Rare and race-bred, the extreme limited-edition Lotus Elise Cup 260 packs the company’s passion for motorsport engineering into one of the most accomplished cars it has ever produced.
Taking what’s widely regarded as the benchmark for intuitive handling and driver involvement, Lotus has integrated some of the latest design philosophies from high-performance stablemates including the Exige Cup 380 and the mighty Evora GT430, as well as building upon the competition-only Elise Race 250.
Setting a standard for outright track pace and low lap times, this ultimate Elise has been unveiled as the company prepares for the 70th anniversary of when founder Colin Chapman built his first car in 1948. Referencing Lotus’ motorsport successes, the new Elise Cup 260 has a laurel wreath decal on the left buttress and the Union Jack on both the rear wing end plates, together with the option of finishing the car in iconic Championship Gold.
Taking a blend of exotic and lightweight materials to produce a truly noble sports car, the Elise Cup 260 is considerably greater than the sum of its parts. Building on the production Elise Cup 250 released earlier this year, and drawing heavily on the development of the motorsport Elise Race 250, the Elise Cup 260’s performance is formed through a first-class combination of intelligent engineering and advanced aerodynamics, as well as a boost in engine performance.
Not only the lightest-ever Elise Cup, it’s also the heaviest at speed – with the car’s design and aero configuration generating up to 180kg of downforce at 243km/h. Key to this exceptionally high level of downforce are the new louvred front wheel-arch vents, lightweight carbon fibre front splitter and wide high-mounted rear wing.
With a no-holds-barred approach, the Elise Cup 260 includes nearly all of the lightweight Elise Cup options as standard, ranging from the sill covers, roll hoop cover, front access panel and engine cover which are all in carbon, to the two-piece brake discs. With a race chassis developed by Lotus Motorsport, two-way adjustable Nitron dampers (fitted to an Elise for the first time), a polycarbonate backlight glass and hand-trimmed cockpit with bespoke detailing, the Elise Cup 260 will earn its reputation as the ultimate Elise.
