Lotus Elise SC : HOME BLOWN

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For a long time, a Lotus Elise with more power was top of every car enthusiast's wish list. The Elise SC shows them what they've been missing. Steve Walker reportsâ€¦

More power, more power, more power, oh fiddlesticks we've given it too much. This cunningly devised model would give a good representation of the development cycle followed by many a performance car if the nation's car enthusiasts had their way. No matter how phenomenally rapid a vehicle is off the line, how otherworldly its top speed or how fiendishly quickly some lunatic German has bludgeoned one around the Nurburgring, there will always be those who wish it had an extra 10bhp. Leaving well enough alone is an area where Lotus has traditionally excelled but the clamour for ever more muscular versions of its classic Elise roadster went on for well over a decade. Finally, the Norfolk firm drew the line. Right after it launched the 217bhp supercharged Elise SC.

By modern standards, 217bhp isn't a lot but by anyone's standards, 217bhp in a Lotus Elise is. The Elise, you see, is a Lotus and Lotus products are light. It weighs 903kg so it's got at least 300kg in the bank over your typical 200bhp hot hatchback and that adds up to supercar performance. 4.4 seconds is all the 0-60mph sprint will detain the Elise SC for and it will be blasting past 100mph before the clock has ticked much past 10.5s. All in, a 150mph top speed is not out of the question. Of course, the basic handling traits of the Elise are still in evidence. It's always been the fearsome grip and one of the most communicative steering set-ups anywhere that bring the essential joy to the Elise driving experience. Perhaps most remarkably, it's all bundled up with a forgiving ride that belies the car's hardcore capabilities. Brutally fast and rewarding on track but composed and manageable on the road, the Elise is an exemplary piece of engineering and the SC model might just be its ultimate incarnation. The acceleration is dynamite right up to 8,000rpm where that peak power output is generated but at lower engine speeds the car can be hurried along using the powerful torque from the supercharger. Depending on how you drive it, the Elise can scare you silly or display its softer side.

"One day soon, all performance cars will be built this wayâ€¦."

The mid-mounted engine is a supercharged version of the 1.8-litre VTTL-i unit that Lotus sourced from Toyota to replace the venerable Rover K-Series lump. It made its debut in the Exige, the Elise's hard-top stablemate, but modifications have been made to the version in the Elise SC. There's no intercooler for a start and that helps shed 8kg in comparison to the Exige S. It also means that the engine sits lower in the Elise so drivers can see out of the back, a luxury never afforded to Exige owners. The latest Elise models feature Probax seats that look daunting but are spookily comfortable. The dashboard is fashioned from soft-touch plastic chosen for its lightweight characteristics and the instruments are easier to read. Although certainly Spartan with its acres of exposed metalwork, the Elise interior feels modern and reasonably comfortable. Bits that could potentially break are few and far between and once you're inside, space for driver and passenger is more than adequate. The styling still looks superb all these years on, the SC models holding true to the classic lines with the exception of a subtle rear spoiler. Up against contemporary lightweight track specials, the Elise has no peers in terms of styling or practicality. Even roadsters in the same price bracket struggle to match the visual impact of the Lotus. By the time you've bought and specced your Elise SC, you're looking at around £35,000 but when you actually examine what you're getting for your money, it looks like a bit of a bargain. There are similarly priced rival products out there that can compete with the performance and handling of the Lotus but that crop of Lotus Seven clones and stripped down trackday specials lack the everyday usability of an Elise. Besides, who really wants to turn up at work or the supermarket in a car that looks suspiciously like you built it yourself? The alternatives are high performance roadsters like BMW's Z4, Nissan's 370z or a Porsche Boxster. Well-appointed and capable sportscars though these are, they can't really match the raw adrenalin and pace of the Elise SC. There's no doubt that Lotus founder Colin Chapman was on to something with his "performance through lightweight" philosophy. It has been the cornerstone of the Lotus success story down the years but in the light of the current automotive industry imperative for improved fuel economy and lower emissions, it looks positively visionary. The Elise SC backs-up its thrilling performance with 33mpg fuel economy and 199g/km emissions. One day soon, all performance cars will be built this way. The Elise mechanicals have been proven to last and the plastic composite bodywork is tougher than Roman Abramovic's tax return. It's not a product that's likely to let you down having been built to take sustained abuse on the racetrack and residual values are also buoyant with the market for pre-owned Elise models thriving. Crucially, the 217bhp in the Lotus Elise SC never feels like too much and you suspect that the Elise chassis could easily cope with a little bit more. Excess though, has never been on the agenda at Lotus and once again with the Elise SC, the manufacturer has displayed an uncanny knack of getting the balance just about right. Where else do you get a similar array of qualities to those of the Lotus Elise SC? Fiendishly fast but usable on an everyday basis and with running costs that put many compact executive saloons to shame, it's a phenomenal effort from Lotus. The key is that it's all achieved not through technological overkill or monstrous bhp outputs but by keeping things simple.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Lotus Elise SC
PRICE: £32,067 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 199g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 150mph / 0-60mph 4.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 23.9mpg / (extra urban) 44.1mpg / (combined) 33.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's Airbag / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 3785/1719/1117mm