Lotus

An Elise leaves the factory at 130 to 135 mm with an approach angle around 8 to 10 degrees at the splitter; a standard two-piece transporter ramp runs closer to 13 or 14 degrees, so these need extended low-angle ramps or the deck taken fully to the ground, and the ramp crest levelled — the flat floor grounds at the middle of the wheelbase before the nose does. Weight is the second problem. An S1 Elise is about 725 kg and an Exige under 1,100 kg, so ratchet tension set for a two-tonne saloon compresses the suspension through most of its travel and can unload the opposite corner; straps go over the tires at four points at reduced tension, letting the car's own weight do the work. The bonded and riveted aluminum tub weighs about 68 kg and is not straightened when damaged — specialists replace it — so a hook on a chassis extrusion is not a recoverable error. The GRP clamshells front and rear are single mouldings that flex, so the car is never pushed by the nose. The wide structural sill is covered before anyone climbs over it. Eletre and Evija weigh more than twice an Elise, so deck loading is checked per car, not per marque.