Lotus Elise Club Racer

Stripped-out Elise aims to prove that brand remains true to its core values of performance through light weight.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Tom Phillips

February 2011

At 876kg, the Lotus Elise is one of the flyweights of the motoring world. But with the threat of the firm’s new range of cars appearing to neglect its mantra of performance through light weight, the Elise Club Racer is a refreshing return to form.

Lotus’ engineers have scrapped the noise insulation and added a motorsport-inspired lightweight battery to shave a further 24kg off the Elise’s kerbweight. To further enhance performance, the Club Racer also features Eibach suspension springs and Bilstein dampers. Power from the Toyota-sourced 1.6-litre engine remains at 134bhp.

The Club Racer debuts a new Sport setting for the DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) system. This allows a safety net for less experienced drivers who are cutting their teeth on a track day. The system can still be fully switched off.

Unlike Porsche, which charges more for less, the Elise Club Racer is the new entry point to the Elise range, starting at £27,500. Buyers get the choice of six colours; Sky Blue, Saffron Yellow, Ardent Red, Aspen White, Matt Black and Carbon Grey.