Lotus springs its most exclusive-ever Elise

Update, October 25: Lotus Cars Australia has advised that the Elise Cup 260 will not be imported here. ADR (Australian Design Rules) homologation was a major stumbling block and the cost would have been prohibitive for the one or two cars that might have been allocated for the local market, out of a global figure of just 30 units. Without ADR compliance, the Cup 260 could not be registered for the road in Australia.

Lotus has announced what it describes as perhaps its most exclusive limited-build model ever, the Elise Cup 260.

How limited?

Well, if it ever comes to Australia – which is by no means certain – out of the 30 Elise Cup 260s scheduled to roll off the Lotus production line at Hethel, England, we’ll possibly receive a grand total of one car.

Lotus sees the bewinged Cup 260 as the ultimate version of its smallest car. The claim stems from its reduced body weight (it’s said to be the lightest Elise ever), slightly upgraded power output and a collection of aero aids which increase downforce to as much as 180kg at 243km/h (44 per cent better than the Elise 250).

The Lotus Elise Cup 260 is developed directly from the track-oriented Elise Race 250 and inherits many of its performance-enhancing items from the likes of the V6-engined Exige Cup 380 and Evora GT 430.

Weight-reducing measures include the adoption of carbon fibre for the engine cover, front access panel, roll hoop and side sill covers, plus the lightweight racing seats, as well as a lithium-ion battery, to shave off a total 15kg.

The supercharged 1.8-litre powerplant has been recalibrated, and gets a new induction system which slightly increases power from 181kW/250Nm to 186kW/255Nm, while also adding a bit of extra audio attraction. As a result, Lotus is claiming a slight improvement in zero to 100km/h acceleration, from 4.3 seconds in the Elise Race 250, to 4.2 seconds for the Cup 260 model .

Underneath, the Cup 260’s suspension sees the Elise adopting two-way adjustable Nitron dampers for the first time, while braking is by AP Racing twin-piston front calipers and single-piston Brembo calipers at the rear, working in conjunction with lightweight two-piece rotors.

Wheels and tyres have been given some attention too. The wheels are lightweight forged alloys, fitted with wider, street-legal Yokohama Advan Neova tyres measuring 205/45R16 at the front and 235/40R17 at the rear – or 10mm wider than the Elise Cup 250.

The Cup 260 comes with many in-cabin embellishments, including the lightweight, in-house manufactured black Alcantara-trimmed racing seats, and adds items like bodywork colour-coded seat inserts, transmission console, HVAC surround and window switches, plus a new carbon fibre instrument binnacle cover.

Options include Alcantara trimmed steering wheel and sill covers, leather or tartan trim packs for the seats and door panels, and an in-car entertainment system covering iPod and Bluetooth functions.

So far Lotus Cars Australia says it is working with the Lotus Group to see whether or not it can get its hands on an Elise Cup 260. As it’s not yet known whether importation would be feasible, we’d suggest would-be buyers refrain from holding their breath. And how much more it would cost than the current $107,990 Elise Cup 250, is another matter.

The Elise Cup 260 has been devised to commemorate the upcoming 70th anniversary of company founder Colin Chapman’s first racecar. Lotus Cars is now part of the Chinese auto giant Geely, which took out a controlling stake in the company in May 2017. Geely has also owned the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo since 2010.