The Lotus Elise is a two-seater roadster with rear-wheel drive and a mid-engine, designed in early 1994 and launched in September 1996 by the British manufacturer Lotus Cars. The car features a handcrafted fiberglass body mounted on an extruded aluminum and bonded chassis, which provides a rigid base for the suspension while minimizing weight and production costs. The roadster can reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. The Elise was named after Elisa, the granddaughter of Romano Artioli, who was the chairman of Lotus at the time of the vehicle's launch.