At 1760 pounds, the Lotus Elise Sprint is sprightly—about 90 pounds lighter than the previous Elise model, the Sport.

Lotus shed weight wherever it could as it developed the new design. The same engine options available for the Sport are available for the Sprint—as either car can be optioned to a ‘220’ model with larger engine—but the Sprint makes marginally better time. Equipped with the 1.6L naturally aspirated engine, the Sprint has a 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds; with the 1.8L supercharged four-cylinder on board, the Sprint 220’s time improves to 4.1 seconds. That’s nearly as quick as the 2016 Elise Cup 250—but the 2017 250 is getting weight relief, too, and will be available in a revised incarnation later this year.

The Sprint’s interior features an open-gate manual shift transmission; it’s the same unit used in the Exige, and provides smooth, snappy operation. The Sprint also borrows the center console from the Exige. It gets a new infotainment system as well, and Bluetooth will be available in the new model. As an option, anyway, along with Alcantara.

As far as exterior cosmetics, black body accents and black finished wheels add a little drama to the new design. The front and rear have been reshaped, too, for more attitude coming and going. Design changes have increased downforce, making the Sprint more dexterous—among them, an additional rear diffuser vane channels air under the car more effectively.

Deliveries for the Elise Sprint and Sprint 220 begin in April.