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After test driving an Elise 111s this morning, I can easily understand why most people go from test-drive to placing an order immediately afterward. Even though I only took it for a quick spin, its nimble and quick behavior was immediately apparent. The Elise felt like it wanted to go fast, and both the engine and steering were amazingly responsive. At $40,000, I could see myself owning one (in yellow, thank you very much), but the wait lists are growing longer every day and the U.S. version isn't even available yet (it's on target for May '04 release).

Andrew and Neil at Autostrada told me they're slated to get 50 Elises during the first year (May '04 to May '05), and 37 of those are already spoken for. It probably won't be more than a matter of weeks before would-be owners here in Austin put downpayments on the last of those 50. Previous versions of the Elise have won just about every award possible, and the upcoming U.S. version is expected to be even better (and it will have a bigger engine, too).

Check out Lotus for more info on the Elise.