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Lotus Elise Club Racer Due For Frankfurt Debut

 
9 1,925 views Sep 3, 2009
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Lotus Elise Special Edition Club Racer

Lotus Elise Special Edition Club Racer

Lotus Elise Special Edition Club Racer

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Lightweight, focused and yet balanced and comfortable - the Lotus Elise is a modern day classic. Taking inspiration from the classics of the 1960s, the Special Edition Lotus Elise Clube Racer is an even more memorable version of an already fantastic car.

Borrowing from Lotus' own past with color schemes in Elite Yellow, Carbon Grey, Sky Blue and Old English White, the Club Racer also features a unique interior design melding form with function.

Standard Elise seats get microfiber 'comfort pads' to add support without adding much weight, while the anthracite anodized gear knob and handbrake sleeve add a racing touch. A Club Racer (CR) logo is embroidered on the headrest, while the aluminum flooring in the footwells also bears the CR mark.

A small-diameter steering wheel with leather edging and an on-center market helps with quick transitions on-track, and lightweight anthracite anodized six-spoke alloy wheels help deliver the driver's intentions to the road and the road's information to the driver.

Exterior body colors - whichever theme you choose - are carried over to the transmission tunnel and highlighted with silver and black paint, splitting the cockpit down the middle and tying the sporting Club Racer theme together.

Power comes from the same 134-horsepoer drivetrain found in the Lotus Elise S, on which the Club Racer is based. That may seem like miniscule motivation, but given the Elise's sub-2,000-pound weight, it's enough to reach 60 mph in just 5.7 seconds. It's also a combination that's good for 31 mpg (US) in the European combined cycle.

The Club Racer will make its debut in Frankfurt and go on sale the same day, September 15, 2009.

[Lotus]


HI-RES GALLERY: Lotus Elise Special Edition Club Racer




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Comments (9)

  1. By Cody Posted: 9/3/2009 11:16am PDT

    In the text it says 0-60 in 5.7s, is that a new spec or for this club racer, or a typo that is supposed to be 4.7?
     
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  2. Nelson avatar Nelson Ireson Posted: 9/3/2009 11:48am PDT

    If it's a typo, it's Lotus' typo. They say the car does 0-60 in 5.7s, 0-100km/h in 6.1. Note: this is the 134hp Elise S, not the Exige.
     
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  3. By  Alister Posted: 9/3/2009 6:34pm PDT

    I'd have to agree with Nelson here. Club racer's are mostly built for agility around a track and not quickest off of the line.
    Either way you can guarantee its fun to drive....
     
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  4. By  Cody Posted: 9/4/2009 12:49am PDT

    actually on the lotus website it claims a 4.9 second 0-60, and many places like edmunds.com show a 4.7 0-60.
     
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  5. By  Cody Posted: 9/4/2009 12:52am PDT

    and that 4.9 is actually for the regular lotus, the lotus website actually claims 4.1 for this car. Check it out:http://www.lotuscars.com/club_racer.html.
    I found that in like 45 seconds, whoever wrote this should check things out a little more, or check for typos :P. Regardless this is going to be a sick car.
     
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  6. By Cody Posted: 9/4/2009 12:54am PDT

    Perhaps there is a different club racer? Because again on the lotus website it states a different engine than this article does...I am confused.
     
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  7. Nelson avatar Nelson Ireson Posted: 9/4/2009 7:10am PDT

    If you notice, the one on the Lotus USA website is based on the Exige. This one isn't; hence the "new" part.
     
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  8. By Cody Posted: 9/4/2009 7:46am PDT

    ah, silly me, but still, the regular lotus is 4.9, I wonder why they added so much weight to increase the time that much, strange.
     
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  9. Nelson avatar Nelson Ireson Posted: 9/4/2009 12:15pm PDT

    Again, you're comparing the 189 hp American market car to the European 134 hp Elise S (on which this car is based) and it's aimed at balancing performance with economy, as noted in the original article.
     
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