First Drive Review
Sight. Smell. Hearing. Touch. Taste.
These are the only senses the Lotus Elise Supercharged (Lotus also calls it the Elise SC 220) stimulates. Even taste : At various points during our spirited drive of the spunky supercharged two-seater along the asphalt ribbons of northern San Diego County, we found ourselves picking sand out of our hair, shirts, and, yes, teeth. And if there were a sixth sense, the Elise SC 220 would likely tickle that, too.
Lotuses are rare but fragrant flowers, magical but minuscule sportsters limited in their appeal—even among the people who can afford them—by their sheer intensity and lack of everyday practicality. With only two seats and virtually no in-cabin storage, a relative lack of sound insulation, and nominal stereo and HVAC controls, Lotus’s Elise targa and Exige S hardtop sibling represent good third or fourth cars. But for those people who have one in their garage, they are scintillating sources of joy.
Unique Supercharger Design, Road-Car Tuning
For 2007, the Exige became the Exige S, which added an intercooled supercharger that gobbled air from above the roof to boost output for the mid-mounted, Toyota-sourced 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. The result was a featherweight, high-revving rocket with 220 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque, a track junkie’s dream.
Lotus saw similar potential for a second Elise model but decided to tune the upgraded car to be “a supremely fast road car rather than an extreme track machine.” The transformation dictated the need for a different type of supercharger than the snorkel-fed, intercooled unit that completely blocks the rearward visibility in the Exige S. Lotus thus employed a clever new Eaton-style supercharger integrated with the intake plenum as part of a single casting. Although it does without the intercooler and its vision-blocking air intake (and some 18 pounds of engine weight), the Elise SC 220’s supercharger nonetheless yields nearly the same power bump as that in the Exige S. The SC 220 makes 218 horsepower at 7800 rpm and 153 pound-feet of torque at 5500 rpm, a kick of 28 horsepower and 20 pound-feet over the standard Elise. The compression ratio is astounding at 11.5:1, and the redline remains an eye-watering 8500 rpm.
Lotus tuned the throttle for more progressive actuation compared with the Exige S, in keeping with its street-car purpose. But that is not to say Lotus slowed it down, claiming that 0 to 60 mph happens in 4.4 seconds and 100 mph arrives in 10.7. Top speed is a claimed 150 mph.
It is the quickest and fastest factory Elise ever. And as we exit the driveway of the Pala Resort and Casino in Pala, California, and dive headlong into what turns into a four-hour, 10/10th charge along twisting, glorious mountain two-lanes, the SC 220’s extra pull is immediately apparent. The engine note and the subtle supercharger whine are sublime. This will be a fun day.
