World’s Fastest Lotus Elise?
Impressive modificatons may emerge from the minimum expected sources, like this Lotus Elise with 850hp by using methanol injection. Fabricated in a workshop, it was created for time attack and drag racing competitions.
Although the appreciative Elise moniker has been replaced with more modernised vehicles, this car maintains its reputation as a remarkable dragster.
The creation of the car was a process of experimentation to make it more dynamic and debilitate its weight. The full build has been modified to use fiberglass, to keep it as trivial as conceivable. Even the most insignificant pieces such as the door bolts had been replaced with titanium, mainly to remove tiny amounts of mass. All these modifications and transformations have led the car to clock in at only 1,499 pounds, making it surprisingly lighter than even Formula 1 cars.
The area that makes miracles come to be is the engine governed by the Elise. A Rover K-series motor gives it the power and while this type of engine isn’t typically looked upon favorably, this example delivers an amazing 850 HP on methanol. The possessor did not use the typical replacement method for increased power; rather he adjusted the original motor dramatically in order to arrive at his wished-for outcome.
The resourceful Rover K-series has been fitted with a GTX 42 twin-scroll turbocharger to reach a whopping 55 pounds of boost at 6,900 rpm utilizing pure methanol. Nevertheless, the vehicle is still competent enough to operate with high-grade pump gas. It’s also been enhanced with eight 2,200-cc injectors, an advanced intake manifold, several sensors for ideal air-fuel ratios, and a specialized tuning.
The Elise has been stripped of its internal components, providing nothing but exposed metal and fiberglass. In order to maximize safety, a bucket seat and protective roll cage were installed, along with a panel that is fitted with switches and a USB port. For performance enhancements, the Elise also includes a sequential shifter, a hydraulic handbrake, plus a laptop to be used as a digital dashboard. Truly impressive for an amateur home-built project, considering the owner – Lee – is not even a professionally trained tuner or engine builder.
These tweaks have been instrumental in transforming this lightweight British sport vehicle into a fierce beast capable of achieving an 8-second drag time.
