Video: Hillclimb Elise screams with an 11,000rpm V8
24th May 2024
Ethan Jupp
Todays elevenses is more like an afternoonses, because what better way is there to while away the final working hours of the week than dive into a YouTube hillclimb rabbithol...
A monster of the European hillclimb scene, this Lotus Elise has exchanged its four-cylinder engine for a twin Hyabusa super bike screamers, to create a 3.0-litre V8 that produces 430PS (316kW) at a howling 11,000rpm. The car weighs just 730kg and is glued to the road by its significant aero addenda. Wider, with a flat underfloor, a huge front splitter and a giant wing, the thing is an utter monster.
On the inside clips you might be wondering if a ghost is shifting the sequential transmission for the driver. Not exactly. Cogs can be swapped via the shift knob or paddles on the wheel and with the amount of wrestling that’s required to keep the car under control, paddles on the wheel are the safe bet. But being mechanically linked, the knob wobbles on shifts! What a crazy little thing.
