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Racing car road legal

Posted on 30 August, 2015

Lotus has slightly tamed its race track-only Elise S Cup R to produce the Lotus Elise 220 Cup, a new model now available in New Zealand that narrows the gap between race car and road-going supercar. The Elise 220 Cup has gained just 19kg over the racing car’s 924kg of the racing car. This provides it with a 175kW/tonne power to weight ratio which. When combined with a new aerodynamics package, it produces an additional 66kg of downforce at 160kph and 125kg at its 225kph top speed. This enables it to clip three seconds from the best lap time of the Lotus test track achieved by the Elise S. Glen Sealey, chief operating officer of Lotus Australia and New Zealand, says: “The 220 Cup is derived from the racing car, not a development of the road car. This development track means the engineers took a racing car and made it road-legal, not taking a road car to make it ‘like a racing car’. “The result is a car that has the steering response, suspension control, engine reaction and instantaneous braking power of a racing car along with the ability to be driven home after a track day. Given its supercar performance and true race car ability, its price is exceptional.” One look at the 220 Cup highlights its attractive, yet purposeful aero package. From its front splitter to its rear airflow diffuser, it is every inch the racer for the road. The lateral barge boards, fixed hardtop, engine cover, roll-over hoop cover, side vanes and the rear wing are not only finished in black but also “shout” racing car. With the 1.8-litre engine, its induction supplemented by an Eaton supercharger, it means its power comes in at 162kW, yet its combined fuel economy is given as 7.5l/100km and CO2 emissions are only 175g/km. The Lotus Elise 220 Cup has a recommended retail price of $134,990 excluding dealer costs and delivery. It is available now to order from Lotus Auckland in Newmarket.