It’s easy to see why the off-road sports car might appeal. There’s the slight silliness to the concept, of course, taking cars designed for smooth tarmac off the beaten track, while also making them - whisper it - a bit more engaging to drive. Some squidge in the tyres and some roll in the suspension return sensations lost to super sticky tyres and track-spec dampers. Little surprise, then, that the demand was considerable for cars like the Huracan Sterrato, 911 Dakar, and Morgan CX-T. On-road or off, they’re an absolute hoot.
Now there’s a Lotus joining in the fun. This stunning reimagination of an Elise S1 isn’t a factory project; instead, it’s the brainchild of photographer GF Williams, a name you might recognise from his wild Exige S3 build in Readers’ Cars. He’s keen on a crazy Lotus, that’s for sure. This Elise is called Project Safari, the first endeavour from his new ‘Get Lost’ venture. He has said of the car: “This is not a modified Elise; it’s our interpretation of what the platform had to offer. Everything has been considered - from the design to the drive - all in the pursuit of creating something that’s fun.”
Which sounds right up our street, does it not? Key modifications are a bespoke suspension system to raise the ride height by 100mm, broaden the tracks, and deal with challenges a regular Elise has never had to face before, along with all-terrain tyres and new wheels. The little Lotus now boasts a square setup all round, in fact, again for the sake of fun; presumably, a bit more bite at the front end will bring the rear into play more easily.
The underbody is reinforced to deal with whatever (within reason) is thrown at it, and Cerakote protects important bits for year-round use. The usual fun stuff for an off-road build, including a hydraulic handbrake, limited-slip diff, and a spare wheel in a silly space, are also included. Project Safari boasts a ‘new powertrain’, says the press release, though there aren’t many details for the moment. Given the website mentions ‘the kind of performance and reliability you actually want in a car like this’, we’d have to assume a Honda K-swap of some description. Always a popular one for Elises, and if it’s good enough for an Ariel Nomad, it’s good enough for Project Safari.
There’s more than just the rough and tumble mods to this as well. Check out the roof scoop, for starters, as well as new LED light design and a ‘floating wing’ to accommodate the spare wheel. Project Safari has been designed, if that makes sense, not just had big wheels and tyres thrown on it. Looks brilliant for it, too. Check out the seats as well: unique to this build, they’re intended to ‘fit taller and wider drivers comfortably’. Excellent news for those of us who tick both boxes and have always struggled a bit in Elises.
Clearly, there are still details to fill in, but also a Project Safari definitely exists and most definitely can venture where no Elise has before it. While looking pretty awesome in the process. We can’t wait to hear more. GF added: “The idea of taking an Elise off-road might sound ridiculous, and that’s exactly why we leaned into it”. Amen to that.
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