Here's the official press release and specifications that were published on the day of the production car's launch.  The lauch party was held at the Hippodrome in London and we were lucky enough to be there and meet the design team.

12 August 1999 - The production version of the outrageous and stunningly fast Lotus Elise 340R is launched. Customer deliveries start in December 1999, a mere nine months after Lotus management gave the project the green light, making the 340R's development cycle one of the quickest in the world. Ever. Just 340 examples will be built.

The Elise-based 340R was first shown as a concept car at the 1998 Birmingham International Motor Show at the NEC. This concept put a new spin on the multi- award winning Elise, taking it down an even more extreme path, making it the purest Lotus ever: a no-compromise super-lightweight sports car. It had no doors; no side windows, no roof, and only minimal composite bodywork covering its extruded aluminium chassis. With a powerful version of the Elise's 1.8-litre K series engine, the 340R concept was aimed at hardcore drivers who wanted a small, responsive, fun machine with supercar performance (0-60mph in 4.3 sec, 0-100mph in 10.9 sec) for weekend blasts in the countryside or track day outings.

The press and public response to the concept was overwhelmingly positive - a niche truly existed for this purist driver's car. The 340R was approved by Lotus management to become a showroom model. A few short months later, the concept is now a reality.

Modifying a concept car to pass the rigours of the European type approval process (a necessity for all series production cars) often results in a dilution of the original concept. Not so with the 340R. The production version remains true to the concept car — it offers raw, untainted fun and exhilaration, not to mention that 177bhp engine. It's a pure driver's car, plain and simple.

Some changes have been made to comply with the type approval regulations, and as a consequence of development work on the 340R.

Rather than dilute the essence of the car, these changes have made it look even wilder.

These changes include:

• A larger front grille aperture for improved cooling - it incorporates a pair of driving lamps.
• The lower front bib spoiler has been broadened to form an aerodynamic wing; via vertical struts at its outer extremities; it is linked to a pair of F1-style 'winglets' which protrude either side of the nose-section above it. A taller, more aerodynamically-shaped rear wing is fitted for highspeed stability and downforce.
• The radiator ducts on the upper surface of the nose are deeper, for superior cooling.
• Front and rear mudguards are longer for improved spray suppression and protection from stone chips.  These are made from bare Carbon fibre on some early production cars, not painted fibreglass as previously, though by car 66 they are back to black painted ones.
• The flanks are reprofiled and the side air-ducts altered for improved engine bay cooling.
• The exhaust system is re-routed and redesigned.
• The engine is now encased with a removable sound-insulated rear shield panel, to comply with noise regulations.
• Lotus NVH noise suppression butterfly, manufactured by Titan.
• Revised rear lamp clusters, together with high-level brake lamp incorporated into the rear bodywork and rear fog lamp set into engine's grille shield.
• Special Lotus-designed race-style seats.
• Restyled facia and instruments.
• Unique magnesium wheels with Fl style centre lock system.  Still magnesium, but no longer centre lock, they are normal 4-bolt wheel hubs.

It's no coincidence that the Lotus Elise 340R looks so much like a race car dressed up for the road; that was always the intention of Russell Carr, Head of Design at Lotus, and his team. Many Elise owners use their cars for track days and the Lotus Elise 340R is designed to be the ultimate track-day machine.

The Lotus Elise 340R uses adjustable platform suspension so that corner weights can be tuned to the individual driver's requirements.

With track work very much in mind, the 340R is provided with some very serious brakes. At the front and rear, cross- drilled and vented discs are 282 mm in diameter, and are gripped by AP Racing opposed piston callipers.

Again, as befits its racing aspirations, the 340R is fitted with super-sticky road/race rubber compound Yokohama A038R Tyres, with a highly distinctive tread pattern.

For track use it's possible to remove the engine's sound-insulated casing and (depending on the track's noise regulations) take off the exhaust's catalytic converter. In standard road tune the 340R's 1.8-litre K series produces 177bhp, but with the catalyst and other engine restrictors removed, that output rockets to 190bhp.  You need the engine re-chipped and a new cam timing wheel for the full 190.

Race-spec quick-release steering wheel and five point harness adapter kit are available as part of a 'track pack' for the 340R, as is a Stack race rev-counter with shift lamps and lap timing facilities.

Production of the £35,000 (on the road) 340R begins at Lotus Cars' Hethel factory in November, and first customer deliveries will take place in December.

Engine:

4 cylinder in-line, 1.8L mid-mounted water-cooled engine with Lotus developed engine management system.  Double overhead cmshafts with mechanical tappets.  Electronic multi-point injection.

Performance (estimated):

Maximum Power: 170bhp @ 7800 RPM
Torque: 171Nm @ 5000 RPM
Maximum speed: 130 mph
0-60 mph: 4.3s
0-100 km/h: 4.4s
0-100 mph: 10.9s
0-160 km/h: 10.7s

Transmission: 5 speed transaxle driving rear wheels, close ratio gearbox

Gear Ratios:
First 2.923
Second 1.750
Third 1.307
Fourth 1.033
Fifth 0.848
Reverse 3.000
Final drive 4.200

Body: Composite body panels with detachable clamshell with 2 radiator entry panels for battery and brake fluid and removable engine cover.  Boot and bonnet covers are fixed with allen bolts (9 on the boot, about 5 each on the bonnet panels).  

Chassis: Lotus-designed spaceframe structure of epoxy-bonded sections of aluminium extrusions incorporating Safety Devices speedster bar.

Suspension: Independent upper and lower wishbones, co-axial Eibach springs and adjustable platform KONI racing dampers.

Steering: Titan motorsport rack & pinion, non power assisted.

Wheels: Tecnomagnesio magnesium 10-spoke design specially developed for Lotus with Lotus centre lock system.  Normal 4-bolt system as mentioned earlier.  Front: 6 x 15J, rear: 8 x 16J.

Tyres: Unique YOKOHAMA tyres, tested and developed with Lotus.  A038 Front:195/50 ZR 15, rear: 225/45 ZR16.

Brakes: 282mm diameter cast iron ventilated cross-drilled discs.  Non-servo split hydraulic system.  AP Racing opposed piston calipers.

Exhaust: Lotus styled, JanSpeed developed exhaust with ceramic coated tubular manifold, rear silencer with needlemat/carbon cover.

Windscreen: Quick demist heated front screen.

Lighting: High performance lamps, pre-focus Wipac dip modular assemblies - main beams in lower spoiler.  The lower light in the cluster is a dummy, top one is indicators, main lighting is shared between the middle bulbs in the cluster and the driving lights in the grille.

Instrumentation: Motorsport technology Stack digital instrumentation including speedo with LCD message display and tacho with sport shift lamp (tacho is interchangeable with optional race tacho).

Unladen weight: Road <600kg, Race 568kg.

Dimensions: Wheelbase: 2300mm, front track: 1448mm, rear track: 1470mm.

Fuel: Fuel tank capacity 40l/8.8gal, fuel grade 95 RON minimum.

Standard equipment: 4-point competition harness, competition style seats (seats are carbon fibre effect leather and blue alcantara), immobiliser, Stack race dial instrumentation, battery trickle charge socket.

Track pack: CAT replacement, 190 bhp exchange ECM, titanium exhaust exit pipes, inlet camshaft pulley, 5-point harness kit, Pagid brake pads, racing brake hoses, racing brake fluid, Stack race tacho incorporating timer and multiple stage shift lamps, race battery.

Accessories: RAC race petty bar, fire extinguisher, oil cooler kit, close ratio straight cut gear set, racing damper kit, battery trickle charger, lightweight race battery, 5-point harness kit, Stack race data tacho, removable quick release steering wheel, Lotus centre-lock system socket, Lotus centre-lock torque wrench.  Tonneau cover available in May 2000, many other accessories available including heated clothes that plug into 2 cigarette lighter sockets between the seats!  Carbon fibre air intake housing is now standard, wingmirrors are Aprilia made, reversing light standard as is rear fog and high(ish) level brake light.