The Lotus 340R was a stripped down version of the already spartan Elise.

Lotus Cars, highly innovative, and seemingly never far from financial collapse, has time and again delivered world-beating sports cars on a fraction of its rival's budgets, the Elise chassis paving the way for ever more track-focused variants.

The 340R follows a long succession of lighter Lotus sports cars, Colin Chapman's famous "simplify, and then add lightness" ethos managing to shave a further 119 lbs from the popular two-seater, acres of bare aluminum responsible for the 340Rs all up weight under 1,500 lbs. Sports cars since have surpassed the 340R in terms of both performance and weight, notably Ariel's Atom combining turbos and superchargers with scaffold-like chassis to deliver a bigger punch, but the Lotus remains the benchmark for driver feel and handling.

The 340R might have been a limited edition track special few gearheads will have heard of, let alone remember, but it remains a shining example of Lotus cars at its best.

By no normal gearhead's stretch of the imagination was the Elise ever a heavyweight sports car, built exclusively of aluminum and paired back to the bare essentials, creature comforts are few and far between. That didn't stop Lotus, from rolling out the Exige in 2000, lighter, more powerful with enough grip to tear your face off.

Hot on the Exige's heels, the 340R took minimalism to another level, open-wheeled, with no roof or doors, and little else. The 340R, closely related to both the Elise/Exige, gearheads were expected to pay more for less.

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Envisaged as the ultimate weekend car, blistering track action was near-guaranteed thanks to Lotus' combination of body sculpting and crash diet that gave the 340R its open-wheeled racer appearance. Throughout Lotus's history, some of the brand's best sports cars were frequently the result of cost savings, off-the-shelf parts easy for gearheads to spot.

The 340R is no different, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Elise, no more so than under the engine cover where Lotus retained the same basic 1.8-liter Rover K-series motor, tuned naturally to deliver more power, the 340R packing 187 hp.

Lotus' introduction of the Elise in 1996 witnessed a move away from steel backbone chassis to a new, lighter extruded aluminum chassis and tub, bonded using special adhesives in place of rivets. The change heralded a new era in chassis and rigidity that, until recently, was the benchmark for small sports cars.

The advantages in weight-saving made the 340R one of the lightest production cars to come from lotus. Fully loaded, tipping the scales at 1488 lbs, the tub itself accounting for just 149 lbs.

In place of the Elise's sinuous curves, Lotus gave the 340R more wings than your average light aircraft. The Elise-based nose section is flanked by two winglike ducts designed to increase front downforce, channeling air along the 340R's sides, and cooling its brakes in the process.

The aggressive styling doesn't stop there, at the rear to equalize the 340Rs increased front grip, Lotus combined a revised undertray with a bigger rear wing with nearly double the Elise's 125 kgs figure at 100 mph.

It's fair to say less is more, Lotus stripping the Elise's already bare basics cockpit back even further. Carpets? No, Electric windows, or indeed windows of any description? No. Just the essentials, a steering wheel, simple two gauge instrument binnacles, shifter, and pedals.

Lotus did make some concessions for safety requirements, lightweight carbon fiber seats complete with racing harnesses trimmed in alcantara. In the event of the worst-case scenario, Lotus added a safety roll-over hoop between the seats and rear deck, the only steel you will find in the 340Rs body and chassis.

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Racecar for the road or vice versa? Gearheads in Europe lucky enough to be given the keys can use the 340R on public roads, something US fans can only dream of, its lack of doors instantly earning it a ban.

Take a closer look at the 340Rs most important aspect, Yokohama A038R tires designed for maximum grip be it on roads or a track, easily recognizable for their distinct tread pattern. In the US, Yokohama retail these super-sticky tires under the Advan brand.

Esprit, Élan, Emira, and, erm, 340R, Lotus, for reasons unknown, diverged from the long-running "E" name formula for the 340R. The Elise-based chassis does make a valid point towards the 340R being part of the Elise/Exige family, but we think 340R is in keeping with Lotus motorsport heritage.

Originally, Lotus intended the 340R's lightweight body and tuned Rover engine to deliver a power to weight ratio of 340 hp per ton, in reality, this lofty target proved too ambitious, and Lotus instead opted to limit production to 340 cars.

For its time, the Elise was pretty brisk, by stripping away the excesses and bolting on some race-spec rubber and mild engine tune, the 340R for some seemed like a step too far. After all, aside from track use, who'd want a car with no roof, doors, or windows?

A comparable S1 Elise could crack 60mph in 5.9-seconds, topping out at 126 mph. By comparison, the no-frills 340R rocketed to 60 mph in 4.4-seconds and gained a small advantage at the top end, reaching 132 mph.

Surprisingly, rarity, in this case, comes cheaper than you might expect. Tempted by a Mercedes-AMG? Finding a low mileage 340R is not only going to be cheaper but undeniably more fun, provided you have local track access and plenty of sunshine.

Launched late in 1999 with Lotus asking £35,000, or broadly speaking $51,000 in today's money, the same you can expect to pay for a well cared for example. Who'd have thought Lotus would build a low-volume sports car that remained pretty much static in value twenty years later.

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Given the nature of Lotus' low-volume production process, you imagine the 340R came with a list of owner options, and hardcore track upgrades tailored towards gearheads interested in the fastest lap times over daily usability.

Surprisingly, the options list only included color choice, Lotus "officially" producing their 340R in silver over black only. Aftermarket mods account for the various lurid shades of green, orange, and a reported pink makeover. Any classified claiming to be all original in anything other than silver has been tampered with.

Raised in a car-obsessed environment from an early age ensured a keen interest in anything car-related. first and foremost an F1 fan, but also an avid follower of other motorsports. Professional background working closely with a well established UK based Supercar manufacturer in recent years.