2011 Lotus Elise Facelift Revealed

[vh_supra26]

Lotus has introduced two new editions of its Elise sports car for the 2016 model year .

The new Elise Sport that replaces the current 1.6 Elise lost 10kg (22lbs), bringing total weight down to 866kg (1,909lbs), while the new Elise Sport 220 that takes over from the Elise S, weighs 914kg (2,015lbs).

Engines remain the same as before, with the Sport getting a 1.6L engine producing 134hp and 159 Nm (118lb-ft), and the Sport 220 a 1.8-liter producing 217hp and 250Nm (184 lb-ft). The 0-62mph (100km/h) takes 6.5s in the Elise Sport and 4.6s in the Sport 220.

The two roadsters are offered in ten different exterior colors, including Signature Grey, Metallic Black, Metallic Orange, Metallic Grey, Metallic Silver, Metallic White, Metallic Blue, Metallic Green, Solid Yellow and Solid Red. Lightweight silver or black cast wheels, 16-inch front and 17-inch rear, wheels are offered as standard, along with a black rear diffuser.

Their cabins feature lightweight sports seats, available in Alcantara, leather or classic tartan (first introduced in 1976 on the Esprit S1). Prices for the Elise Sport, in the UK, start from ?29,000 (equal to ?39,900 /$42,786) and for the Elise Sport 220 at ?36,500 (equal to ?48,700/ $52,221). The two will go on sale in Europe in December and worldwide from January, 2016.

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/11/lot...ange-with.html

[vh_supra26]

As if the Elise wasn’t a lightweight track-munching driver’s car to begin with, the British automaker has introduced a new performance Cup variant – the fastest road-going Elise ever made.

The new moniker brings a comprehensive array of modifications, shaving 21 kilograms (46 lbs) in the process and gaining 26 horses. Now, the Elise tips the scale at a measly 931 kilograms (2,052 lbs), being capable of getting from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 3.9 seconds – but that’s to be expected from car manufactured by a company known for its “aggressive” weight saving techniques.

Adding lightness and speed to an already swift and frisky automobile is a tricky task, but staying true to Colin Chapman’s “Simplify, then add lightness” recipe, Lotus delivered a real treat from its “Lightweight Laboratory”. Featuring a Lithium-ion battery, carbon fiber seats, and ultra-lightweight, forged alloy wheels, the car slashes 17.5 kilograms.

But the story doesn’t end here, as the company also offers a Carbon Aero Pack, which reduces the vehicle’s mass to just 912 Kilos. Moreover, the little Elise Cup 250 is available for the first time as a roadster as standard with a hard top available as an option.

All these performance enhancements make the car lap Lotus’ test track in 1 minute 34 seconds, four seconds off the previous Elise Cup 220’s time, making it the fastest recorded production Elise.

Power comes from a new higher-output version of the supercharged 1.8-litre 4-cylinder engine, boasting 243 hp at 7200 rpm and 250 Nm of torque between 3500 and 5500 rpm. The aerodynamically optimized body kit comes into play as well, providing 66 Kilograms of downforce at 160 km/h (100 mph) and 155 Kilograms at 248 km/h (154 mph) – which is the vehicle’s top speed.

But in spite of all the weight saving, the Elise Cup 250 doesn’t lack in creature comforts, sporting a full Alcantara interior in red or black, with an optional Leather Pack available. A total of ten paint choices are available for the car, providing customers a wide variety of options to tailor their Elise.

[synchromesh]

The fact that a BRZ is close to $30,000 or 25,000GBP ; why can't the Elise Sport 220 be had for around the low 40's here in America?


This was off my radar, but it would be a good Commonwealth move if it was offered or available new locally and legally at a good price.


I would seriously consider holding off on my next car purchase for this thing.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by synchromesh

The fact that a BRZ is close to $30,000 or 25,000GBP ; why can't the Elise Sport 220 be had for around the low 40's here in America?


This was off my radar, but it would be a good Commonwealth move if it was offered or available new locally and legally at a good price.


I would seriously consider holding off on my next car purchase for this thing.

The price of exporting cars is sort of tricky for manufacturers and it really isn't possible to do a straight across the board comparison. Toyota is able to use shear volume and breaks that they get from the US government for making cars in the US to keep those costs down. Lotus does not have either of these advantages and that keeps their costs higher which of course is reflected in their price This is an age old problem for the smaller manufacturers when they try to import low numbers of cars..

[chaoskaze]

Originally Posted by synchromesh

The fact that a BRZ is close to $30,000 or 25,000GBP ; why can't the Elise Sport 220 be had for around the low 40's here in America?


This was off my radar, but it would be a good Commonwealth move if it was offered or available new locally and legally at a good price.


I would seriously consider holding off on my next car purchase for this thing.

It's lotus, British ponds. There is a reason why Japanese is the like 4th largest economy body of the world or something.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[synchromesh]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The price of exporting cars is sort of tricky for manufacturers and it really isn't possible to do a straight across the board comparison. Toyota is able to use shear volume and breaks that they get from the US government for making cars in the US to keep those costs down. Lotus does not have either of these advantages and that keeps their costs higher which of course is reflected in their price This is an age old problem for the smaller manufacturers when they try to import low numbers of cars..

I understand the basics in that sense but I would honestly prefer more affordable British-made/produced or designed products because they have been great for the most part.


I am a believer an economy should try to find a somewhat balanced figure on exports and imports. It can get out of hand if it gets too lopsided, respectively. Here in Canada, I can name a few products where exporters get a break so at least it sells and both parties are happy.


I know the EU Trade Minister? paid Canada a visit a couple years ago and one item was to make some of these cars more readily available. In this case, probably looking exclusively, a meeting with a British Trade Minister.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by synchromesh

I understand the basics in that sense but I would honestly prefer more affordable British-made/produced or designed products because they have been great for the most part.


I am a believer an economy should try to find a somewhat balanced figure on exports and imports. It can get out of hand if it gets too lopsided, respectively. Here in Canada, I can name a few products where exporters get a break so at least it sells and both parties are happy.


I know the EU Trade Minister? paid Canada a visit a couple years ago and one item was to make some of these cars more readily available. In this case, probably looking exclusively, a meeting with a British Trade Minister.

YA but they have been trying to do that with cars like the MG since the early 70s. The numbers just are not there to support the business case for the smaller numbers. We Canadians simply do not buy enough niche cars to make it worth their while. If the US brings in enough then ya we benefit but on our own they will not touch us. It sucks.

[vh_supra26]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHdTpGWBHNE[/ame]

The Lotus Elise is probably one of the most common images people conjure up when they think ‘light, mid-engined sports car'.

It’s now fairly common around the world, where people drive them on the street, at trackdays and even enter actual racing disciplines with modified examples.

And who’d blame the fans? The Elise was a cutting edge car back in the mid-1990s when it came about, with its super light body and bonded aluminum chassis – it epitomized the Lotus philosophy of 'adding lightness', which is why I think it was so much more popular than older models, an actual modern British motoring icon...

If you want to have one as a fairly cheap canyon carver, then you don’t really need to do anything to it. If you mess with the suspension, tires and brakes, you’ll make the car’s excellently balanced chassis shine – apparently, they can understeer if the correct driving technique isn’t applied, and better tires and shocks do help in that respect.

Matt Farah had one on TST, which he drove on the Angeles Crest highway, in California.

[gymratter]

https://media.lotuscars.com/en/news-...tion-cars.html

[ichitaka05]

Went with Porsche face w Viper headlights?

[spike021]

Man, people can complain about modern Lotus' all they want but IMO they look nice enough and seem like fun cars.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

If I had the money, I'd get an Evora GT.

[Irace86.2.0]

Only thing we have here in the States is the bloated Evora. I wish we had the Exige. The Exige 430 Cup is the car to have. A 911 is the better value and better daily, but the Exige would be the better driver's car.

I'm looking forward to the next lineup:

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144000

[serialk11r]

I like how the Evora looks and I'm sure it drives great, but it's still quite a flawed car. It's heavier than a Porsche Cayman and the aero is not as good as a Porsche.

Really really praying the "Type 131" has gotten enough R&D money to make it a proper car with no half-assing.