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Lotus has released a lightweight version of the already featherweight Elise called the Elise Club Racer edition. At 876kg it is 24kg lighter than the normal production Elise and aside from a Caterham 7, it could well be one of the lightest road legal car you could buy in the market today. Of course, in the early 1980s, a Honda Civic weighed almost as much (or as little). Such is automotive progress as cars get heavier due to safety legislation requirements as well as the need for more luxuries. So the already back to basics Elise loses another 24kg by getting rid of the normal sized battery for a lightweight one and the removal of soundproofing material. Not something rocket science but something basic and rudimentary. Of course the lightweight battery may cost more and the Lotus will be much more noisier. But all the more better for the driver to feel as one with the car. More noise could mean more mechanical noise and for some it may be irritating but for an enthusiast or someone attacking a track on a track day this could mean more feedback. You can hear the engine note rise and fall better as well as hear the tires at work better so that you may predict what may happen next. But the Elise Club Racer has more driving goodies. It also has a new setting for the Elise's Dynamic Performance Management system (DPM) that can change the suspension rates and the addition of an adjustable anti-roll bar allows for better tuning and better overall control. It also helps the driver tune the car to suit circuit work or for the drive back home after the track outing. The DPM works with new Eibach springs and Bilstein shock absorbers. A lot of higher end stuff for Lotus' most basic sports car. 24kg of weight loss will not mean that the Club Racer will beat the heck out of the stock Elise. It may be a hair's length ahead of the stock Elise's 0-100km/h sprint. The 1.6liter Toyota engine still has the same 134bhp engine and this should chop of 0.1seconds from the standard 6.5seconds to 100km/h. But this car should handle better. The Club Racer will come in 6 colors, from Sky Blue, Ardent Red, Aspen White, Carbon Gray, Matt Black and Saffron Yellow. Some are different from the normal Elise color palette. It will go on sale in the UK soon and prices start at

The "added lightness" mantra is well-known in performance circles--cutting weight helps everything about a sports car, from acceleration to braking to handling. Now, it seems to help out in emission figures as well. Lotus announced the 2011 Elise scored 46.6 mpg and a mere 239 grams of CO2 emissions per mile, making it the cleanest and most efficient gasoline-powered car in its performance category. When the revised Lotus was revealed in February, it was announced that it would be powered by the Toyota sourced 1ZR-FAE 1.6-litre engine with Valvematic and Dual VVT-I, producing 134 bhp and 160 Nm. At the time, Lotus estimated the fuel economy and emissions improvements to be around 23 percent and 13 percent respectively. Gains were also made thanks to improvements in aerodynamics, which cut drag by four percent. 134 bhp might not sound like a barnstormer but it projects the 1,934 pound Elise from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds. For comparison, the 2010 Toyota Prius, which takes just under 10 seconds to reach 60 mph, manages a slightly better 50 mpg combined rating, and emits 148 grams of CO2 per mile. However, it requires a much more complex hybrid system to do so, thought it has a back seat. Even if the 2011 Lotus Elise isn't the greenest car on the planet, it certainly proves that you don't have to give up fun to go green.