And that’s just the base model for starters!
Sources have confirmed that the Elise, expected in 2015, is progressing and with its weight simulations now more accurate, the car is expected to be sub 1,000kgs in standard trim with a 350bhp engine. This gives the car a power to weight ratio of 350bhp/tonne which is in excess of the Lamborghini Gallardo (330bhp/tonne), Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale (333bhp/tonne), Ferrari F430 (342bhp/tonne) and Lamborghini Diablo (343bhp/tonne) and will no doubt elicit a higher level of performance due to the fact it can also hold the roads in the ways only a Lotus knows how.
With further plans to introduce more lightweight models of the Elise with more powerful versions of the same engine, the new Elise will be a veritable powerhouse punching way above it’s weight in terms of performance per pound spent. There is also talk of an Exige type model, more track focussed with less creature comforts for those after a more raw experience, bringing you and the tarmac closer than ever before. It seems that Lotus are aware of their history and heritage and that performance through lightweight is a mantra still chanted in the boardrooms of the Hethel HQ.
We can also break the news that the 2012 Esprit will be powered by an in-house engine, this is now confirmed as speculated in our previous article. Official news will be released soon but from now this is fact.
