Lotus creates Elise Cup 250 ‘Bathurst Edition’
In a new car market defined by falling sales, Lotus was one of the few automotive brands that managed to hold or improve sales in Australia last year.
Granted, a total of 57 new sales for the year doesn’t sound like much, but it is an improvement on 2018 and impressive for a niche brand without the ‘golden ticket’ of an SUV or dual cab ute in their lineup.
For the record, Lotus’s best seller in Australia last year was the Exige, with 32 sales, followed by the Elise and Evora, with 15 and 10 sales, respectively. Those numbers compare favourably to Lotus’s direct rivals, like the Alpine A110 (35) and Alfa Romeo 4C (29). But when you lump Porsche’s Cayman and Boxster into the mix (156 and 89 sales, respectively), it tips the scales in the favour of the German manufacturer.
Regardless of their rivals and their annual sales volumes, year-on-year Lotus sales in Australia are generally steady and “trend proof”, but it doesn’t hurt to stoke the flames of interest every now and again. Lotus have done exactly that with the release of a new limited-edition model – the ‘Elise Cup 250 Bathurst Edition’.
This special edition was actually announced last October, but Lotus used February’s Bathurst 12-Hour, followed by an owner’s track day at Mount Panorama, to officially launch the model that’s exclusive to the Australian market.
Mount Panorama Special
While it carries the “Bathurst” name, the Bathurst Edition is inspired more by Lotus’s long history of racing success in Australia, particularly in open-wheeler competition, rather than the Mount Panorama circuit specifically.
Nevertheless, the Elise Cup 250 Bathurst Edition carries a graphic of the Mount Panorama circuit on the flanks and tail, along with the usual ‘250 Cup’ model identification.
Monaco White exterior paint (a finish unavailable on the regular Elise Cup 250) is standard, with the front access panel and roof, including the removable roof panel, painted in the same colour.
Contrasting the white is a satin black finish for the forged alloy wheels (16-inch front, 17-inch rear), which are shod in Yokohama Advan tyres.
The exterior specification is completed by a matte black rear spoiler with red mounts and Union Jack endplates (no Aussie flag endplates, unfortunately).
Inside, it’s all pretty standard Elise Cup 250 spec, with carbon fibre race seats trimmed in Alcantara. Contrasting red stitching and other red highlights on the seats are continued on the door cards, floor mats, vent openings and the Elise’s signature exposed linkage gear shifter.
Mounted on the passenger side of the dash are two plaques: one with the signature of the Lotus technician who hand-built the car; the other with the Bathurst Edition’s individual build number.
Elise Performance
Under the skin, the Bathurst Edition is unchanged from the Elise Cup 250, meaning a mid-mounted, supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine producing 181kW at 7200rpm and 250Nm at 3500-5500rpm.
Matched to a six-speed manual transmission with sports ratios and an electronic diff lock, top speed is 248km/h, with 0-100km/h achieved in 4.3 seconds. Listed power-to-weight is 193W/kg, with the advanced aerodynamics able to deliver 148kg of downforce at maximum speed.
Suspension uses a combination of Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers at each end, while braking is made up of AP Racing calipers on the ventilated front discs and Brembo calipers on the rear discs.
Six Pack
Only six Elise Cup 250 Bathurst Editions will be produced for the Australian market, priced from $109,990 (excl. ORCs) each. The special edition will be covered by Lotus’s standard two-year, 33,000km warranty.
How many of the special editions were still available had not been confirmed at time of writing. See your Lotus dealer for further details.
