You could buy the Lotus Exige owned by Top Gear’s Chris Harris

A 2001 Lotus Exige once owned by Top Gear presenter Chris Harris is currently listed for auction.

One of 604 examples of the Series 1 Exige built, it represents a hardcore, hard-top version of the contemporary Lotus Elise. 

Already a rarity, the previous ownership by Chris Harris is likely to attract extra bids on the Collecting Cars auction platform.

Mulsanne in miniature

Launched in 2000, the Lotus Exige turned the mid-engined Elise roadster into something resembling a scaled-down Le Mans racer. 

Along with a hard-top roof, the Exige boasts a roof-mounted air intake and a large rear spoiler. A new front splitter was installed, along with a widened track to accommodate bigger tyres. 

Beneath a transparent cover, the 1.8-litre four-cylinder K Series engine from the Elise is retained. With 180hp, it offers considerable performance when combined with the Exige’s 780kg kerb weight. 

Using a close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox, the Exige can accelerate from 0-60mph in less than five seconds, and reach a top speed of 136mph.

Low weight, lower mileage

This particular Exige was delivered to Chris Harris as a long-term test car during his role as deputy road test editor at Autocar magazine. Used by Harris for six months, various updates were featured in the magazine during his time with the car.

Once the Exige’s official test period came to an end, Harris bought it. He subsequently sold the car to the present vendor in September 2002. It has now covered a total of just 21,112 miles, with only 5,000 of them added in the past 20 years. 

A new engine was fitted early in the life of the Exige, with the block believed to be producing 210hp. An ultra-close-ratio gearbox was also installed, along with a factory sports exhaust.

The interior features bucket seats with Schroth four-point racing harnesses. An Alpine stereo brings a small degree of comfort to the Exige.

Star in a reasonably priced car

A major service for the Exige was performed in November 2021, and the car comes with plenty of maintenance paperwork and correspondence. 

Stone chips are noted on the front of the vehicle, with the 16-inch alloy wheels said to be wearing the same scuffs as they did back in 2002.

Ready to offer lightweight thrills, the celebrity ownership story behind this Exige only adds to its desirability. 

The listing for the Lotus has already generated bids on Collecting Cars, with the auction set to run until Wednesday 25 May 2022.

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