More and more car enthusiasts are taking to the track to get the most from their cars without fear of losing their licences. One of the most common road cars at British trackdays is the Lotus Elise. We are unabashed fans of the lithe supercar-bating two-seater and often wax lyrical about its capabilities on road and track. Indeed, the Exige is little more than a road legal trackday car. Lotus wants to go one better, and has announced the production of a new Elise-based product called simply "Circuit Car" at this time.

Details are still pretty vague, but in essence, the Circuit Car will be a successor to the radical Lotus 340R, itself based on the S1 Elise. As the Lotus sketches show, the new car will retain much of the 340R's jaw dropping looks, with the basic Elise S2 shape grafted in. Of course, the shape will be as much about aerodynamics as it is about turning heads. The Exige has a healthy dose of downforce, but we expect the Circuit Car to have a lot more, with an adjustable rear spoiler very likely.

One of the few quoted figures we have been given is the car's weight. At 600kg for the lightest version, the Circuit Car should be able to keep most of the hottest cars on the track at bay. Aiding this is the option of a supercharged version of Toyota's VVTL-i engine. This engine should put out about 240bhp (as in the Exige 240R), and will supposedly help the Circuit Car hit 60mph in 3.5 seconds and 100mph in only 9 seconds. A naturally aspirated engine will also be available, and 0-60mph in 4 seconds isn't exactly slow for that version.

No prices have yet been announced, but the Circuit Car goes on sale in December - an odd time of year to launch a track car. Lotus plans on selling 100 cars per annum. We'll try to get our hands on one next summer so watch out for the review in the Lotus section of the Road Tests page.

Shane O' Donoghue - 20 Jun 2005