2005 Lotus Elise Base Convertible 2-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Lotus hits the track with new Elise S Cup R

If you want to take a Lotus to the track but the Exige V6 Cup is a bit too much to handle, the boys from Hethel have a new offering that may be of interest.
The new Elise S Cup R features all the track-tuned bells and whistles of its six-cylinder brethren, including a competition-spec aero kit, adjustable suspension, Yokohama racing slicks on 17-inch forged alloys, tow hooks, remapped ECU, cross-drilled and ventilated disc brakes and an interior with a HANS-compatible bucket seat, six-point racing harness and quick-release steering wheel. But instead of a heavier and more powerful V6, the Elise S Cup R "adds lightness" with the same 1.8-liter supercharged inline-four with 217 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque as the road-going Elise S. Yet with all that track-tuned gear, it's a good four seconds per three-mile lap faster than the showroom stock version in the automaker's testing.
Interested parties can pick one up in the UK for £39,125 (before taxes, equivalent to about $63k) and either lap it to their hearts' content at private track days or enter it in one of the dozen Lotus Cup series operating around the world. Lotus only released this one photo (click above to enlarge), but you can check out the full specs in the press release below.

Lotus Emira V6 First Edition Road Test: The most fun for $100,000

You really couldn’t script it more perfectly. The Lotus Emira is a dream sports car. ItÂ’s good that we all recognize that here and now, as far too often in the super- and sports car world, the market doesnÂ’t realize what an astounding thing it has until sales have gone cold, and the manufacturer kills it off. Cough, Acura NSX. In a way, the Emira is a love letter to everything enthusiasts desire about driving. Lotus is in a state of transition – the EVs are coming! The whole automotive industry is changing, and cars like the Emira are the ones weÂ’ll point to as high-water marks for this era. Not because it has a 0-60 mph time that can embarrass competitors. Not because it pioneers any particular technology in general. Truthfully, itÂ’s not remarkably pushing any boundaries on paper, but IÂ’d argue, who cares? It has an aged 3.5-liter supercharged V6 borrowed from Toyota that makes a fine – but not eyebrow-raising – 400 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s actually less horsepower than Evora variants like the GT and Sport 410 made, which is the opposite direction sports cars typically go in for a new generation. It has hydraulic steering, and there isnÂ’t a single driver assistance nag in sight (donÂ’t worry, it still has cruise control). You pick your suspension setting from the factory: Tour or Sport. It does have a few drive modes, but they donÂ’t adjust the suspension or steering. An automatic transmission is available, but please skip that to enjoy one of the best-shifting gearboxes in the world. And oh yes, you can watch the exposed linkage work its mechanical joy. Same goes for the visible throttle actuator that can be seen in the rearview mirror through the glass separating driver from engine. Yeah, Lotus gets us. If youÂ’re salivating and frothing at the mouth by now, then youÂ’re just the sort of person Lotus has in mind for the Emira. Of course, the catch with anything wearing a Lotus badge in the past was the uncertainty around buying a car from a low-production British outfit and the accompanying lack of modern amenities. Even though the Evora was a step toward Porsche in so many ways, it still felt and acted like a classy kit car with its Alpine head unit, borrowed parts and general lack of polish. The last Evora GT test car we had leaked from both A-pillars with the windows up while driving in a rainstorm. Would a factory-fresh 718 Cayman ever do such a thing? I would think not.

Lotus sells loads more cars, earns way more money

Sports-car company Lotus has reason to be excited. It released some facts on its sales and financial performance for the 2016 and 2017 fiscal year, and it has seen some impressive improvements. According to the company, it sold nearly 60 percent more cars in mainland Europe compared with the 2015/2016 fiscal year, and it sold six times as many cars in the U.S. compared with that year. This helped it go from a loss of GBP16.3 million for the previous year in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to a GBP2 million profit EBITDA. The fact that those numbers are given before all those extra expenses is noteworthy, though, as it means the company isn't truly profitable yet, despite major gains. The company did report numbers that only excluded tax, and those show the company still lost money. But the good news is that it lost much, much less money than the year before. Before taxes for the 2015/2016 fiscal year, the company lost GBP41.2 million, and this year, it only lost GBP11.2 million. The company expects it will be profitable before tax in the coming year. So Lotus isn't perfectly healthy yet, but this, combined with Geely's recent acquisition, shows it's well on its way to becoming fit as a fiddle. We like the cars Lotus makes, so we hope that things keep getting better, and that we'll maybe get more Lotus models in the future, beyond just the Evora road car and 3-Eleven track car. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Lotus Evora 400: First Drive View 29 Photos Image Credit: Lotus Earnings/Financials Lotus Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance