The Lotus Elise may no longer be sold in the U.S. but you can still purchase versions of the car designed for track use. One example is the 2014 Lotus Elise S Cup R race car, which is based on the supercharged Elise S and is designed for the Lotus Cup racing series, competitions for which are run here in the U.S. as well as in the U.K., Italy, Japan, Thailand and China.
At the heart of the Elise S Cup R is a supercharged 1.8-liter engine, mounted in a mid-engine position and delivering 217 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque--the same as the road-going Elise S. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission and drives the rear wheels only.
Performance is enhanced over the road-going Elise S thanks to a motorsport-specific ECU and a wind tunnel-tested aerodynamic package that consists of a front splitter, winglets, rear diffuser, floor extensions and rear wing. Despite these additions, overall weight remains at 2,037 pounds.
Initial testing has shown that the ECU upgrade, aero kit and a set of adjustable damper and springs help reduce lap times by 4.0 seconds on a 3-mile lap over the road-going Elise S.
Pricing for the 2014 Lotus Elise S Cup R starts at 39,125 British pounds ($62,831) before taxes, but there are plenty of upgrades available to inflate the sticker. These include a roll cage, forged alloy wheels, a six-point harness, a roof piece, brake packages, adjustable dampers and a functional body kit. Lotus is even offering an air conditioner.
Other popular Lotus race car packages include the 2-Eleven, Exige V6 Cup and Exige V6 Cup R.
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