Lotus Elise Bathurst Edition released
Ultra-rare Lotus with hard-core suspension and supercharged four-pot screamer is just for OzThe mid-engined Lotus Elise has been doing the rounds for what seems like eons, but this latest model suggests it's still got a bit of ticker left.
Behold the Lotus Elise Cup 250 Bathurst Edition, which is only available in Australia and features special Monaco White paintwork, carbon-fibre race seats, a red interior colour pack, Bathurst Cup 250 stickers, black forged alloy wheels and a free track-day at Bathurst.
Priced at $109,990 plus on-road costs, the special Lotus Elise Cup 250 Bathurst Edition is limited to just six examples, meaning its rarity is guaranteed.
Mechanical changes are limited to the chassis, with recalibrated Bilstein dampers that have 12 per cent stiffer compression and 20 per cent firmer rebound damping on the front-end than the Elise Sport 220.
Rear suspension gets nine per cent firmer compression and 30 per cent stiffer rebound damping, while Eibach coaxial springs work with independent double wishbone suspension all round, and an adjustable front anti-roll bar adds tweakability.
For Camry buyers that won't mean much, but for Lotus fans these changes will provide a track-focussed suspension set-up right out of the box.
Lightweight forged motorsport-grade alloy wheels help keep unsprung weight low, as do AP Racing front and Brembo rear callipers.
The 16-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel rims are shod with Yokohama Advan A052 tyres -- 195/50 R16 front and 225/45 R17 rear.
While the turning and stopping is taken care of by the tweaked chassis, the engine is unchanged from the Elise Cup 250, meaning its 1.8-litre supercharged and intercooled four-cylinder petrol engine bangs out the same 181kW and 250Nm.
According to Lotus, that's enough to propel the lightweight 931kg British pocket rocket to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds. Not bad considering it’s a manual-only proposition.
Other new bits on the Lotus Elise Cup 250 Bathurst Edition include a new roll hoop cover made from motorsport-grade T45 stainless steel, red rear wing struts and a matte black transom.
Owners will also get a track session at Mount Panorama on February 5, 2020.
"Lotus Cars Australia has built a strong enthusiast and track day community, and our Lotus-only Bathurst days are the centrepiece," said Lotus Cars Australia managing director, Lee Knappett.
"In February 2019, over 100 cars and 150+ customers participated in our day and we decided to celebrate this with a special edition car."
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