The first rule of Race Club is…

… no one talks about Race Club. It wouldn’t make for very good PR so the lovely people at Lotus loaned me the fiery new Lotus Elise Club Racer for a weekend spin. Here’s the details

Paying more money for less is never a good idea but for some weird reason it makes sense in the motoring world. The new Club Racer is a super stripped-out racing machine that’s yours for a measly £27,500. For that wedge you’d expect a radio… well you don’t get one. Central locking is nowhere to be seen and your backside is treated to a blade of plastic with a small, foam matt super glued to it. But this car isn’t about fancy gizmos and luxury interiors; it’s about pure, unadulterated driving thrills.

The frugal but punchy 1.6 litre engine rockets this roller skate to 60mph in a very pleasing 6.5 seconds and when you’re at that speed, this thing will happily tackle even the slipperiest corners with ease. The only downside is that acceleration isn’t really enough to pass Sunday traffic, we wished it had a little more punch to get us out of the way of the biddies. Our test model came in a very cool Man City Sky Blue with neat black alloys, a much nicer hue than the classic Canary Yellow and one that definitely grabbed the attention of passers-by.

The lack of soundproofing and updated engine sounds great, far better than any Elise we’ve previously driven, but the major upshot is the awesome 46 miles per gallon this eco warrior returns. It’s an awesome weekend roadster but don’t expect your missus to join you, it’s far too uncomfortable for that.

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