The beauty behind the ever-evolving automotive world is the passionate community of owners and enthusiasts who continue to preserve and breathe new life into cars that may have gone overlooked in the past. And while the latest and greatest releases will always shine in the spotlight, aftermarket specialists are shedding light on some seriously cool builds that won’t break the bank for the driver searching for something special to get behind the wheel of.
One of those cars that may have been lost in the shuffle is the Lotus Elise S1, which the manufacturer first described as the world’s most advanced sports car when it debuted at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. Showcasing the Elise S1 in full safari form as part of its first vehicle build, the team at Get Lost Automotive is jumping into the scene and paving its own path.
Get Lost’s journey to Project Safari began with founder and renowned automotive photographer GFWilliams, who used more than a decade of experience being around the most exceptional cars in the world to spark interest in his own dream. The off-road, purpose-built Lotus Elise S1 was created as “a car that delivers emotional connection through design, engineering, and a relentless pursuit of fun.” Instead of changing what made the Elise iconic, the team studied its layout and leaned into the outrageous idea of turning it into an off-road monster.
Project Safari features a custom roof scoop, rectangular headlights, and a fully redesigned interior wrapped in top-tier materials. Everything’s purposeful, not just flashy, making it less of a bodykit job and more of a total reimagination. Founder George Williams describes the project as a reinterpretation, not a modification. Underneath Project Safari, a bespoke suspension system ups the ride height and width, while all-terrain tires and a limited-slip diff mean this thing actually works off-road. A new powertrain and playful touches like a hydraulic handbrake make it even more fun on trails. Customer builds for Get Lost’s Project Safari kick off later this year.
Source: Get Lost
