ShareThisREVEALED EARLIER this year before making its Geneva debut in March, the updated-for-2011 Lotus Elise is on its way to Australia in July.
Among the updated Elise's more obvious changes is a less complicated front bumper, along with restyled headlights that take a leaf out of the Evora's book.
"The Elise is an iconic sports car and it was important that we did not complicate its design, so we made the car more pure in its look, improved the aerodynamics, and gave it a more contemporary look with high quality detailing," Donato Coco, Lotus' design boss said.
Also borrowed from the 2010 Lotus Evora are the redesigned bonnet vents, along with a tweaked engine cover and rear bumper.
The 2011 Elise isn't merely about refreshing the popular (but ageing) sports car's looks, however, with the updates leading to a drag coefficient four percent greater than the pre-facelift model.
Improvements continue all the way round, with new optional forged alloy wheels weighing just 30kg a piece - 2kg lighter than the standard cast alloy wheels.
"The Lotus Elise revolutionized the sports car when it was launched 14 years ago and for this year the Lotus Elise has become greener, giving drivers access to class leading performance with less guilt," Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus said.
The Elise's engine line-up carries over largely unchanged, the Toyota-sourced 2ZZ-GE offering 141kW and 181Nm torque, or 163kW and 211Nm in supercharged guise.
A new 100kW 1ZR-FAE 1.6 litre petrol engine kicks off the 2011 Elise line-up, producing 100kW and 160Nm of torque. The 0-100km/h sprint is covered in 6.5 seconds, compared to 5.4 seconds for the Elise R and 4.6 seconds for the supercharged Elise SC.
All Elise models are now fitted with the C64 six-speed manual transmission, also sourced from Toyota but modified for Lotus use.
New options and accessories
- Cruise control (1.6-litre only, with Touring Pack)
- Rear parking sensors (all models)
- Forged alloys wheels (with Sport Pack)
- Black Style Pack (black wheels and rear diffuser), all models
- Sports exhaust (1.6-litre) for added 5kW
Pricing and Availability
The first shipments of the updated Elise range will begin in July, with pricing starting at $69,990 RRP for the 1.6 litre Elise.
2012 Lotus Esprit Still On Track, New Elise To Drop In 2011
Lotus Elise Purist Model On The Way?
Lotus Australia Cutting Prices On Most Models, Including Evora
Comments
7 months ago 0 points
The original Elise was a fantastic little shape and proved that despite using common parts for the head / tail lights they were capable of an attractive yet original design, so why don't they rely on their own creativity?