Lotus Elise Club Racer sheds weight for improved performance

The basic Elise 1.6 already weighs a mere 876kg, but Lotus has now removed a further 24kg to come up with the Elise Club Racer, mainly by using a lightweight battery and removing most of the sound insulation equipment from the standard car.

Lotus has also fitted a Sport setting for the Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) system, which the company says "allows even the less experienced sports car drivers to feel at the top of their game, while the ability to switch it off completely will please the more established track orientated drivers."

Lotus' Chief Technical Officer Wolf Zimmermann said, "The traditional Lotus approach of reduction and purity has led to one of the most zeitgeist and contemporary sports cars around. For over 15 years the Lotus Elise has become an icon in the sports car market, carving out a niche market with a dedicated following of lightweight fans. The new Club Racer will definitely give these people something extra to get their teeth stuck into. This car epitomises everything that's cool about the Elise - it's fast, raw, responsive and a huge amount of fun to drive."

The Elise Club Racer is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder VVT-i engine that produces 134bhp and 160Nm of torque, and Lotus has also fitted new Eibach springs and a set of Bilstein dampers to the suspension. There are also six new body colours for the Elise Club Racer, Sky Blue, Saffron Yellow, Ardent Red, Aspen White, Matt Black and Carbon Grey, as well as bespoke body-coloured seats.