British-based boutique sportscar maker Lotus is bringing four, superlight, superfast new models to this year's Geneva Motorshow.
Lotus has put each of its current models on a crash diet in order to shed pounds and increase power to weight ratios. The result, the company claims, is a fleet of four models that when revealed in Geneva will be the fastest production road-legal Lotuses in history.
The company claims that because of their lightweight construction, the cars on show will be the fastest production Lotuses in history.
In the case of the Elise, the company's longest-serving and most popular model, over 20kg have been shed thanks in part to carbon fibre seats, new forged alloy wheels and a lithium ion battery.
The 1.8-litre engine has also been tweaked for a further 21hp, taking the total output to 243hp. This means that the new Cup 250 edition can race from a standstill to 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 248km/h (154mph).
This makes it the fastest road-going Elise yet and for those that want even more performance, a carbon fibre aerodynamics pack is available that increases downforce yet cuts another 10kg from the car's weight.
The Elise will be joined by the Evora Sport 410. Its diet has been even more intense. The car's lost 70kg and as a result can now go from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds and hit a top speed of 300km/h (186mph).
However, the new Evora is meant to be the flagship model and so the weight loss has been through using different materials and components, rather than via ditching things like air conditioning and infotainment. The idea is that the car is lightening fast but retains impeccable road manners.
Also making its European debut will be the limited edition Lotus 3-Eleven. Capable of accelerating to 100km/h in 3 seconds and in race specification of completing a lap of the Nurburgring in under seven minutes, it can go toe-to-toe with a Porsche 918 Spyder or a Lamborghini Aventador.
However, Lotus is keeping one of its reveals a surprise so fans will have to wait until March 1 -- when the Geneva Motorshow opens its doors to the world's motoring press -- to find out more.
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