WANT THE PERFECT SAFARI-STYLE CAR? ASK AN AUTOMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPHER. THE GET LOST LOTUS ELISE S1 IS BRILLIANT!
Creating off-road versions of regular street cars isn’t a new thing. Since the time there was a distinct difference between street and dirt, people have been bolting, swapping and bending components to build wild machines that can go places they were never meant to. Sometimes it’s a full body-over-frame swap - easier when you’re slapping a shell onto a rugged ladder chassis - but other times it’s a full-blown fusion of the best bits from two worlds. My earliest memory of this madness comes from Kempton Park, way back in a year I refuse to name. A guy nearby dropped a Nissan 1400 Champ body onto a Suzuki SJ undercarriage. Another dude used to fit Beetle bodies on short-wheelbase Land Rover frames. These days, Porsche’s lifted 911 Dakar and Lambo’s Huracán Sterrato have reignited mainstream love for this genre. And now? Get Lost Automotive has gone and built a Safari-style Lotus Elise S1 - and it’s just fukken brilliant. Born from the mind of legendary automotive photographer GFWilliams, Get Lost Automotive is what happens when a lifetime around exotic cars, engineering obsessions, and a deep-rooted love for lightweight lunacy collide. What started with a kid, a camera, and a Caterham is now a full-blown team of designers, engineers, and like-minded maniacs building cars for one purpose: fun. Not lap times. Not flexing at a café. Just real, laugh-out-loud, grin-till-your-cheeks-hurt fun.
Enter Project Safari: a complete rethink of the iconic Elise S1. Not just a lift kit and knobbly tyres - this is a full design-led reinvention. The Elise is already a cult classic, known for its lightness, purity, and curvy lines. But Get Lost decided to break that flow deliberately, adding sharp, functional angles like their custom rectangular Bi-LED projector headlights. They’re modern, aggressive, and guaranteed to divide opinion - which is exactly the point. The new roof scoop echoes the front grille and feeds that induction roar directly into your skull. There’s nothing subtle here. Inside, it’s a masterclass in functional flair: bespoke seats trimmed in leather and tweed with actual support and comfort (who knew?). Taller and wider drivers can finally get comfy in an Elise. Out back, the floating wing wraps around a rear-mounted spare, giving it that proper off-road rally vibe. Twin exhausts punch out from either side of the plate, visually widening the stance and giving it an angry rear end worthy of the transformation. But looks are only part of the story. Get Lost took the Elise’s razor-sharp feedback and engineered a completely bespoke suspension system that ups the ride height by 100 mm, increases width, and retains the car’s signature feel - just with a whole lot more capability. Cerakote protection, reinforced underbody, square all-terrain tyre setup… this thing was built to be flogged through dirt and dust without flinching. And it’s not just suspension magic - there’s a new powertrain bringing performance and reliability into the equation, along with an LSD that delivers grip when you need it and slide when you want it. Oh, and a hydraulic handbrake, because why the hell not? Every part of Project Safari has been considered for real-world driving. Real seats, real lights, real clearance, and a whole lot of unreal attitude. It’s a car that doesn’t take itself too seriously - and it doesn’t want you to, either. It dares you to take the long way. To send it down a road you probably shouldn’t be on. It’s light, responsive, and just the right amount of unhinged. This car is stupid. And that’s exactly why you’re so intrigued.
Take a look at the YouTube video that tells you all about this awesome Safari Project from a very talented crew of people - the images are fantastic, which is expected condifering who's behind this lifted car project: Lotus Elise S1 restomod by Get Lost - A Lightweight Legend Reborn | Classic car | Li new car tech
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!