British sports-car manufacturer, Lotus, might not have a vivid history as some of the other biggies like Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche, but even then one can’t deny the fact that it has made – infact, it's still making - some truly great cars. So to mark the achievement of the company’s Hethel (UK) headquarters over the past five decades, Lotus has launched a 50th anniversary limited production model, called the Elise 250 Special Edition. Only 50 examples will be made.
The Elise 250 Special Edition is based on the Elise Cup 250 but gets a number of exclusive components as standard. Since the company believes in the philosophy of ‘Light is Right’, a major chunk of work has gone into making the special edition version lighter than the model it’s based around. The anniversary special only weighs 899 kilograms, thanks to extensive use of aluminium and carbon fibre in its bodywork. That means the front splitter, rear wing, tailgate and front access panel are all finished in carbon fibre in the Special Edition.
There is a lot of hand-work involved in producing the Special Edition, too. The carbon-fibre components, leather seats, door trim, etc. are all hand finished. While the whole car is built with lightness in mind, customers can also spec-up their cars with an integrated in-car entertainment system with iPod connectivity and Bluetooth telephony along with air conditioning, cruise control, auxiliary driving lights, full carpets, floor mats and enhanced sound insulation.
The Elise 250 Special Edition is offered in four shades - Classic metallic blue, red, yellow and white. Buyers can also add the optional carbon fibre hardtop roof panel with this one. Lotus has put a price tag of £47,900 (~ Rs 42.23 lakh) on the Elise 250 Special Edition and it will be sold on first-come-first-served basis.
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