Lotus Elise And Exige Celebrated With Five New Final Editions

• Two are for the Elise while the other three are for the Exige.

• The Final Edition cars are the summation of two decades of engineering.

• They will be built in limited numbers.

Lotus is on the verge of moving into the next phase of their coloured history but before leaving the present behind, they’ve wisely opted to outfit the legendary Elise and Exige with the best features for both the interior and exterior available.

The Elise will be offered as Sport 240 Final Edition and the Cup 250 Final Edition. Both get an output boost to 240 horsepower, up 23, for their supercharged 1.8-litre 4-cylinder engine. Lotus’ MO is always about reducing weight and so the 240 now includes 10-spoke forged alloy wheels. The 250 gains improved aerodynamics and new wheels as well. Also part of the 250 are Bilstein dampers and adjustable anti-roll bars.

The Exige is Lotus’ hardcore performance sports car. All versions are powered by a supercharged 3.5-litre V6, unassisted steering and more. The Sport 390 Final Edition is endowed with 397 horsepower (up 47) while the Sport 420 Final Edition gets an extra 10 horses. The latter gains Eibach anti-roll bars, three-way adjustable Nitron dampers, and AP racing braking components.

Finally, the Exige Cup 430 Final Edition is the ultimate Exige. Power rises a further 10 horsepower which puts its 1,110kg frame to 100km/h in only 3.2 seconds. The excessive aero is entirely functional and capable of serious downforce and speed. All 430s include carbon fibre panels including splitter, diffuser, and roof. All other components are identical to the 420.

The combination Elise and Exige cars will have accounted for roughly 55,000 units, more than half of Lotus car’s entire production since 1948.