The Lotus Elise Club Racer
Lotus reveals the Lotus Elise Club Racer, a stripped-down track-day Elise with Sport settings and no home comforts.
Lotus may have plans to be the next Aston Martin, but for now it’s stuck with an Evora that’s not selling as well as it should and an Elise that is basically the same as the car that launched a decade ago.
The plan with the Evora – apart from the rather odd move of getting Mansory to tart up an Evora – is to get the Germans in to give the Evora’s interior some class.
As for the Lotus Elise, all there really is to do – because it has a hard-core clientele anyway – is to divvy up the odd special. Especially if that special is aimed at track days – an Elise speciality.
So we see the the launch of the more hardcore Lotus Elise Club Racer, a tweaked, entry-level 1.6 litre Elise from which Lotus has managed to slice a not inconsiderable 53lbs.
Which when you consider the Elise weighs less than a mountain bike before they started, is no mean feat.
As well as shedding weight from goodness knows where (actually, the savings come mainly from a lightweight battery and dumping the soft-top roof. And removing anything you might consider a home comfort), the Elise Club Racer gets a Sport setting for the DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) which Lotus says will make even a numpty look good behind the wheel.
Under the bonnet things stay the same, with the latest, less-powerful-than-before, 1.6 litre delivering 134bhp and a 0-60mph of about 6 seconds.
But that 0-60mph should be a smidge better with the weight trimming as long as you don’t have a big lunch before you hit the track. You can opt for the Club Racer Power Pack which gives you 5bhp more. Hardly seems worth the effort.
The Elise Club Racer gets a posh set of lightweight alloys and a choice of paint jobs – Saffron Yellow, Aspen White, Ardent Red, Sky Blue, Matt Black and Carbon Grey – and we’re assuming Lotus just gives you one coat to save 5og or so.
On sale at £27,500 – a saving of £600 on the stock Elise. Which considering you’re getting a shell with seats and not a lot else, is not the greatest bargain.
Even though it will be a hoot.
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