The Goodwood Test: Lotus Elise Sprint

Heritage

Looking for the truest expression of all that Lotus stands for? This is it! With the new Elise Sprint Lotus is both reviving a celebrated badge from an earlier era and translating those values to a modern context. In its words cars like the original Elan Sprint were "visually distinct, lightweight derivatives, with improved agility" and that ethos has been applied to the Elise for the first time in its 20-plus year lifecycle. A range-wide update has stripped 10kg out of an already lightweight car - opting for the Sprint version chops a further 26kg thanks to a weight-saving regime Colin Chapman would be proud of. 

Design

All Elises benefit from a design spruce-up that includes a cleaner looking front end and new single rear lights – these saving 300g over the paired ones of the previous car. And this obsession with chopping out weight continues throughout the car. A cool-looking exposed gear linkage from the Evora saves a kilo on its own and Sprint spec includes carbon fibre for the seats and rear deck lid, adds super light wheels, a lightweight battery, polycarbonate rear screen and a host of other detail upgrades. A black panel between the lights and decals on the side let people know you're a true believer in the 'add lightness' ethos. 

Performance

In an age obsessed with performance statistics you have to look again at the numbers that really matter. 134bhp from the 1.6-litre naturally aspirated entry-level car isn't much. But in Sprint spec it weighs just 798kg by what Lotus describes as 'motorsport dry' – add fuel and go basically. The Sprint 220 version adds a supercharger and meaningful power increase to 217bhp from a 1.8-litre engine, knocking on the door of the 237bhp of the Alfa Romeo 4C. The Lotus may not share the Italian car's fancy carbon fibre construction but it's lighter, cheaper, has that more involving manual gearbox and much better ride and handling. Less is definitely more. 

Passion

Current Lotus boss Jean-Marc Gales uses the catchphrase 'light is right' but there's hard-headed pragmatism behind this new spin on the old Lotus formula. He's stripped weight and cost out of the Elise, making it both sharper and more profitable. There are few complaints though, this revised Elise more honest to the original version than any recent equivalent and the very definition of minimalist thrills. True purists will happily trade the performance advantage of the 220 for the back to basics appeal of the 1.6 too – if you want a true Lotus this is the one to go for, burly price and seemingly modest performance statistics be damned.

Price tag of our car: From £32,300 (Elise Sprint £37,300)