There’s a thin line between Lotus’ track specials and road-going models and the British sports car manufacturer has just made it thinner by announcing the Elise S Cup.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because the new model is the road-going variant of the Elise S Cup R track-exclusive model unveiled early this year.
Lotus has announced that it has completed testing of the Elise S Cup, which also benefits from feedback gained during the Elise S Cup R’s first season of racing. The new Elise S Cup has been tested on the Lotus test track and at the Nürburgring.
Positioned as a more dynamic, track-oriented model than the Elise S, the Elise S Cup sports the same unique aerodynamics package as the R version. The combination of front splitter and winglets, barge boards, rear diffuser, rear wing and a fixed roof create 66 kg (145.5 lbs) of downforce at 100 mph (161 km/h) and an impressive 125 kg (275.6 lbs) of downforce at top speed. As a result, Lotus says the Elise S Cup generates enough downforce in the corners of the Lotus test track to beat the Elise S by 3 seconds a lap.
Just like the R model, the Elise S Cup is powered by a supercharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder Toyota engine producing 217hp (220PS) at 6,800 rpm and 250Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque at 4,600 rpm. Mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with sport ratios, the engine allows the Elise S Cup to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds and to reach a top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph). Since it weighs just 932 kg (2054.7 lbs), the Elise S Cup has an impressive power to weight ratio of 233 hp per tonne.
In the UK, the Elise S Cup is priced from around £43,500, including VAT but excluding on the roads costs. In the European Union, the model starts at around €47,500, excluding taxes, on the roads costs and delivery.
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