2012 Lotus Elise Club Racer Presented

British manufacturer of sports and racing cars Lotus has managed to make one of the lightest models on the market even lighter. Introducing the new 1.6 Lotus Elise Club Racer, the engineers at Lotus have managed to get rid of a further 24kg (53 lbs) from the 876 kg (1,931 lbs) of the standard production model.

The reduction in weight has been achieved thanks to a stripped-to-the-bare-bone approach, such as lighter seats, the motorsport derived lightweight battery and the deletion of noise insulation.

This is also the first Elise variant to feature a Sport setting for the DPM (Dynamic Performance Management), which can be switched off completely if desired. In addition, the car benefits from a finely tuned sport suspension and an adjustable anti-roll bar, as well as Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers.

Priced at £27,500 / €34,450 / $46,750, the Elise Club Racer marks the new entry level sports car from Lotus. Customers can choose from a range of six exterior colors (Sky Blue, Saffron Yellow, Ardent Red, Aspen White, Matt Black and Carbon Grey), plus various bespoke design elements.

“The traditional Lotus approach of reduction and purity has lead to one of the most zeitgeist and contemporary sports cars around. For over 15 years the Lotus Elise has become an icon in the sports car market, carving out a niche market with a dedicated following of lightweight fans. The new Club Racer will definitely give these people something extra to get their teeth stuck into. This car epitomises everything that’s cool about the Elise – it’s fast, raw, responsive and a huge amount of fun to drive,” stated Wolf Zimmermann, Chief Technical Officer Lotus Cars.