What's the news?
These two pocket rockets are the Lotus Elise Sport and the Elise Sport 220. Not only are they both 10kg lighter than the two Elise models they replace (the Elise 1.6 and the Elise S), they revive the 'Sport' nameplate that was last seen on the Esprit Sport 350 in 1999.
Exterior
Lotus doesn't outline precisely what it has done to save the 10kg, aside from saying it has been on a 'perpetual quest' to reduce the weight of all the constituent parts of the car... although it does confirm it has fitted a sports battery to the 220 model. The net results are that the Elise Sport clocks in at just 866kg, while the Sport 220 is none too shabby either at 914kg.
The ten-colour palette for the Elise Sports includes two solids, seven metallics and 'Signature Grey' (don't worry, traditionally bright Lotus hues like red, yellow, green and orange are in the mix), while lightweight silver or black cast wheels (16 inches front, 17 inches rear) are standard equipment. If you fancy getting either of the Sports a bit trimmer, these rims can be swapped for optional forged items which take another 5kg from the kerb weight. A hard-top and auxiliary driving lights can be fitted at extra cost.
Interior
Not much to report in here, except the cars get lightweight sports seats which can be finished in leather, Alcantara or - for the brave - classic tartan. Such a finish was first seen in 1976 on the Esprit S1. Options include air conditioning, cruise control and a Clarion CD/MP3/WMA player with iPod connectivity and Bluetooth.
Mechanicals
There are a pair of engines here, rather than one in two states of tune. Both are all-alloy, four-cylinder double-overhead cam units with VVT-i valve timing, and both are mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and a Bosch electronic diff lock. The Elise Sport has a normally aspirated 1.6-litre unit, delivering 136hp at 6,800rpm and 160Nm at 4,400rpm. That equates to a 0-100km/h sprint of 6.5 seconds, a top speed of 204km/h, 45mpg (6.3 litres/100km) economy and CO2 emissions of 149g/km.
The Elise Sport 220, however, gets a supercharged 1.8-litre lump, with 220hp (hence the name) at 6,800rpm and 250Nm at 4,600rpm. That seriously bumps up performance, as befitting something with 241hp-per-tonne. The 0-100km/h benchmark takes just 4.6 seconds, while top speed is 234km/h. Fuel economy drops to 37.5mpg (7.5 litres/100km) and CO2 emissions rise to 175g/km.
Both cars get a Sport mode, which sharpens throttle response, changes the traction control's thresholds and understeer recognition, and allows more slip before the electronics rein everything in. Bilstein sports dampers are also fitted to the Elise Sports.
Anything else?
Irish prices are yet to be confirmed but the cars go on sale across Europe in December, available in the rest of the world from January 2016. If you're interested in either the Sport or the Sport 220, visit www.lotuscars.com/lotus-elise-range.