Lotus Unveils The Lotus Elise Cup 250

While we wait to see what Lotus will do with a new surge of cash from Geely, the British automaker has churned out the fastest four-cylinder car it’s ever produced. The Elise Cup 250 storms onto the scene in a raucous way, boasting a 0 to 60 time of just 3.9 seconds.

Because this is a Cup car, you get the best of track vehicles, combined with just enough comforts you could use this car for tooling around town.

Lotus is all about lightness, and this thing is ridiculously lightweight. The company says it tips the scales at just under 1,900 pounds dry. If it gets any lighter, it will have to strap a truly massive wing to the back just to keep it from flying away.

All that lightness combines with a supercharged 1.8-liter four-banger to whip out 243 horsepower. The top speed is impressive at 154 mph. It pairs with an open-gate six-speed manual transmission, so owners get plenty of heel-and-toe action on the track.

Where great lightness and power are given, you also need more aero. Lotus took care of that requirement by giving the Elise Cup 250 a more aggressive front splitter, rear wing, rear diffuser, and bargeboards. At 140 mph, these parts generate over 275 pounds of downforce.

To make the car even more engaging, Lotus revised the dampers. It also uses ultra-lightweight forged wheels, with Yokohama Advan A048 LTS tires wrapped around them for plenty of sticky fun.