The new Lotus Elise Sprint has had 41kg of weight stripped out of it, bringing its dry weight down to 798kg.
Reviving the Sprint name, previously used on the Elan, the new variant sits above the Elise Sport, but below the Cup 250.
Part of the savings are attributed to the Sprint’s lithium-ion battery (9kg reduction), carbon race seats (6kg), forged alloy wheels (5kg), and polycarbonate rear windscreen. Other standard Sprint details include black alloy wheels, side stripes, and unique badging.
The Sprint also previews changes that are being made to the entire Elise range, which will bring weight down by 10kg on all models. Updates include a new tail-light treatment, new front and rear bumpers, reworked underbody air flow, doors that open wider, new instrumentation and entertainment units, and an open-gate manual shifter.
There are two Sprint variants, the standard model has a 100kW/160Nm 1.6-litre engine, while the Sprint 220 has a 162kW/250Nm supercharged 1.8-litre.
Thanks to the company’s aggressive weight saving measures, the naturally-aspirated Sprint can complete the 0-60mph (0-97km/h) dash in 5.9 seconds, while the supercharged Sprint 220 can do the same run in 4.1 seconds.
As part of changes to the entire Elise range, there will also be an updated version of the Elise Cup 250. Due to be unveiled in May, the new Cup 250 is said to lose 23kg compared to today’s model.
Order books have opened for the Elise Sprint, and global deliveries begin in April.
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