Lotus Elise S Cup : Street-legal track-focused sports car confirmed

Spied lapping the Nurburgring last month, the new street-legal performance model borrows heavily from the brand’s Elise S Cup R racer, giving the S Cup an unmistakeable appearance and, according to Lotus, “significantly enhanced dynamic performance” over the Elise S.

The S Cup’s R-inspired aero package comprises a unique front splitter and winglets, bargeboards, rear diffuser, rear wing and a fixed roof.

Lotus says the enhancements create 66kg of downforce at 160km/h and 125kg at top speed, helping the S Cup around Lotus’s test track three seconds faster than the Elise S.

The Elise S Cup comes standard with a competition-specification roll hoop and can be optioned with a fire extinguisher system and electrical kill switch for owners with serious track intentions.

The road-going version shares its powertrain with the Cup R racer, which borrows its 162kW/250Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and six-speed manual transmission from the Elise S.

The S Cup will sit at the top of the Lotus Elise line-up above the Elise, Elise S and Club Racer variants.

CarAdvice has contacted Lotus Australia about its plans for the Elise S Cup for our market. We will update the story when news comes to hand.

The local division recently revised its flagship Evora line-up, dropping the entry-level naturally aspirated version to leave only the supercharged Evora S, which costs $152,990 in 2+2 trim and $161,900 in IPS spec.