some incursions by a strong driver and tuner from the CIVT, driving a white Elise: Marco Antonelli from Bologna.

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Marco is the father of Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli, and it was he who instilled in his son a passion for racing, having debuted in the early 1990s in the Italian Touring Car Championship, primarily driving the fast Peugeot 205 and 309. His excellent skills soon led him to successfully prepare customer cars, eventually joining the current Antonelli - AKM Motorsport team, which races Mercedes-AMGs in various GT championships, after stints with Porsche, Lamborghini, and even in the smaller formulas.

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But back to our Elise: wanting to try some non-CIVT experiences, Antonelli asked the Scuderia AB Motorsport - which had believed in the Elise Trophy since its first year, fielding about a dozen cars - for their latest arrival, an Elise Trofeo in Monaco White, purchased from the Autospeak dealership in Modena on February 2, 1998. The car was entrusted to the Malucelli team for preparation, and the Bolognese driver agreed to race in those races that did not clash with the CIVT, no more than four weekends.

After its debut at Misano, the car raced in Austria at the A1 Ring, won at Varano, and ran its final race at Monza.

Work commitments meant that Antonelli didn't use the car in other races, but it wasn't used by other drivers either, which explains why the odometer is stuck at 2200!

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The car was recently serviced by Alessandro Romani's renowned workshop, restoring it to the original livery it raced in 1998 with Marco Antonelli. It comes with the original steering wheel and seats, the burgundy soft top, and the service book (obviously never stamped given the mileage). This Elise has its original license plate, and the ASI registration process is underway, with the first and only owner.

The car can be viewed by appointment in Bologna.

Further details on www.gulfblue.it