Lotus Elise gains even more performance through even lower weight

The previous Lotus Elise was by no means out of shape, however,  it seems to have gone through a bit of a mid-life crisis. It’s had a face-lift,  gone on a substantial diet and come back dressed in all sorts of exotic  attire . The new and improved version, dubbed the Elise Sprint, features subtle bodywork changes, comes with matte black wheels and a set of stripes. You know, to make it feel young and sporty again. The loss of 41kg means it will weigh in at just 798kg. That’s light. So light, in fact, that it has a better power to weight ratio than a BMW M3, despite only producing 161 kW in its most formidable spec.

Producing that 161 kW is a supercharged 1.8L, four cylinder engine. It’s good for 250 Nm of torque  and will see you to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds. Unfortunately there’s only so much light weight alone can achieve and top speed is not one of those things. Maxed out you’ll be doing 233km/h…

6kg of weight savings come thanks to carbon fibre body panels and a poly-carbonate rear window. A further 9kg is saved by use of a lithium-ion battery, 6kg is saved on carbon fibre seats while forged alloys take off a further 5kg. Choosing the lightweight options will help you shave another 5kg, and the changes across the range take care of the final 10kg of weight  saving.

Inside you’ll find body colour insert panels, optional Alcantara and the open gated style shifter found on the Exige. The Sprint also gets a new instrument display and improved sound system. Speaking of sound systems, a new exhaust has Lotus claiming this is the best sounding four cylinder on the market. Improved aerodynamics mean less drag and increased stability, while the reduction in weight has allowed for a slight increase in spring rate which will yield a more comfortable ride.

Lotus Elise Sprint is currently available to order, with an approximate starting price of R 580 000 for the 1.6L and R680 000 for the 1.8L supercharged Sprint 220.