Even if the Lotus Elise and the Mazda RX-8 aren't quite legends yet, their retirement certainly puts them one step closer. The Final Countdown. Mazda RX-8. U.S. Introduction2003.

The nimble mid-engine two-seater featured a revolutionary lightweight design that made the Miata seem like a porker.

The Elise Sprint is available with two engine options. The base 1.6-liter engine offers 134 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque, which provides enough forward thrust to hit 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.

From the Archive: Lotus's new featherweight Elise confronts its obvious, and not-so-obvious, competition from Caterham, Factory Five Racing, Honda, and Mazda.

Many Elise variants were made, but the S1 was peak Elise in that subsequent iterations didn’t really alter the core offering ...

There’s a 1,000-HP Lotus Elise Under This Rocket Bunny Body Kit. ... to use either a Subaru-sourced flat-four from the EJ family of engines or a rotary that presumably comes from the Mazda parts ...

2005 Lotus Elise: Long Time Gone: The Hard-Core Enthusiast's Dream Car Has Arrived By J.P. Vettraino Published: Jun 6, 2004 If you've paid attention the last several years, you know the Lotus Elise.

Lotus Elise Cup 250: First Drive. Lotus Elise Cup 250: ... Mazda offers a one-hand release and throw for its MX-5 soft top, while Porsche offers one-button operation in the Boxster.

Elise. Mazda vs Lotus: the numbers. Mazda MX-5 1.5 Sport. Price: £21,495 Engine: 1496cc 16v four-cylinder, 129bhp @ 7000rpm, 111lb ft @ 4800rpm Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive ...

The Lotus Elise was the road-going personification of late Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s ... Although it was roughly 9 inches shorter in overall length than a first-generation Mazda Miata, ...