The Lotus Elise S Cup R has made its global debut at the Autosport International show in Birmingham.
The £52,838, track-only Elise S Cup R uses the same supercharged mid-mounted transverse 1.8-litre engine as the Elise S road car, which produces 217bhp and 181lb ft of torque. Lotus says this is the first time the engine has been used in a Cup variant. It's mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.
The car's new aerodynamics package includes a front splitter, rear diffuser, floor extensions and a new rear wing. Lotus says that despite the added weight, the Elise S Cup R weighs in at 924kg, the same as the standard Elise S.
Lotus says the Elise S Cup R can cover a 2.2-mile lap four seconds faster than the Elise S.
Other enhancements include a race harness and driver's seat, a motorsport-tuned ECU, an FIA compliant rollcage and fire extinguisher and new forged alloy wheels. Drivers can also specify upgrades including air conditioning, a passenger seat and an FIA fuel cell.
The car is also eligible for motorsport events, including Lotus's own Cup Series, which runs internationally.
Speaking to Autocar, Lotus Motorsport's Rupert Manwaring said: "A lot of the emerging countries need an economical, simple to run race car. This is just that. Also the Elise category in our Lotus Cup series is popular internationally. The idea is to give people a car that costs less than the Lotus Exige, that's simple to run and that has fantastic performance. It gives us another bite of the market.
"The UK could easily not be the biggest market for this car. There are some huge opportunties out in Asia and we're just starting to get a bit of a foothold there. This is the perfect car for those areas."
Watch our test of the new Lotus Exige V6 Cup.
Read more Autosport International news.
