PistonHeads has named the legendary Lotus Elise S1 as the ‘Best Performance Car’ of the last 25 years as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations.
The passionate and knowledgeable PistonHeads community came together with the expert PistonHeads editorial team to crown the winner, with ‘PHers’ casting their vote to determine their definitive best performance cars of the last quarter century.
The PistonHeads editorial team selected their champion from a shortlist of cars of category winners chosen by the PistonHeads community, comprising: Best Supercar (Porsche Carrera GT), Best Saloon (BMW M5 E39), Best Track Day Car (Caterham Seven 620R), Best Hot Hatch (Toyota GR Yaris) and Best Sports Car (Lotus Elise S1). Each sub-category contained at least 12 cars shortlisted by the PistonHeads team.
The Elise dominated in the Best Sports Car category, receiving 27.06% of the over 10,000 category votes – nearly double the number of the second place Porsche 911 (997) Carrera and third place Honda S2000.
| Ranking | Best Supercar | Best Saloon | Best Track Day Car | Best Hot Hatch | Best Sports Car |
| 1 | Porsche Carrera GT – 32.80% |
BMW M5 (E39) – 32.42% |
Caterham 620R – 31.24% |
Toyota GR Yaris – 20.25% |
Lotus Elise (S1) – 27.06% |
| 2 | Ferrari 458 Italia – 26.92% |
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio – 29.62% |
Porsche 911 (997) GT3 RS – 20.59% |
Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy – 18.62% |
Porsche 911 Carrera (997) – 15.01% |
| 3 | Lexus LFA – 24.24% |
BMW M3 (E46) – 19.82% |
Lotus Exige S (S3) – 18.88% |
Honda Civic Type R (EP3) – 13.93% |
Honda S200 – 14.85% |
| 4 | McLaren 720S – 14.19% |
Audi RS4 (B7) – 13.85% |
Ariel Atom 4 – 18.68% |
Honda Civic Type R (FK8) – 9.03% |
Porsche 718 Cayman GTS – 14.10% |
| 5 | Honda NSX (NA) – 13.20% |
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (W204) – 12.26% |
Renaultsport Megane R26.R – 12.47% |
Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy – 7.96% |
Mazda MX-5 (ND) – 10.86% |
| 6 | Porsche 911 (992) Turbo S – 10.63% |
Subaru Impreza Turbo (GC8) – 10.47%) |
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS – 11.71% |
BMW M140i – 7.22% |
Alpine A110 – 10.52% |
| 7 | Lamborghini Aventador – 10.56% |
BMW M5 CS (F90) – 10.35% |
Porsche 911 (992) GT3 RS – 10.66% |
Ford Fiesta ST (Mk7) – 7.21% |
Audi R8 V8 – 9.75% |
| 8 | Lamborghini Murcielago – 10.48% |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI – 9.90% |
BAC Mono – 9.95% |
Volkswagen Golf GTI (Mk5) – 7.13% |
Caterham Seven 310R – 8.68% |
| 9 | Nissan GT-R (R35) – 9.92% |
Subaru Impreza WRX STI (Blobeye) – 8.56% |
BMW M3 CSL (E46) – 7.46% |
Ford Focus RS (Mk1) – 6.49% |
BMW M2 Competition – 8.23% |
| 10 | Aston Martin V12 Vantage S – 7.49% |
BMW M5 (E60) – 8.24% |
Ferrari 458 Speciale – 7.17% |
Volkswagen Golf R~ (Mk7) – 6.41% |
Aston Martin V8 Vantage – 7.58% |
| 11 | Ford GT (2005) – 5.99% |
BMW M3 (E90) – 7.78% |
Porsche Cayman GT4 (981) – 6.88% |
Peugeot 306 Rallye – 6.13% |
TVR Sagaris – 7.12% |
| 12 | Audi R8 V10 (Type 4S) – 5.6% |
Maserati Quattroporte (M139) – 7.61% |
Lotus 2-Eleven – 6.62% |
Peugeot 106 Rallye – 5.78% |
Toyota GR86 – 6.32% |
Full voting breakdown in each of the five sub-categories
The journey to establish the Best Performance Car of the last quarter century began at the start of the year, and a combined total of 33,935 votes were cast to determine the category winners, followed by the PistonHeads editorial team testing the five winners over two days back-to-back to decide on an overall victor.
The winner was announced at the sell-out PistonHeads 25th Anniversary Party, held at Bicester Heritage on 12th August, attended by 6,500 enthusiasts, where it celebrated the greatest cars produced since the site launched back in 1998.
Often labelled as ‘the car that saved Lotus’, the original iteration of the Elise was powered by a 120hp, 1.8-litre Rover K-Series engine. An innovative glass fibre body mounted to an ultra-stiff aluminium chassis resulted in an incredibly lightweight car at just 725kg, delivering a totally unique driving experience. Being relatively affordable, too, with a starting price of just £18,995 when it launched in 1996, rendered it a huge sales success for the Norfolk-based sports car manufacturer.
However, the Elise faced stiff competition from the other category winners. The BMW M5 E39 (Best Saloon) is regarded by many as one of the brand’s greatest hits thanks to its perfect blend between modern car performance and old-school analogue feel.
The Porsche Carrera GT, named Best Supercar, used a 5.7-litre V10 from the LMP2000 Le Mans racer, and offered phenomenal track performance, yet somehow proved to be a road-friendly package too.
Combining Caterham’s renowned determination to be ultra-lightweight with a range-topping supercharged engine, the Caterham Seven 620R scooped Best Track Car. The 620R delivers a brutal 580 bhp-per-tonne making for a truly unforgettable track experience.
Last but not least, Best Hot Hatch went to the newest car on the shortlist – the Toyota GR Yaris – a rally homologation special that instantly earned legendary status upon its arrival in 2020.
Matt Bird, Deputy Editor at PistonHeads, said: “We are delighted to name the Lotus Elise S1 as the Best Car of the last 25 years.
“In an era of increasingly powerful cars that can only be fully appreciated on a track, the Elise is a car that can be enjoyed in all environments. Its ability to deliver thrills on any road at any speed, and at a relatively attainable price point, is reason alone for it to be a worthy winner.”
PistonHeads.com was acquired in 2019 by multi-national, online automotive marketplace, CarGurus. PistonHeads.com continues to operate as an independent brand, maintaining the site’s popular forums and editorial content, while applying CarGurus’ technology to enhance the purchasing experience for UK car buyers.
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