Photo: CarPix
Remember Lotus? Not much is happening at the specialty manufacturer's factory in this day and age, but Colin Chapman's spirit is still alive and kicking in the Elise, Exige and Evora - lightweight sports cars designed to be as enjoyable as possible for the driver on a circuit or a winding B-road in the country.
When Lotus unveiled the track-only Elise S Cup R in January at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, we couldn't help ourselves but ponder if a road-going version of this thing will ever see mass production. But with this fresh batch of spy shots from our team of carparazzi, the wish seems like it will come true in a few months' time.
The prototype caught on film testing round the Nurburgring is similar in appearance to the Elise S Cup R, but there are two important details one shouldn't ignore. On one hand you have proper headlights, but the biggest tell-tale sign this red and black Lotus will be the aforementioned's road legal brother is the lack of external switches.
An external battery isolator switch and a button for the fire extinguisher are incorporated in the B-pillar of the Elise S Cup R, but this prototype Lotus doesn't have them. Expected to make its world debut in October at the Paris Auto Show, the Lotus Elise R will come with a mid-mounted 1.8-liter engine tuned to produce similar figures to the unit that propels its track-only brother.
Here's hope we'll get a 1-ton car fitted with a six-speed manual transmission that sends 217 ponies and 181 lb-ft (245 Nm) of torque to the rear wheels. Too bad it'll cost North of what the manufacturer charges you for an Elise CR. So it's rational to expect a starting price of at least £40,000 (€49,920 or $66,530 at current exchange rates). Too much, too little, one thing is certain: it'll be a blast to drive.
The prototype caught on film testing round the Nurburgring is similar in appearance to the Elise S Cup R, but there are two important details one shouldn't ignore. On one hand you have proper headlights, but the biggest tell-tale sign this red and black Lotus will be the aforementioned's road legal brother is the lack of external switches.
An external battery isolator switch and a button for the fire extinguisher are incorporated in the B-pillar of the Elise S Cup R, but this prototype Lotus doesn't have them. Expected to make its world debut in October at the Paris Auto Show, the Lotus Elise R will come with a mid-mounted 1.8-liter engine tuned to produce similar figures to the unit that propels its track-only brother.
Here's hope we'll get a 1-ton car fitted with a six-speed manual transmission that sends 217 ponies and 181 lb-ft (245 Nm) of torque to the rear wheels. Too bad it'll cost North of what the manufacturer charges you for an Elise CR. So it's rational to expect a starting price of at least £40,000 (€49,920 or $66,530 at current exchange rates). Too much, too little, one thing is certain: it'll be a blast to drive.
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