There is a new Lotus Elise in town and it is called the Sprint. The sports car features a host of weight-saving items as standard, as well as distinctive new styling and new interior options.
The Sprint’s standard lightweight components include a lithium-Ion battery which saves 9 kg, carbon race seats, 6 kg, new lightweight forged alloy wheels, 5 kg, while the carbon access panel, roll hoop cover and engine cover, and polycarbonate rear screen save 6 kg.
Together with the optional two-piece brake discs, which save 6 kg, carbon sill covers, 800 g and other optional components, the Elise Sprint tips the scale at just 798 kg (dry), 41 kg lighter than the previous Elise Sport.
Exterior fresh touches include a matte black transom panel, black wheels which come with custom contrasting metal spun rims, side stripes on the bodywork as well as side and rear badging. The interior gets Sprint badge stitching, along with optional Alcantara trim panels on the doors, sills, seats and vents surrounds, all with contrasting stitching.
Injecting some visual drama into the cabin is Lotus’ beautifully detailed open-gate manual gearbox that also provides a much more positive and direct operation – giving more precise and quicker shifting.
Sitting between the Elise Sport and Elise Cup 250, the Sprint available in both the 1.6-litre naturally aspirated and 1.8-litre supercharged versions. The former delivers 134 hp and 160 Nm, enabling the car to sprint from 0 – 96 km/h in 5.9 seconds, while the latter, with 217 hp and 250 Nm, reaches the same speed in 4.1 seconds.
The new Elise Sprint also carries over the same suspension setup as before, with fully independent double wishbone suspension and a front anti-roll bar, coupled with Bilstein high-performance gas dampers and Eibach coaxial coil springs front and rear.
Additionally, the 1.8-litre version is equipped with a new exhaust, making it “the best-sounding 4-cylinder car on the market”, the automaker claims. The new Elise Sprint can be ordered today with deliveries starting from April.
