Lotus has just released a 50-state legal supercharger kit for its naturally aspirated Elise and Exige models.
It's the same supercharger and intake manifold unit from the production Elise SC, and can be strapped onto any Elise or Exige with Toyota's 1.8-liter 2ZZ-GE under the hood. New high-flow fuel injectors and a reprogrammed ECU are also added to the mix, and help give quite a hefty kick in the pants to the respective vehicles.
Stock output is rated at 189 hp and 133 pound-feet of torque, and the new system will bump that up to 218 hp and 155 pound-feet. More power isn't the only notable change, though. Maximum torque is now available at a lower rpm (5k vs. 6.8k), giving the driver a more flexible powerband to work with.
The kit is ready for purchase at all authorized Lotus dealers in the U.S. and Canada.
jederino says:
03:24 PM, 08/ 3/09
Will the kit work on my wife's Corolla?
cwc1 says:
05:30 PM, 08/ 3/09
The lower torque curve sounds like a big improvement. That Toyota engine has frequently been criticized for being peaky and having a very narrow power range, which is also where the noise is - not good.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
06:59 PM, 08/ 3/09
This street legal track car just got better at its track attacks. :-)
ronvpr says:
04:45 AM, 08/ 4/09
I'll still take a pass on a Toyota engine that will blow due to sludge.
jeevsdew says:
05:38 AM, 08/ 4/09
Sludge huh?? When was the last time you've seen a celica gt-s, corolla xrs, or even a pontiac vibe GT blow due to sludge? (They all have the same engine ;)
estreka says:
01:13 PM, 08/ 4/09
Those numbers are still rather unimpressive. But with such a lightweight car, I bet it's awfully impressive on the track.