Lotus celebrates 50 years at Hethel with the Elise 250 Special Edition, low weight, high power makes great fun.

• 50th anniversary edition celebrates founding of Hethel site
• Hand finished, with lightweight carbon components as standard
• 899 kg kerb weight delivers pure and precise driving experience

In a celebration of style and lightweight performance, and helping mark the 50th anniversary of the company’s famous Hethel site, Lotus has revealed the latest addition to its collection: the exclusive Elise 250 Special Edition.

Based on the critically acclaimed Elise Cup 250 launched earlier this year, but featuring a raft of exclusive components as standard, the new Lotus Elise 250 Special Edition offers an outstanding combination of performance and panache. 

With a supercharged 243 hp engine, a 0-60mph time of 3.9 seconds, and a unique, hand-finished interior, it perfectly defines the quintessential British sportscar in this celebration year.

As an antidote to sterilised and staid modern cars, Lotus’ approach continues to deliver the purest, undiluted driving experience. Tipping the scales at just 899 kg, through the utilisation of advanced materials including carbon fibre and aluminium, the Elise 250 Special Edition remains true to the company’s philosophy of ‘Light is Right’ and is capable of humbling far more common, yet expensive, rivals.

Powered by a high-output, supercharged, 1.8-litre 4-cylinder engine, the Elise 250 Special Edition boasts 243 hp (246 PS) at 7200 rpm and 250 Nm of torque between 3500 rpm and 5500 rpm. This, along with the car’s 899kg kerb weight, contributes to the impressive 270 hp/tonne headline figure.

However, far from being solely performance orientated, the Elise 250 Special Edition is designed to appeal aesthetically as well as dynamically. A selection of beautifully finished carbon-fibre components come as standard, including a front splitter, rear wing, tailgate and front access panel, all giving the car considerable kerb appeal.

Drawing inspiration from some of the company’s most alluring models, the new Elise is the perfect blend of both style and substance. As befitting a hand-built sports car from one of the world’s most famous marques, it’s beautifully detailed and conceived as a tribute to one of countless Lotus fans’ favourite cars. The Lotus Elan, launched in 1963, established itself as one of the icons of 60’s motoring and even became a star of screen in hit TV shows of the time, including the classic series The Avengers.

Draped in a composite body and finished in one of four of the firm’s favourite colours, the Elise 250 Special Edition is limited to just 50 examples. With a high specification as standard, it combines traditional British craftsmanship with the best of contemporary design. From the hand-made carbon components, to the hand-finished leather seats, it sets the benchmark for exclusive sports cars.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, commented, “When we first introduced the Elise, it redefined how involving and exciting, yet civilised, a sports car could be. As the Elise was conceived, designed, engineered and is built at Hethel, we wanted a 50^th tribute that’s even lighter than the fastest road-going Elise we’ve ever produced. The new Elise 250 Special Edition achieves that, so it’s supremely quick and agile, but it’s also wonderfully finished and stunning to look at.”

Helping celebrate the company’s 50 years in Norfolk, the car is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Elise 250 Special Edition is the latest in a series of unique products marking this significant milestone in the company’s history.

The performance and handling characteristics of every Lotus are developed on the famous site’s test track. Over the last 50 years it’s been responsible for honing all the company’s historic models, including the Elan, and Esprit, as well its fastest ever cars, the amazing Evora 400 and ballistic 3-Eleven.

Lotus Elise 250 Special Edition

The Elise 250 Special Edition is available in choice of four colours, each a long-standing favourite over the last 50 years. Classic metallic blue, red, yellow and white finishes are all complemented by ultralight forged wheels in silver, or black as an option. An optional carbon fibre hardtop roof panel is also available.

The same attention to detail continues inside, with the carbon-fibre sports seats finished in either dark blue or dark grey leather, and stitched with a choice of contrasting colours. The car’s door trim is afforded the same hand-stitched finish.

Despite its sophistication, the Elise 250 Special Edition is just at home on the track as it is on Bond Street. The new car laps the company’s Hethel test circuit in 1 minute 34 seconds, the fastest recorded time for a production road-going Elise. The car carries over the same suspension and braking components from the Elise Cup 250, including Bilstein sports dampers and Eibach coaxial coil springs and double wishbone suspension. AP Racing twin-piston front calipers, and Brembo single-piston rear calipers work in conjunction with the track-tuned ABS system.

Fitted with a slick, six-speed manual gearbox, the Elise 250 Special Edition includes an Electronic Differential Lock as standard to give better traction and faster exit speeds when cornering.

The new Elise also features driver selectable ESP modes, providing ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ settings. Proportionally increasing throttle response, lowering traction slip thresholds and removing understeer recognition, it allows enhanced control before the system intervenes.

An integrated in-car entertainment system can also be specified, including iPod® connectivity and Bluetooth® functionality, along with air conditioning, cruise control, auxiliary driving lights, full carpets, floor mats and enhanced sound insulation.

The new Elise 250 Special Edition can also be personalised through the Lotus Exclusive programme. Combining craftsmanship with modern design, the service inspires customers to spend time tailoring the character of their Lotus with a comprehensive array of options to suit any budget.

News of the special edition follows the Lotus Elise’s success as Readers’ Champion at the prestigious Autocar Awards. From a starting roster of 50, tens of thousands of motoring fans voted for the iconic car as part of an online competition.

The hand-built sports car from Norfolk has long been regarded as a benchmark within the industry, providing a level of precision and driver involvement that rivals can’t match. Perfectly tuned for British roads the Lotus Elise, intelligently equipped and surprisingly usable, allows owners to enjoy driving day in, day out.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price

UK (Pound Sterling)	£47,900
Germany (Euros)	€64,000
France (Euros)	€64,540
Italy (Euros)	€67,980
Japan (¥ Yen)	¥9.4m

Technical Specification:

PERFORMANCE	Elise 250
Max power	243 hp at 7200 rpm (246 PS) (181 kW)
Max torque	250 Nm between 3500 rpm and 5500 rpm (184 lbft)
0-60 mph	3.9 seconds
0-100 km/h	4.3 seconds
Max speed	154 mph (248 km/h)
Fuel Consumption mpg (l/100 km)
Urban Extra Urban Combined	28.0 (10.1) 47.1 (6.0) 37.7 (7.5)
CO2 emissions	175 g/km
Unladen weight	899 kg

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

All alloy, 1.8 litre DOHC 4-cylinder, dual VVT-i, 16-valve with chargecooled Magnuson R900 supercharger utilising Eaton TVSTM technology

Mid mounted, transverse, rear wheel drive

Multi-point sequential fuel injection and direct ignition system

Lotus Electronic Throttle Control system

6 speed manual gearbox with sports ratios

Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)

CHASSIS AND BODY

Lightweight, extruded aluminium bonded chassis structure

T45 motorsport hoop

Fully independent double wishbone suspension, with adjustable front anti-roll bar

Bilstein high performance gas dampers, front and rear

Eibach coaxial coil springs, front and rear

AP-Racing twin-piston front calipers and single piston rear calipers

Servo assisted, cross drilled and ventilated brake discs, 288 mm diameter, front and rear

Track-tuned ABS system

Driver selectable ESP modes

Lightweight lithium-ion battery

EXTERIOR SPECIFICATION

Classic Blue, Yellow, Red or White metallic paint finish

Carbon fibre front splitter, rear wing, tailgate and front access panel

Roll hoop cover, wing mirror caps, rear transom panel and wing uprights in silver finish

Rear diffuser in silver finish

Ultra-lightweight silver forged alloy wheels (16” front and 17” rear)

Yokohama AO48 LTS tyres 195/50 ZR16 (front) 225/45 ZR17 (rear)

Halogen front main and dip lights with integrated direction indicators

LED rear lamps with integrated direction indicators

Black soft-top

Clear sill stone chip protection film

INTERIOR SPECIFICATION

A choice of dark blue or dark grey leather trim with contrast stitching

Carbon fibre sports seats trimmed in leather with contrast stitching

Black leather trimmed steering wheel

Black leather trimmed sills with contrast stitching

Polished aluminium gear knob

Engine start push button

Driver and passenger airbags

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

Carbon fibre hard top

Air conditioning

Ultra-lightweight black forged alloy wheels (16” front and 17” rear)

Black Pack, including roll hoop cover, wing mirror caps, rear transom panel, rear diffuser and wing uprights painted in matt black

Cruise control

Integrated in-car entertainment system, including iPod® connectivity and Bluetooth®

Full carpet

Floor mats

Sound insulation

Auxiliary driving lights