The first ‘VHPK’ is a 600kg single-seat Lotus Elise S1 that costs £350k+

A Lotus Elise S1 is already a bit of a lightweight marvel, weighing in at around 700kg. A company called Analogue Automotive has stripped yet more bulk out of the thing and given it a single-seat, central driving position. It’s this: the ‘VHPK’.

We first got – well not so much ‘wind’ because that’d blow it away – but ‘whisper’ of it last year, and now we have a full image set of the first customer car, resplendent in ‘PK Purple’ with a matching Alcantara cabin and gold exhaust tips.

Why ‘VHPK’? It’s taken from the car’s base engine. Rover’s K-Series four-pot once boasted a ‘Very High Performance Derivative’ that was rather spicy. So, VHPD becomes VHPK. Doesn’t roll off the tongue, admittedly, but because there’s a single seat, you won’t roll around either.

This one gets a ‘highly tuned’ 1.9-litre twin cam K-Series four-cylinder (up from 1.8-litres), rebuilt using lightweight billet and forged internals, and matched to a full stainless steel exhaust system, a limited slip diff and five-speed ‘close ratio’ manual. AA quotes 250 naturally aspirated, very hard-working horsepowers.

Oh, right. Why a single seat in the middle? It’s taken from the one-make Elise championship that supported BTCC back in the early Noughties. Those cars ran – that’s right! – single seats. In the middle.

It’s a carbon fibre bucket, surrounded by carbon trim, ensconced within a full carbon fibre body that hides a lightweight fuel tank and wiring loom. There are lightweight forged wheels, the option of even lighter carbon ones, and further options like exposed carbon body panels, electric air con and a carbon hard top.

We’re told the chassis accommodates a ‘wide-track’ suspension system with aluminium uprights and steering arms, and passive dampers. No surprise that you can option an active damper setup in if you so wish.

AA is building just 35 of these special extra extra-lightweight Elises, at a cost of – hope you’re sitting down for this – £350,000. Plus tax. That does at least include a donor Series 1 Elise. Which start from around £20k for a good used one.