The Lotus Elise is one of those love it or hate it kind of cars but no one can deny that the Elise is a roaring success and as Lotus celebrate 50 years of its test track based at Hethel in Norfolk, the company has revealed the 2-seater Elise 250 Special Edition at a not so insignificant cost of £47,900.
50 units will be available and the limited run sports car has already marked its spot in Lotus history with a lap record (street legal) at the test company’s Hethel track. An achievement mainly due to the combination of a light weight of just 899kg and power supplied by the company’s 1.8 litre supercharged engine and 6-speed manual gear box.
The special edition is based on the Lotus Elise 250 Cup and similarly, provides 243 bhp and 184 lb ft torque plus electronic differential lock for more cornering confidence. Like the 250 Cup, the special also utilises the same chassis, including the Bilstein sport shocks and double wishbone suspension.
The low weight (and track record) is down to a liberal use of aluminium and carbon fibre throughout, including the carbon fibre seats, which are finished in either dark blue, or dark grey contrast stitched leather. There is also the option to spec a lightweight carbon fibre top as well.
The Elise 250 Special Edition will be available in only four colours – red, white, yellow and metallic blue, with either silver or black wheels.
You can expect your Elise 250 to reach 0-60mph in an impressive 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 154mph, plus an equally impressive Extra Urban fuel consumption of 47.1mpg.
As you might expect with the Elise, home comforts are secondary to the performance, and such things like aircon, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod connections and even full carpet are extras you will need to factor in to the total price.
While the Elise 250 Special Edition may not be for everyone in an age where such comforts might be expected as standard, Lotus have produced yet another well thought out tweak to their established, very popular Elise performance line.
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