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Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260 Limited To 30 Units

As Lotus works toward bringing a sport utility vehicle to market, the automaker founded by Colin Chapman hasn’t forgotten what Lotus stands for. And the first vehicle launched under Geely’s patronage is, as expected, a thoroughbred Lotus that would’ve brought a smile to old man Chapman’s face.
Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260 8 photos
Photo: Lotus
Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260Championship Gold-painted 2018 Lotus Elise Cup 260
Elise Cup 260 is the name, and to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lotus, the racecar-infused sports car is painted in Championship Gold. With the Elise Cup 260, Lotus is proud to announce that Championship Gold will be made available from November ‘17 across the lineup through the Exclusive program.

Not only does it look the part, but the Cup 260 is the most extreme Elise yet. It’s no wonder Lotus limited production to 30 examples for the entire world, each retailing at £59,500. That’s Porsche 718 Cayman GTS money, and for what it’s worth, the options are equally peppered. Do you want the lightweight titanium exhaust system? Of course you do, so pony up £4,000! Carbon fiber hardtop and a two-speaker stereo with Bluetooth connectivity? Add £3,000 and £400, thank you!

Beyond the mind-boggling price and the alluring visuals, the Elise Cup 260 is as hardcore as a sports car gets thanks to advanced aerodynamics and a dry weight of 862 kilograms (1,900 pounds). The aero trickery ensures the gold-painted Elise generates 180 kilograms (397 pounds) of downforce at 151 mph (243 km/h), which is more than enough velocity even for Autobahn blasting.

Oddly enough, the Elise Cup 260 develops a little bit more suck-squeeze-bang-blow than the Elise Cup 250 (250 bhp; 188 lb-ft), but it has the edge regarding power-to-weight ratio (290 bhp/tonne) thanks to a 15-kilogram (33-pound) drop in weight. A more palpable figure is that for acceleration, with zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) coming in 3.8 seconds with the help of a six-speed manual box.

“Our special editions have always proved extremely popular with our customers around the world, and we know they value the extensive development work that goes into each one. With just 30 examples to be built, there’s no doubt that the Elise Cup 260 is a future classic,” said Jean-Marc Gales, the head honcho at Lotus Cars.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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