Arguably the most iconic Lotus still in production, the Elise has been around for more than two decades. Now in its third generation, the tiny Elise is heading toward a major redesign that will bring a faster, lighter car into dealerships. But despite working on a brand-new model, Lotus isn't yet willing to give up on the current Elise, and it keeps pushing the limits of the small roadster with all sorts of limited-edition packages and upgrades. With several new iterations launched in 2016 and 2017, Lotus has prepared yet another version of its supercharged two-door. It's called the Cup 260 and its the lightest, quickest road-legal Elise built to date.

Developed as the company prepares for the 70th anniversary of when founder Colin Chapman built his first car in 1948, the Cup 260 is based on the Cup 250 model that came in 2016 and includes nearly all of the lightweight Elise Cup options as standard. It also sports the latest visual upgrades that Lotus introduced for the standard Elise, as well as a comprehensive aerodynamic package that adds a tremendous amount of downforce at high speeds. Naturally, it's the quickest Elise on the brand's Hethel track, and its production is limited to only a handful of examples. Find out more about that below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lotus Elise Cup 260.

2017 Lotus Elise Cup 260

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 Lotus Elise Cup 260
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 250
  • Torque: 188
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

What makes the Lotus Elise Cup 260 special

-Lotus Elise Cup 260 -Lightest Elise Built to Date -Fastest-Road Legal Elise to Date -Lightweight Options as Standard -New Aerodynamics -16- and 17-inch ultra-lightweight wheels -Black Alcantara seats -250 Horsepower; 188 pound-feet of torque -Fastest Elise ever around Hethel Track (1:32 lap time) -Only 30 Examples Built

Unique, Aggressive Exterior

A quick look at the Cup 260 will leave you wondering what changed compared to the Cup 250. Well, upgrades aren't exactly visible upon first glance, but take a closer look and you'll notice a few new features. For starters, there are a couple of louvers atop each front wheel fender. These vents not only give the Elise a more race-inspired look, but also reduce aerodynamic lift.

The front bumper was also revised with a wider and taller center grille, as well as significantly larger side vents. Down below, the standard carbon-fiber splitter has smaller winglets on the sides. Onto the sides, we can see a black panel on the rear fender, just below the intake that feeds air into the engine. The latter is also slightly different, now missing the center fin and sporting a fine mesh. Surprisingly enough, the Cup 250's aggressive carbon-fiber side skirts have been removed.

The rear end boasts the biggest change in terms of aerodynamics. While the Cup 250 has a pretty large wing, the Cup 260 gained a much bigger element that's also mounted higher. Based on the rear wing of the bonkers Lotus 3-Eleven, this feature turns the Elise into a full-fledged race car. The huge wing is backed by a revised diffuser that's smaller than the Cup 250's, but exually aggressive. A center-mounted exhaust pipe and the Elise's new taillights with smaller inner reverse lights round off the look.

The sports car is also equipped with ultra-lightweight, forged alloy wheels measuring 16 inches at the front and 17 inches in the rear, both wrapped in Yokohama Advan Neova tires. Much like the Cup 250, it comes with a wide array of carbon-fiber features, including the sill covers, roll hoop cover, front access panel, and engine cover. The motorsport-style polycarbonate backlight glass also helps cut down weight by at least 13 pounds.

Finally, the Elise Cup 260 has a laurel wreath decal on the left buttress and the Union Jack on both the rear wing endplates. Optionally, the car can be ordered in the iconic Championship Gold color, as seen in the official photos above.

Carbon-Fiber Seats and Trim

The interior is pretty much identical to the Cup 250, featuring the same carbon-fiber race seats and open gearbox mechanism. The seats are wrapped in black Alcantara with red or yellow stitching, as are the door panels. The package also includes body-keyed color inserts in the seats, transmission console, HVAC trim, and window switches, which means you can have a bunch of cool Championship Gold accents inside the cabin. The exposed aluminum and carbon-fiber elements, including new instrument cluster cover, complete the race-inspired look. Options include an Acantara steering wheel and matching sill covers, leather or tartan trim packs for the seats and door panels. Tech geeks can also opt for an in-car entertainment system with iPod and Bluetooth connectivity.

250 Horsepower and a Record Lap

Under the hood, the Cup 260 hides the same supercharged, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine as the Cup 250. However, Lotus upgraded the Toyota-sourced unit with new induction components and revised calibration. As a result, the engine now generates 250 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque. That's seven horsepower and four pound-feet more than the Cup 250. It might not seem like a lot on its own, but it makes a big difference when combined with the enhanced aerodynamics and the lighter body and chassis.

Specifically, the Cup 260 hits 60 mph from a standing start in 3.8 seconds, a tenth-second quicker than the Cup 250, and laps the Hethel track in just one minute and 32 seconds. That's an impressive 2.5 seconds faster than the Elise Cup 250! This is obviously the result of the Cup 260 being 33 pounds lighter (1,989 pounds unladen and 1,900 pounds dry), but it's also because the revised design and aero configuration generates up to 397 pounds of downforce at 151 mph, a 44-percent gain over the Cup 250.

The race-bred chassis is also responsabile for the outstanding performance. The roadster rides on a fully independent double wishbone suspension with an adjustable front anti-roll bar, Nitron coaxial coil springs, and, for the first time on an Elise, adjustable Nitron high-performance dampers. Stopping power comes from two-piece brake discs combined with AP Racing twin-piston calipers at the front axle and Brembo calipers to the rear wheels.

Limited Production Run

Pricing information is not yet available, but the Elise Cup 260 will be limited to only 30 units. This means it will cost significantly more than the Cup 250, which retails from £45,60 in the United Kingdom and €61,100 in Germany. The Lotus Elise isn't available in the United States due to safety regulations, so don't get your hopes up on getting the Cup 260 on this side of the pond.

References

Lotus Elise

Read our full review on the 2016 Lotus Elise Cup 250.

Read our full review on the 2015 Lotus Elise S Cup.

Read our full review on the 2017 Lotus Elise.