We’ve been subjected to some rather tenuous special edition Elises in the past, but this is a bit different. The fastest, most powerful production version of Lotus’s baby sports car yet, it’s essentially an Elise R (formerly the 111R, now renamed) fitted with a supercharger to provide an extra 28bhp.
So it’s got the engine from the Exige S?
If only things were that simple. Yes, it uses the same basic 1.8-litre Toyota engine, but the Exige is fitted with an intercooler that sits on top of the engine under the fastback. The Elise though has a flat engine cover meaning the intercooler won’t fit. So Lotus reengineered the car to work without an intercooler. Incredibly, the non-intercooled engine produces the same 217bhp as the intercooled car as well as 156lb ft of torque. Those figures don’t represent a massive on-paper improvement over the 189bhp and 133lb ft but the torque curve is fuller and and the peak shifts from a silly 6800rpm to a more usable 5100rpm. And remember, the Elise is incredibly light, so although the 870kg SC is 10kg heavier than the R, it still has a better power to weight ratio: 250bhp versus 220bhp per tonne.
A bit brisk is it?
Let’s get the numbers out of the way before dealing with the more important stuff. The top speed climbs just 3mph to 150mph but the 0-60mph figure is slashed from 5.2sec to just 4.4sec (the blown Exige on stickier rubber manages 4.1sec). Extend the comparison to 100mph and the SC extends its lead: 10.7sec plays 13.0sec. But that only tells part of the story. The real meat of the R’s power comes in with a bang at 6200rpm, lasting until the limiter cuts in 2000rpm later. It’s not slow below that point but can be frustrating on the road where it’s difficult to access that urge. The SC is far more progressive and the noise of the supercharger muffles the coarse din of the engine. It doesn’t feel heroically fast at low revs, but is far stronger than the R in the midrange, the place you’ll spend most time. And the point at which the variable valve gear kicks in to maximum power mode now takes place lower down, between 4000-6200rpm. So you no longer need beat the throttle senseless to make progress although as peak power doesn’t arrive until nearly 8000rpm, you’re still rewarded for doing so.
Does it still feel like an Elise though?
Yes, because it’s essentially an R underneath the skin so it’s no surprise to find that they drive very similarly. The steering is still the finest of any road car on sale in terms of hardwiring you into the action. Light yet incredibly communicative, it tirelessly ferries back data from the front wheels while the thinly padded seat allows your bum to sense what the rears are up to. The SC’s wheels are half an inch wider at both ends so there’s fractionally more grip than before. Too much throttle still mostly washes the front end out and there’s so much traction that the optional traction control just isn’t necessary. But as ever, a cheeky lift of the throttle will trim your line or punt the whole car into a broadside pose to taste. Trying to get back on the gas to really ride out a slide though and there’s sometimes a pause before power comes back in, something you also feel if you short shift but then immediately apply full throttle.
How will everyone know I’m in the fastest ever Elise?
Apart from those wider wheels, there’s not much to differentiate the SC from lesser models visually, just a rear spoiler that curves its way round the rear of the car onto the back quarters, not unlike the wing fitted to the 111S versions of the first generation Elise. Inside the SC adopts the same changes as all Elise models for 2008: a more expensive looking dash covering, easier to read white on black gauges and a starter button. Moving from the options sheet to the standard kit list for all models are standard airbags and the brilliant Probax seats that mould to the shape of your body.
