Lotus Elise S Cup is Ready to Reach Dealers

Lotus just announced that it has completed testing of the a street-legal but track-focused Elise S Cup.

Inspired by the Elise S Cup R race car, Lotus developed its new hardcore performance variant to offer most of the competitive spirit its track fighter has to people who want a car that can transition seamlessly between driving on a public road and a race track. It carries aerodynamic body enhancements that are directly inspired by its race car sibling including a large rear spoiler, diffuser and front splitter that create roughly 145 lbs of downforce at 100 MPH or 275 lbs at its 140 mph top speed. Lotus says those modifications helped the car achieve a lap time at its test track three seconds faster than the Elise S.

In the U.K., the company will charge €47,500 before taxes, which is roughly equal to $61,500. That price doesn’t include a long list of standalone options the company is offering including air conditioning, different wheels, FIA-approved race seats, a harness bar and four-point safety harness, a performance induction kit and revised exhaust and even an electrical kill switch. Lotus intends for customers to be able to put the car through a phased conversion from being a road car to a race car if they so choose after buying it.

But for that price, it comes with a fixed roof and a competition spec roll hoop, an adjustable front sway bar and an extended wiring harness to accommodate the racing retrofit among other items.

The 1.8-liter dual overhead cam supercharged four-cylinder makes 217 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, which is good enough to push the car from 0-60 MPH in 4.2 seconds. Of course, power is transferred from the engine to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

With testing complete, Lotus is preparing to start sending copies of the car to its dealer network although a specific arrival date wasn’t announced.

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