Yahoo Autos You Only Need 134 Horsepower For Fun In a Lotus Elise
While it hasn't been on sale in the US since 2011, the Lotus Elise has continued on in the UK getting better and better with each new variant. One of the latest, the Elise Sprint, only offers 134 horsepower in naturally aspirated form, but still manages to be one of the best, most-engaging sports cars on the market.
That's a product of the Sprint's incredibly low dry weight of 1759 lbs (789 kg), with all the optional lightweight options selected. Even filled with fluids, the Sprint weighs just a hair over 1800 lbs, which is significantly lighter than pretty much every other sports car on the market. The Sprint is a featherweight, even compared with back-to-basics machines like the Alfa Romeo 4C, and Alpine A110.
As Dan Trent of PistonHeads finds out, driving the Sprint at Lotus' Hethel test track, it's the best Elise in a long time. Even with its supposed lack of power. It remains true to Lotus founder Colin Chapman's famous simplify, then add lightness mantra, and proves that this philosophy is more relevant than ever.
We can't wait until 2020, when the Elise will finally return to the US.
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