With more horsepower, less weight, and a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds, this Elise is radical.

Replacing the Cup 220, the Elise Cup 250 has more power and less weight. Weight saving measures mean that the Cup 250 has shed 21 kilograms compared to its forebear.

The Cup 250’s diet includes a new lithium-ion battery (10kg saving), carbonfibre seats (6kg saving), and forged alloy wheels (1.5kg saving). There’s also an optional carbon aero pack that shaves off a further 10kg.

The Elise’s supercharged 1.8-litre four-pot has been tuned to deliver 181kW of power at 7200rpm and 250Nm of torque between 3500 and 5500rpm. Compared to the Cup 220, the newest Elise has the same amount of torque, but is up 19kW.

Drive is directed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and an electronic differential lock. According to Lotus, the Cup 250 can sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds and has a top speed of 248km/h. The Cup 220 required 4.6 seconds for the 0-100km/h dash and had a v-max of 225km/h.

Up front, the Elise Cup 250 rides on 16-inch alloy wheels allied to 195/50 Yokohama AO48 tyres, while at the rear there’s 17-inch rims matched to 225/45 rubber.

The Cup 250’s interior is fitted with faux suede upholstery as standard. Options include leather, a sound system, carpets and sound insulation.