Lotus Elise: Tokyo show 2007: Quicker Elise announced

Lotus unveiled a supercharged Elise at the Tokyo show, sporting a 217bhp version of the engine from the Exige S.

The Elise SC, as the new model has been named, lacks the intercooler found in the supercharged Exige, but thanks to a number of other changes, including a smaller rotor pack for the supercharger, power is down just 1bhp on the Exige S’s figure. Losing the intercooler and its accompanying pipework results in an 8kg weight saving in the engine installation while also ensuring there is actually a view through the rear window!

Lotus claims the SC will take just 4.4sec to hit 60mph (0.3sec slower than the Exige S) before going on to a top speed of 150mph. The new model will be priced at £32,550 – exactly two grand cheaper than the Exige S.

What was not trumpeted at Tokyo is what we can expect to see next from Lotus. In the inner sanctum of the company’s stand, CEO Mike Kimberley updated us on Lotus’s next milestone: the unveiling of the Lotus Eagle at the London motor show next July.

‘It’s a two-plus-two tourer with a transverse, mid-ship V6 from Toyota, with whom we’ve had a 28-year relationship,’ revealed Kimberley, referring to Lotus’s first link with the Japanese giant, when the troubled Eclat became, with some Toyota componentry, the excellent Excel. ‘There will be seven variants, including a convertible and a paddle-shift transmission, and the price will be competitive, between £45,000 and £48,000.’