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The Lotus Elise 220 Cup – essentially a road-legal version of the track-only Elise Cup R – is now open for booking right here in Malaysia. Before you get confused, this is the exact same model as the Elise S Cup announced last January, the only difference being the new naming structure. The 'S' has been dropped from the Cup R variant too (previously Elise S Cup R).

Prices start at a lofty RM316,127.19 (on-the-road without insurance), going up to RM346,127.19 if you spec it up with the optional Performance Induction Kit and ultra-lightweight forged wheels (pictured below, 16-inch up front, 17-inch rear) with semi-slick Yokohama A048 tyres. The standard model rides on cast iron alloys (above) with Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 rubbers.

The new 220 Cup has been designed as an uncompromising alternative for "enthusiasts seeking a viable track-day/road car." Lotus says it's up to three seconds faster than the normal Elise S model around the Hethel test track. And that's with the same mid-mounted supercharged 1.8 litre VVT-i four-cylinder engine with 217 hp at 6,800 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 4,600 rpm.

All that power gets shoved to the rear wheels via a traditional six-speed manual transmission. With a power-to-weight ratio of 235 hp/tonne, the 952 kg Elise 220 Cup rockets from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, on to a top speed of 225 km/h. The road-focussed Elise S, with a less hardcore downforce setup, has a slightly higher top speed of 234 km/h.

The aerodynamic additions, all specific to the Elise 220 Cup, definitely look the part. A new front splitter, lateral bargeboards, a fixed blacked-out roof, a large spoiler and a massive rear diffuser – all fully functional, of course – are unique to this hardcore variant.

Adjustable front anti-roll bar, high performance Bilstein dampers, Eibach coaxial coil springs and uprated double shear rear track control arms are all standard too, as are AP Racing two-pot front calipers, Brembo rear calipers, a track tuned ABS system and Lotus' Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) system. The DPM also includes a special Sport mode.

For a more detailed look at the whole Lotus range in Malaysia, check out CarBase.my.