Photo: Lotus
Our team of spy photographers spotted a curious-looking Elise S Cup R lapping the grueling Nurburgring last month, but Lotus didn't waste much time with this mysterious new model and announced what we already suspected: this is the road-going Elise S Cup, the most hardcore Elise ever made.
Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales says that "the Lotus Elise S Cup is all about the pure driving experience with the Lotus attributes of high performance, light weight and excellent ride and handling. It is perfect for the driver who desires a quick, authentic, desirable and competitive sports car.”
Even though it just finished testing, the British specialty marque announced that the Elise S Cup is now available to order, being priced at " around €47,500" without taxes, on the road costs and destination. That's a lot of money ($61,520 or £37,680 at current rates), but despite the apparently enormous sticker price, this is a seriously fast machine.
It weighs just 932 kilograms (2,054 lbs), but it's got 220 PS and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque thanks to a 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder mill mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. According to Lotus, that's good enough for a 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of just 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h). The Elise S Cup is spartan in terms of comfort features, but the go-faster bits will leave you impressed.
Designed for driving enthusiasts looking for a road car that can be taken on track days with ease, all those aerodynamic bits and bobs lifted from the R give 66 kg downforce at 100 mph (160 km/h), while the top speed downforce of 125 kg " generates enough downforce in the corners of the Lotus test track to beat the Elise S by 3 seconds." A competition-spec roll hoop comes as standard. Wiring harness modifications mean that a fire extinguisher system and electrical kill switch can be fitted for extra safety if you plan to race the thing.
Even though it just finished testing, the British specialty marque announced that the Elise S Cup is now available to order, being priced at " around €47,500" without taxes, on the road costs and destination. That's a lot of money ($61,520 or £37,680 at current rates), but despite the apparently enormous sticker price, this is a seriously fast machine.
It weighs just 932 kilograms (2,054 lbs), but it's got 220 PS and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque thanks to a 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder mill mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. According to Lotus, that's good enough for a 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of just 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h). The Elise S Cup is spartan in terms of comfort features, but the go-faster bits will leave you impressed.
Designed for driving enthusiasts looking for a road car that can be taken on track days with ease, all those aerodynamic bits and bobs lifted from the R give 66 kg downforce at 100 mph (160 km/h), while the top speed downforce of 125 kg " generates enough downforce in the corners of the Lotus test track to beat the Elise S by 3 seconds." A competition-spec roll hoop comes as standard. Wiring harness modifications mean that a fire extinguisher system and electrical kill switch can be fitted for extra safety if you plan to race the thing.
Google News