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Lotus Elise Cup 250 pricing: Featherweight sports car gets track tune

The Lotus Elise Cup 250 has been revealed this week, adding yet another special model to the British sports car company's line-up.


Sitting above the Elise Sport 220, the Cup 250 is pitched as the "fastest, most focused" four-cylinder Lotus sports car ever, and is very much a race car for the road.

Powering the Elise Cup 250 is the same 1.8-litre supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine, though power is bumped up to 181kW (up from 162kW), while torque remains unchanged at 250Nm.

Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

Thanks to the boost, the new model can go from 0-60mph (0-96km/h) in just 3.9 seconds - down from 4.1 - though 0-100km/h takes slightly longer at 4.3 seconds. Lotus claims a top speed of 154mph (248km/h) for its latest track weapon.

Weighing just 917kg (kerb), the Elise Cup 250 is only 13kg heavier than the Elise Sport 220, and boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 283hp (211kW) per tonne.

Headlining additions to the racier version include an array of aerodynamic enhancements - such as a new rear wing, front splitter, side skirts and a rear diffuser - which help to deliver 125kg of downforce when travelling at 140mph (225km/h).

The Elise Cup 250's featherweight mass has been achieved through the adoption of lightweight materials like carbon-fibre, titanium and aluminium.

Filling the arches are ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels, wrapped in Yokohama Advan A048 LTS tyres - measuring 225/45 ZR17 at the rear and 195/50 ZR16 at the front.

Inside, the Elise 250 Cup picks up carbon-fibre race seats trimmed with Alcantara, along with exposed carbon-fibre and Alcantara trim elements throughout the simplistic interior.

Buyers wanting a little more from their road-going race car can choose from a lengthy options list, which includes a leather trim pack, tartan trim pack, floor mats, coloured interior trims, contrasting exterior paints, air-conditioning, bluetooth, sound insulation, a carbon-fibre aero pack - the latter adding carbon versions of the front splitter, rear wing and side skirts - and a lightweight titanium exhaust system.

These options can cost anywhere between 100 and 4000 pounds ($173-$6935), on top of the standard car's UK list price of 47,400 pounds ($82,182).


Australia

Lotus Australia has confirmed with CarAdvice that the Elise Cup 250 is available to order in Australia, with two already sold in Sydney and another in stock in Brisbane.

Pricing for our market starts at $107,990 before on-road costs - though already includes GST and luxury car tax (LCT).

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