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 Malaysian owned 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 in Britain. This is of course a lot of money (RM210,000 before local taxes) but despite the apparently enormous selling price, this is a seriously fast machine.
It weighs just 932 kilograms and produces 220PS and 250Nm of torque thanks to a 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. According to Lotus, that’s good enough for a 0 to 100km/h time of just 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 225km/h. The Elise S Cup is spartan in terms of comfort features, but it the go-faster bits in the car that will impress buyers.
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 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.Customers can also add FIA approved race seats, four-point safety harnesses or even satin black Motorsport Elise Cup R alloy wheels. The options list means that the Elise S Cup can be transformed into a full track racer or be kept as more of a road car depending on the buyer’s preference.
