Lotus powers up Elise, Exige for 2008
by Alex Nunez on Oct 23rd 2007 at 8:28PM 
Click image for photo gallery
For 2008, Lotus has turned up the heat on its Elise and Exige sports cars. The Lotus Elise SC is a 220-horsepower variant powered by a new, compact, non-intercooled supercharger mated to the standard 1.8L engine. Identifiable by its model-exclusive wheels and a new rear spoiler, the SC boasts a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds, 10.7 seconds to 100 mph, and a 150 mph top end.
The Exige is not ignored either, as the Exige S can now be fitted with a Performance Pack boosting output to 240 horses. Also includded are upgraded brakes, an upgraded clutch, traction control, driver-adjustable launch control, and a new roof scoop. The traction/launch control combo is the same one found in the Lotus 2-Eleven track car. Performance, as you'd expect, is impressive: 4 seconds to sixty, 9.7 seconds to 100 mph, and a 153 mph ceiling.
Additionally, all 2008 Elise and Exige models get new instrumentation, standard driver and passenger airbags, a new keyfob design with an immobilizer system, a simplified option pack range, and new paint colors. You can read the Lotus press release in full below (it was only available as a PDF, so it's been gallerized). For all the updates, the two most important traits of the Elise and Exige remain the same: they're still light, and they're still fast.
[Source: Lotus]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Russell 8:36PM (10/23/2007)
There is something very unatractive about Exige in general.
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Schmoe 9:06PM (10/23/2007)
They're still on the 2ZZ-GE? The same one axed by Toyota for high emissions? Who's still building these things?
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james reidy 9:32PM (10/23/2007)
it may sound like a stupid question but what does the PS stand for when they say 220 ps ( i know they r talking about the horsepower) i just wanna know what its stands for.
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rem83 10:09PM (10/23/2007)
If I'm not mistaken, ps stands for pferdestarke, its a metric "equivalent" to horsepower. 1hp = 1.014 ps
el indiano 9:52PM (10/23/2007)
I love these cars! They are so much fun to watch on the track, always gave the best time.
My bimmer would have the best time to if it was made of tupperware and had racing slicks.
Still, a great car!
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Daniel 11:22PM (10/23/2007)
I sat in one of these at a recent car show, and even my 18 year old body couldn't handle the uncomfortable conditions. The seat is like wood, and I just felt that I wouldn't even be able to drive it given the cramping. I don't want to imagine it on a rough road.
Also, I noticed the pedals were about an inch in width. Any reason for this?
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Oblivion 11:38PM (10/23/2007)
Having raced the Elise before all I can say is about time it got a power hike. The cabin is not all that bad but if you have the standard seats they aren't the best. Better to get the bucket upgrades or get a Sparco/Corbeau replacement for them.
Pedals were fine under race conditions and road conditions so even if small they just teach ya to drive properly!
How tall are you if you felt cramped? I'm about 5'11" and I had no cramping issues even with a racing helmet.
I wish they would change the motor for the Honda S2000 2.0l as then the car would be perfect. The perfect chassis mated with the perfect 4pot engine.
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ss 12:02AM (11/17/2007)
Lotus is an interesting auto, but I think a Corvette is better vehicle overall, also, they seemed to try to copy the 07 atomic orange, but the vette looks better. We need makers like Lotus to keep the sports cars alive, but when it comes to putting down the bucks, i will take the vette.
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