The new Lotus Elise Cup 260 is the fastest Elise EVER – but it costs a WHOPPING £60k

The new Lotus Elise Cup 260 is a limited run fettled take on the Elise Cup 250 with a bit less weight and a bit more power. Costs from £59,500.

Lotus is starting to find its commercial feet, and ahead of a likely transformation in their future under Volvo owner Geely’s patronage, they’re delivering short-run ‘Specials’ with properly big price tags. Like this Lotus Elise Cup 260.

The Lotus Elise Cup 260 is a refinement of the already pretty hardcore Elise Cup 250, with a bit less weight and a bit more power, improved aerodynamics and more groundforce. And a price tag that starts at £59,500.

That’s a big price tag for a Lotus Elise – almost exactly the same as the new range-topping Porsche 718 Cayman GTS – and more than £10k on top of the Elise Cup 250.

The Cup 260 gets 250bhp from its 1.8 litre supercharged four-pot – 10bhp up on the Cup 250 – enough to hit 62mph in 4.2 seconds, with new aerodynamic fettling – like the big back wing and louvres on the front wheel arches – creating an additional 44 per cent downforce.

There’s also some bigger, very sticky, Yokohama rubber and a nitrogen spring and damper setup which looks to have been borrowed from the Exige Cup 380.

If you’re happy to help Lotus efforts to keep profitable until the Geely money kicks in by paying £60k (and a lot more if you tick the right boxes) for an Elise with shiny new bits, talk to Lotus soon as they’re building just 30 Elise Cup 260s.