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NEWS
Lotus launches blown club racer
Supercharged Lotus track car arrives with less weight and a lower price tag than Elise SLotus Australia has released a track-focussed roadster that is 20kg lighter and $1740 cheaper than the supercharged Elise S on which it's based.
Priced at $83,250 plus on-road costs, the Elise S Club Racer undercuts the standard Elise S ($84,990) by an even bigger margin than the naturally aspirated Elise Club Racer ($68,990) undercuts the entry-level Elise ($69,990).
Similarly, however, it goes without 'luxury' items standard in the Elise and Elise S, including remote central locking, a four-speaker CD sound system with LCD screen and USB/AUX inputs, a black soft-top and front mudflaps.
Curiously, however, these items can be retained for a further $2000, bringing the price to $85,250 plus ORCs, making the fully loaded S Club Racer the most expensive Elise in the range.
As with all Elise variants, further optional extras include a hard-top roof, metallic/lifestyle paint, a cup-holder, leather console trim and additional noise insulation. However, leather trim and cruise control are not available to Club Racer buyers.
Satellite-navigation, a trip computer, glovebox, Bluetooth, automatic headlights/wipers, armrests nor any form of steering wheel adjustment can be had in the Elise, which comes standard with twin front airbags, anti-lock brakes and traction/stability control.
Apart from reduced equipment, other weight-saving measures for the Club Racer include body-coloured sports seats with fake-suede (rather than cloth) trim and weight reductions to the drivetrain and the body, but unlike the UK version air-conditioning remains standard.
New equipment for the Elise S Club Racer includes racier sports suspension, an adjustable front anti-roll bar, Satin black alloy wheels with high-performance Yokohama Neova tyres (16-inch front, 17-inch rear) and a black instead of silver rear diffuser.
Like the Elise Club Racer, there's a Sport setting for the DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) stability control system, which can also be fully deactivated. Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers are also standard.
The big-ticket item, however, is a supercharged 162kW 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that ups the ante significantly from the standard Elise's 100kW 1.6-litre petrol four. Like all Elises, a six-speed manual transmission is standard.
In this case, combined with a sub-1000kg kerb weight, the result is 0-100km/h acceleration in four seconds (versus 6.5 for the standard Elise), a 234km/h top speed (v 204), 7.5L/100km fuel consumption (v 6.3) and 38/62 per cent front/rear weight distribution (v 39/61).
Australia's Elise S Club Racer, which comes with full ADR certification and is therefore road-registerable, should not be confused with the UK's hard-core Elise S Cup R, which is a track-only device with the same engine plus a 'Motorsport Mapped ECU', battery isolator, aero additions, six-point racing harness, polycarbonate rear screen, forged alloys and an FIA-compliant roll case and fire extinguisher, among other track items.
"The Lotus Elise Club Racer models are about the absolute purity of the driving experience, with every impediment that could hamper that experience removed," says Lotus Australia General Manager Glen Sealey.
"With the new supercharged Lotus Elise S Club Racer, this unique experience now extends into performance bordering on that of a supercar, with a 0-100km/h time of 4.6 seconds, but unlike supercars the ultra-compact size of the Elise, not to mention its very un-supercar price, make this performance very useable, both on the road and on the racetrack."
The Lotus Elise S Club Racer comes in six exterior paint colours: Sky Blue, Saffron Yellow, Ardent Red, Aspen White, Matt Black and Carbon Grey.
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Written byCarsales Staff
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